Burroughs, John. Notes on Walt Whitman, as Poet and Person. 1867. New York: American News Co., 108 pp. No index. Reprinted: 1871. Extract reprinted: 1926. [Describes his first acquaintance with Leaves (1861) and with Whitman (1863); the various editions and their reception. The 1867 edition (here concentrated on) completes Whitman's work, although he may wish to express further "the religious aspirational elements." Major poems and sections are explicatedg they combine to form one poem, paralleling nature's unity. More than Wordsworth, Whitman accepts nature completely, with its force. He is not ignorant of the resources of literary composition, for his lines have poise and grace and he avoids abstractions in favor of "flesh-and-blood reality." He has some satiric talent. He will lead to a nobler school of criticism, but he shows no concern for immediate approval. While he rightly emphasizes the worth of the body, his spirituality cannot be denied. Sketch of Whitman's life, character, hospital work (described through Whitman's letters) is presented. Drum-Taps is discussed (largely as in 1866), "the vital and distinguishing memento through literature of the late war," commemorating not battles but human pain. "Lilacs" needs no plot development, displaying dramatic interplay between images.]