I read pp 68, 69, 70 of the book1 (on slang) with great delight—have never seen it before—must be printing now from M.S.? I hope there is a lot more of it, it is one of the best, most original, prose things of yours I have seen so far. I have your letter of the 5th & 6th. I fear you are not having a good time but it is a great comfort to me to know that you are at least being looked after—in this regard I feel sure nothing could be better than Baker2 & Traubel3 and I think we are most fortunate in getting the assistance of these two young fellows. Yes, as you imagine I am indeed up to my eyes loc_es.00259.jpg in work but one thing I am glad of—I have got over the engagement I had with Pardee4 to go to Chicago and shall be here all the time now and so on hand in case I should require to go to Philadelphia.
The weather here keeps extremely pleasant, warm (not hot) generally bright, refreshing showers from time to time—we are cutting our hay. Had the last of our strawberries and the first of our currants today All goes well with us.
Your loving friend RM Bucke See notes Aug 19 '88Correspondent:
Richard Maurice Bucke (1837–1902) was a
Canadian physician and psychiatrist who grew close to Whitman after reading Leaves of Grass in 1867 (and later memorizing it) and
meeting the poet in Camden a decade later. Even before meeting Whitman, Bucke
claimed in 1872 that a reading of Leaves of Grass led him
to experience "cosmic consciousness" and an overwhelming sense of epiphany.
Bucke became the poet's first biographer with Walt
Whitman (Philadelphia: David McKay, 1883), and he later served as one
of his medical advisors and literary executors. For more on the relationship of
Bucke and Whitman, see Howard Nelson, "Bucke, Richard Maurice," Walt Whitman: An
Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York:
Garland Publishing, 1998).