Books

Very good. Dark green linen boards, gilt lettering on front board, Head, heel and corners lightly worn; a tiny chip at head and edge of spine. Two slight indentations on front board, barely visible. x, 14, 8 p.; 21 cm. Compiled for presentation at a Darthmouth Commencement, "As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free" contains poems on many of Whitman"s favorite subjects: democracy, the evolving modern era, and voyages of the soul. At head of title: Leaves of grass. Author's name, Walt Whitman, appears in copyright statement on t.p. verso. Cf. Myerson. Advertisement, "Walt Whitman's books, " on last 8 p. Association copy. This copy is inscribed on the free front endpaper to Rev. Merle St. Croix Wright from J.H. Johnston (1894) Wright's daughter, Elizabeth's small bookplate adorns the front inside cover. Reverend Wright was born in Boston and educated at Harvard. He was minister to the Harlem Unitarian Church in New York City where Johnston also lived. During his last 20 years, Whitman was a frequent visitor to Johnston's family home. Colored front endpaper is creased and fragile at the crease. Elizabeth Wright's engraved bookplate has created a negative impression on same.

As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free is a collection of verses that Walt Whitman wrote for the 1872 opening of the American Institute of Arts and Letters. It consists of various poems that reflect Whitman's unique free verse style and his themes of democracy, freedom, and individualism.