Whitman, Walt

12mo (6 1/8 x 3 7/8 in.; 155 x 97 mm). Engraved frontispiece portrait of Whitman by Samuel Hollyer after a photograph, single advertisement leaf (with integral blank) at end; scattered foxing throughout. Publisher's green cloth, spine gilt-lettered with Emerson's celebrated greeting, covers blindstamped, upper cover lettered in gilt, yellow-coated endpapers, red-speckled edges; spine faded and some wear at spine ends. 

BAL 21396; Feinberg 271; Myerson A2.2; Wells and Goldsmith pp 5-6

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Second edition, only printing; a nice copy of a notoriously fragile book. Wells and Goldsmith in their pioneering bibliography of Whitman already reported that this edition "is quite a rarity and is seldom found in good condition". About one thousand copies of the second edition were printed; it included twenty new poems not in the 1855 first edition and began Whitman's lifelong revision and expansion of his magnum opus. The additions to this edition include the celebrated poem "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" (pp. 211–222), here titled "The Sun-Down Poem".

A nice tight copy of the scarce second edition. The front free endpaper bears a pencil inscription: "Once belonged to Whitman's sister, Island Pond, Vt."