Memoranda During the War. Camden, New Jersey [for Whitman], 1875-’76.
Title
Memoranda During the War. Camden, New Jersey [for Whitman], 1875-’76.
Subject
Walt Whitman
Description
Memoranda During the War. Camden, New Jersey [for Whitman], 1875-’76.
This presentation copy inscribed by Whitman on the “Remembrance Copy” leaf: “Miss E. N. Morris [from] Walt Whitman.”
This copy includes Whitman’s handwritten correction in the account of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre (p. 47). Whitman has changed “written” to “witless” in characterizing the play Our American Cousin: “The acts and scenes of the piece—one of those singularly written [changed to “witless” by Whitman] compositions which have at least the merit of giving entire relief to an audience engaged in mental action or business excitements and cares during the day …” Memoranda During the War was first published combined with other works in Two Rivulets. This is the separate issue, bound with the “Remembrance Copy” leaves before the title-page. This copy is unusually complete with the Samuel Hollyer 1855 portrait and the W. J. Linton engraving of Whitman, along with a final page of advertisements.
Whitman kept notebooks recording his encounters with soldiers beginning with his trip to Fredericksburg to see his wounded brother George. He continued to note his meetings with soldiers in military hospitals, and he wrote numerous dispatches for newspapers. His first idea which he shared with author, James Redpath, would be “a book of the time, worthy the time—something considerably beyond mere hospital sketches.” Whitman’s working title was Memoranda of a Year. Finally in 1875 Whitman assembled the book, which recorded his experiences with wounded soldiers, his views of the war, and his observations of Abraham Lincoln. He continued to wrestle with the title all the way through publication. The cover reads Walt Whitman’s Memoranda of the War Written on the Spot| in 1863-’65, but the title page reads Memoranda During the War by Walt Whitman.
This presentation copy inscribed by Whitman on the “Remembrance Copy” leaf: “Miss E. N. Morris [from] Walt Whitman.”
This copy includes Whitman’s handwritten correction in the account of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre (p. 47). Whitman has changed “written” to “witless” in characterizing the play Our American Cousin: “The acts and scenes of the piece—one of those singularly written [changed to “witless” by Whitman] compositions which have at least the merit of giving entire relief to an audience engaged in mental action or business excitements and cares during the day …” Memoranda During the War was first published combined with other works in Two Rivulets. This is the separate issue, bound with the “Remembrance Copy” leaves before the title-page. This copy is unusually complete with the Samuel Hollyer 1855 portrait and the W. J. Linton engraving of Whitman, along with a final page of advertisements.
Whitman kept notebooks recording his encounters with soldiers beginning with his trip to Fredericksburg to see his wounded brother George. He continued to note his meetings with soldiers in military hospitals, and he wrote numerous dispatches for newspapers. His first idea which he shared with author, James Redpath, would be “a book of the time, worthy the time—something considerably beyond mere hospital sketches.” Whitman’s working title was Memoranda of a Year. Finally in 1875 Whitman assembled the book, which recorded his experiences with wounded soldiers, his views of the war, and his observations of Abraham Lincoln. He continued to wrestle with the title all the way through publication. The cover reads Walt Whitman’s Memoranda of the War Written on the Spot| in 1863-’65, but the title page reads Memoranda During the War by Walt Whitman.
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
1875-76
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
Book
Language
English
Type
Still Image
Files
Citation
“Memoranda During the War. Camden, New Jersey [for Whitman], 1875-’76.,” DeGolyer Library Exhibits, accessed May 5, 2024, https://degolyer.omeka.net/items/show/812.