Walt Whitman’s Books
Title
Walt Whitman’s Books
Subject
Walt Whitman
Description
Walt Whitman’s Books [promotional poster, printed on linen]. Washington, D.C., 1872.
This is a rare, spectacular oversized advertising poster designed by Walt Whitman for distribution to booksellers, an artifact reflecting both his printing background and his promotional energy. It measures 29.5 by 24 inches, bordered in black and printed with various metal and wooden types, headed by Walt Whitman’s oversized “signature.”
The primary headlines read: “Walt Whitman’s / BOOKS / LEAVES OF GRASS / DEMOCRATIC VISTAS / AFTER ALL NOT TO CREATE ONLY / AS A STRONG BIRD ON PINIONS FREE / ALSO, JOHN BURROUGHS’ ‘NOTES ON WALT WHITMAN AS POET AND PERSON.’“ Detailed descriptions and prices are given in smaller type for each book. Whitman was a tireless promoter of his work and image: “despite his seeming self-confidence (colossal egoism, some have said) and his unlimited faith in a democratic society in which all are equal, Whitman engaged in a lifelong manipulation of the public and posterity through an unrelenting publicity campaign. . . . He left nothing to chance” (E.H. Miller). The final book advertised on the poster, Notes on Walt Whitman as Poet and Person by John Burroughs, was effectively ghostwritten by Whitman. This example was one of the cache of “perfect” unused posters discovered in 1954, and distributed to libraries by legendary Whitman collector Charles Feinberg, as described by William White in “A Walt Whitman Poster” (The American Book Collector, X: 3, November 1959).
This is a rare, spectacular oversized advertising poster designed by Walt Whitman for distribution to booksellers, an artifact reflecting both his printing background and his promotional energy. It measures 29.5 by 24 inches, bordered in black and printed with various metal and wooden types, headed by Walt Whitman’s oversized “signature.”
The primary headlines read: “Walt Whitman’s / BOOKS / LEAVES OF GRASS / DEMOCRATIC VISTAS / AFTER ALL NOT TO CREATE ONLY / AS A STRONG BIRD ON PINIONS FREE / ALSO, JOHN BURROUGHS’ ‘NOTES ON WALT WHITMAN AS POET AND PERSON.’“ Detailed descriptions and prices are given in smaller type for each book. Whitman was a tireless promoter of his work and image: “despite his seeming self-confidence (colossal egoism, some have said) and his unlimited faith in a democratic society in which all are equal, Whitman engaged in a lifelong manipulation of the public and posterity through an unrelenting publicity campaign. . . . He left nothing to chance” (E.H. Miller). The final book advertised on the poster, Notes on Walt Whitman as Poet and Person by John Burroughs, was effectively ghostwritten by Whitman. This example was one of the cache of “perfect” unused posters discovered in 1954, and distributed to libraries by legendary Whitman collector Charles Feinberg, as described by William White in “A Walt Whitman Poster” (The American Book Collector, X: 3, November 1959).
Publisher
Please cite DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University as the source of this file. A high-resolution version of this file may be obtained for a fee. For details, see the https://www.smu.edu/libraries/degolyer/research/permissions web page. For more information, contact degolyer@smu.edu.
Date
1872
Rights
Please cite DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University as the source of this file. A high-resolution version of this file may be obtained for a fee. For details, see the https://www.smu.edu/libraries/degolyer/research/permissions web page. For more information, contact degolyer@smu.edu.
Format
Promotional poster printed on linen
Language
English
Type
Still Image
Files
Citation
“Walt Whitman’s Books,” DeGolyer Library Exhibits, accessed May 5, 2024, https://degolyer.omeka.net/items/show/798.