The Galaxy

Whitman was first recommended to the Galaxy's publishers, William Conant Church and Francis Pharcellus Church, by his friend, William Douglas O'Connor who suggested John Burroughs' article titled, "Notes on Walt Whitman as Poet and Person." A portion of that article appeared in the Galaxy during its first year of publication, in December 1866. Eventually, prompted by Whitman's growing reputation, the Churches proposed that Whitman himself write a poem concerning the theme of "harvest" for their publication. In August 1867 Whitman submitted "A Carol of Harvest for 1867" and the poem was printed in the September edition. Whitman later submitted more poems to the magazine, including "Ethiopia Commenting," which was accepted for publication but never printed. In May 1871, Anne Charlotte Lynch Botta (1815–1891), who presided over a literary salon in New York and was connected to the Galaxy, solicited a new poem from Whitman. "O Star of France" was a part of the June 1871 issue of the Galaxy. The issue included several works concerning the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, which ended with the surrender of the French Army in May 1871 and the forming of the German Empire and the Third French Republic. The Galaxy also printed the beginnings of Whitman's prose piece "Democratic Vistas" in two articles. The first, "Democracy," was published in December 1867 and the second, "Personalism," appeared in May 1868. For a time, the Churches considered Whitman a regular contributor but the relationship evidently changed in later years.

Poems

"A Carol of Harvest for 1867." Galaxy 4 (September 1867): 605-609. Reprinted in Tinsley's Magazine (London) in October 1867. Whitman revised the poem for Passage to India (1871). After some further revision, the poem appeared as "The Return of the Heroes" in Leaves of Grass (1881–82).

"Brother of All, With Generous Hand." Galaxy 9 (January 1870): 75-76. Reprinted in Passage to India (1871), in the group "Passage to India" of Leaves of Grass (1872) and Two Rivulets (1876), and, after some revision, under the new title "Outlines for a Tomb" in Leaves of Grass (1881–82).

"Warble for Lilac-Time." Galaxy 9 (May 1870): 686. Whitman revised the poem for reprinting in Passage to India (1871), in the New York Daily Grahpic (12 May 1873), in the group "Passage to India" of Leaves of Grass (1872) and Two Rivulets (1876), and in its present form in Leaves of Grass (1881–82).

"O Star of France!" Galaxy 11 (June 1871): 817. Collected in As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free and Other Poems (1872), reprinted in Two Rivulets (1876), and, after some revision, in Leaves of Grass (1881–82).

Bibliography

Blodgett, Harold W., and Sculley Bradley, eds. Leaves of Grass: Comprehensive Reader's Edition. New York: New York University Press, 1965.

Grier, Edward F. "Walt Whitman, the Galaxy, and Democratic Vistas." American Literature 23.3 (1951): 332-350.

Matteson, John T. "The Galaxy." Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia. Ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings. New York: Garland, 1998.

Myerson, Joel. Walt Whitman: A Descriptive Bibliography. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1993.