Historical documents. What clues can you gather about Walt Whitman, the time, place, players, and culture?
Leaves of Grass
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
A 1900 edition of Whitman's opus.
"Song of Myself"
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
The signature poem of Leaves of Grass, which appeared in every edition from 1855 onward.
"Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking"
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
The poem celebrating Whitman's birth as a poet.
"I Sing the Body Electric"
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
An example of Whitman's celebration of the human body in verse.
"When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom'd"
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
Whitman's poem in tribute to slain President Abraham Lincoln.
"When I Heard the Learned Astronomer"
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
One of Whitman's shortest, sweetest poems.
"A Backward Glance O'er Travel'd Roads"
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
An essay by Whitman reflecting on the history of his career.
"As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life"
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
An 1881 poem Whitman published in The Atlantic.
Notebooks
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
The collection of Whitman's notebooks at the Library of Congress.
Manuscripts
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
A look at the notations Whitman made to his poems.
Contemporary Review
![](https://media1.shmoop.com/media/common/off-site01.gif)
An 1882 review of Leaves of Grass in The Atlantic.