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WHITMAN, Walt. Complete Poems and Prose. (Camden: no publisher [printed for the author in Philadelphia by Ferguson Brothers], 1888). Quarto, original three-quarter green cloth, original brown mottled paper boards, original paper spine label, uncut. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $14,500.First edition of the first collected edition of Whitman's works, one of only 600 copies signed by Whitman on the Leaves of Grass title page, in original cloth, presentation copy from Whitman's literary executor inscribed on the front free endpaper six months after Whitman's death, "To G. Garson Freund, Philada. Oct. 11, 1892. through Horace Traubel."Published only four years before the poet's death, this edition was referred to by Whitman as his "big bookÉ essentially the book, irrespective of expensive binding: it has portraits, notes, title pageÑall the guarantees of my personality: it is as clearly the book as anything could make it." Whitman also called it his "pet edition" going "straight from my hands into the hands of the reader: from my heart to your heartÉ" Issued for Whitman by the publisher, with four portraits of the author, including a photographic title page. Contains Leaves of Grass, Specimen Days and Collect, and November Boughs. Binding A, priority assumed. Without a hand-written limitation number by Traubel on the leaf opposite the Leaves of Grass title page, as is sometimes the case in copies in this binding. Myerson A2.7m. BAL 21431 (binding A). Wells & Goldsmith, 31-32. Bookplate of the recipient. In addition to being a close friend of Whitman, Horace Traubel, who presented this copy, served as his literary executor and biographer; he is considered one of the leading forces in insuring Whitman's stature as a great American poet.Interior generally fine, text block and inner paper hinges expertly reinforced, light wear to extremities of original binding. An extremely good copy.
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