Leaves of Grass by WHITMAN, WALT - 1860

Boston: Thayer & Eldridge, 1860. Third Edition; printing 1 (BAL 21397- "probable sequence"); state 1 of the frontispiece portrait; BAL binding B (no sequence established, but binding A was issued in wrappers for reviewers). A much better than usual copy, easily exceptional, with only slight foxing, wear and shaking; tiny, contemporary bookseller’s label on the upper corner of the front free endpaper; the very bottom of the front hinge has started; in a custom clamshell box. The publisher quickly sold out the first printing, producing a second before going bankrupt. These plates enjoyed a life far beyond that of their original owner, employed in many unauthorized printings before their eventual purchase and retirement by Whitman’s estate.