Comprising more than 30 substantial essays written by leading scholars, this companion constitutes an exceptionally broad-ranging and in-depth guide to one of America's greatest poets.

• Makes the best and most up-to-date thinking on Whitman available to students
  
  
• Designed to make readers more aware of the social and cultural contexts of Whitman's work, and of the experimental nature of his writing
  
  
• Includes contributions devoted to specific poetry and prose works, a compact biography of the poet, and a bibliography