Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published on the fourth of July in 1855. He was thirty-six years old, not yet a published writer, and could not find any company willing to take a chance on his unusual style. His experience in newspapers allowed him to help publish his work himself, even setting up some of the type and distributing the first edition. To get a decent start, Whitman even went so far as …showed first 75 words of 1113 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1113 total…assumed his success: "Camerado, this is no book/Who touches this touches a man." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography** I am a man who, sauntering along without fully stopping, turns a casual look upon you and then averts his face, Leaving it to you to prove and define it, Expecting the main things from you. In his farewell poem for "Leaves of Grass" he assumed his success: "Camerado, this is no book/Who touches this touches a man."