The Walt Whitman Archive
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Finding Aids for Manuscripts at Individual Repositories
Guide to the Walt Whitman Poetry Manuscripts in The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Original records created by The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens; revised and expanded by the Walt Whitman Archive and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. Encoded Archival Description completed through the assistance of the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, the University of Nebraska Research Council, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
Title: Walt Whitman Poetry Manuscripts in The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Collection Number: N/A
Creator:
Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892
Repository: Department of Manuscripts
Abstract:This electronic finding aid was created from the original catalog records obtained by The Walt Whitman Archive. The original papers and catalog records are held at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Scope and Content:
The Huntington's Department of Manuscripts holds several Whitman items, including drafts of poetry and prose, correspondence, notebooks, and pieces about Whitman by other authors. For this electronic finding aid, only those objects deemed poetry manuscripts have been described at the item-level.
Biographical Information:For additional biographical information, see
"Walt Whitman," by Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price, and the
chronology of Whitman's Life.
Subjects: Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892;
Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892--Manuscripts;
Poets, American--19th century;
Series Description and Item Lists
Item: 1
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00006
Manuscript ID: HM 11202
Title: "Beginners"
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a handwritten draft of "Beginners," a poem first published in 1860. The title "Thought," near the top of the page is crossed out.
Item: 2
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00019
Manuscript ID: HM 1194
Title: "The Dead in this War"
Date: ca. 1864
Physical Description: 2 leaves
View Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
These are notes for a lecture about "The Dead in This War." Though the notes are apparently for a prose piece, their style is poetic.
Item: 3
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00021
Manuscript ID: HM 6713
Title: "Come, said my Soul"
Date: ca. 1874
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a draft of "Come, said my Soul," a poem first published in 1874 and later used as the title-page epigraph for Leaves of Grass.
Item: 4
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00014
Manuscript ID: HM 1190
Title: "Fancies at Navesink, the Pilot in the Mist"
Date: ca. 1884
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a draft of "Pilot in the Mist," a poem that is part of the eight-poem sequence "Fancies at Navesink," first published in 1885.
Item: 5
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00001
Manuscript ID: HM 11200
Title: "Longings for Home"
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 5 leaves
View Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
This is a draft of "Longings For Home," a poem first published in 1860 and later revised and retitled "O Magnet-South."
Item: 6
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00015
Manuscript ID: HM 1193
Title: "You Lingering Sparse Leaves of Me."
Date: 1885
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a corrected proof sheet for the poem "You Lingering Sparse Leaves of Me." This poem was part of a collection of four poems called "November Boughs" , which was first published in Lippincott's Magazine in November 1887. It was later reprinted in the 1891-1892 edition of Leaves of Grass.
Item: 7
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00017
Manuscript ID: HM 1193
Title: "You Lingering Sparse Leaves of Me."
Date: 1885
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a corrected proof sheet for the poem "You Lingering Sparse Leaves of Me." This poem was part of a collection of four poems called "November Boughs" , which was first published in Lippincott's Magazine in November 1887. It was later reprinted in the 1891-1892 edition of Leaves of Grass.
Item: 8
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00010
Manuscript ID: HM 11206
Title: "The Singer in the Prison"
Date: ca. 1869
Physical Description: 4 leaves
View Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
This is draft of "The Singer in the Prison," a poem first published in 1869.
Item: 9
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00022
Manuscript ID: HM 6714
Title: "Preface to Leaves of Grass"
Date: ca. 1855
Physical Description: 3 leaves
View Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
This is a draft of the "Preface" to the first edition of Leaves of Grass, published in 1855.
Item: 10
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00016
Manuscript ID: HM 1192
Title: "Soon Shall the Winter's Foil Be Here"
Date: ca. 1888
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a draft of "Soon Shall the Winter's Foil Be Here," a poem published first in 1888.
Item: 11
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00007
Manuscript ID: HM 11203
Title: "Tests"
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a draft of "Tests," a poem published first in 1860.
Item: 12
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00008
Manuscript ID: HM 11205
Title: "To a Common Prostitute"
Title: "To the Future"
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a draft of "To a Common Prostitute," a poem published first in 1860. On the reverse is a draft of the poem "To the Future."
Item: 13
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00002
Manuscript ID: HM 11201
Title: "Thoughts"
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 3 leaves
View Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
These leaves form part of a draft of "Thoughts," a poem first published in 1860.
Item: 14
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00003
Manuscript ID: HM 11201
Title: "Thought."
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This manuscript is part of a draft of "Thoughts," a poem first published in 1860.
Item: 15
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00004
Manuscript ID: HM 11201
Title: "Thoughts."
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is part of a draft of "Thoughts," a poem first published in 1860.
Item: 16
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00005
Manuscript ID: HM 11201
Title: "Thought"
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This manuscript is part of a draft of "Thoughts," a poem first published in 1860.
Item: 17
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00011
Manuscript ID: HM 11207
Title: "To My Seventieth Year"
Date: ca. 1889
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a draft entitled "To My Seventieth Year." The poem was first published as "Queries to My Seventieth Year" in 1888.
Item: 18
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00013
Manuscript ID: HM 11208
Title: "To Him That Was Crucified"
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 3 leaves
View Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
This is a draft of "To Him That Was Crucified," a poem first published in 1860.
Item: 19
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00020
Manuscript ID: HM 1224
Title: "A Twilight Song"
Date: ca. 1890
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a late draft of "A Twilight Song," a poem first published in 1890.
Item: 20
Whitman Archive ID: hun.00009
Manuscript ID: HM 11204
Title: "To Other Lands"
Date: ca. 1860
Physical Description: 1 leaf
View Images: 1 | 2
This is a draft of "To Other Lands," a poem first published in 1860 and later revised and retitled "To Foreign Lands."
Restrictions on Original Materials: Please consult with repository.
Preferred Citation: To identify this finding aid as a source, see the Archive's "Conditions of Use" page.
Repository Contact Information:
Department of Manuscripts
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108