The Walt Whitman Archive
Life & Letters
Correspondence
About this Item
Title: James Gordon Bennett to Walt Whitman, 23 January 1888
Date: January 23, 1888
Whitman Archive ID: loc.07084
Source: The Thomas Biggs Harned Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1842–1937, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. . Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
Related item: Whitman crossed out this partial letter he received from James Gordon Bennett, and on the verso he wrote notes toward what appears to be a draft of a poem titled "To-day at the peak."
Contributors to digital file: Jeannette Schollaert, Stefan Schöberlein, Ian Faith, and Stephanie Blalock
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The Herald,
New
York,
Jan 23,
1888
and in verse,1—any subject whatever that may suit your fancy can be treated. The Herald would be very willing to pay a reasonable compensation for this work, and only as much as you desire need be signed. The stanzas need not contain more than 4 to 6 lines. Enclosed are some samples, taken from the paper, which have appeared during the past week.
Very truly,
James Gordon Bennett
Walt Whitman, Esq.
Camden, N.J.
Correspondent:
James Gordon Bennett Jr.
(1841–1918) was the publisher of the New York
Herald, which had been founded by his father in 1835. For more on the
paper and the many poems by Whitman that were published in it, see Susan
Belasco, "The New York Herald."
Notes:
1. The beginning of the letter as well as the enclosed samples are not extant. [back]