In Whitman's Hand

Manuscripts

Much of the work of the Whitman Archive has been focused on editing Whitman's poetry and prose manuscripts, which are located at repositories around the world. We include both poetry and prose manuscripts in this index, since it is often hard to determine the boundary between prose and verse in Whitman's manuscripts—especially in the pre-war years, Whitman habitually migrated his writing from prose to verse. Users of the Whitman Archive familiar with our earlier work on Whitman's poetry manuscripts can still access that material here. Work on Whitman's manuscripts is ongoing, and we expect more manuscripts to be added over time, as we are able to complete the work of editing them. For more about our editorial policy and encoding practices for Whitman's manuscripts, see our editorial policy statement. To see and search several of Whitman's notebooks, which are not included in this manuscripts index, visit the notebooks index.

In this index we have included "not before" and "not after" dates to give a general estimate of when the manuscript was written. Since most of Whitman's manuscripts are undated, this range is often necessarily speculative. For further specificity and explanation of the date associated with any manuscript, see the dates and editorial notes in the metadata sections at the top of the individual transcription files. To sort the index list by title or by date, click the "Title" or "Date" headings at the top of the columns.

In addition to the transcribed Whitman manuscripts listed here, we offer access to many additional manuscripts through the Integrated Catalog of Walt Whitman's Literary Manuscripts. The catalog provides access to images of manuscripts, information about holding repositories, and notes on the relationship between the manuscripts and Whitman's published writings.

Viewing all documents (317)

TitleDate
(not before)
Date
(not after)
(Of the great poet)18501856
(Poem) Shadows18501865
1848 New Orleans18481887
A City Walk18501860
A Prairie Sunset18881888
A Voice from Death18891889
A large, good-looking woman18501859
A man of gigantic18501855
A nation announcing itself18551856
A procession without halt18611870
A talent for conversation18401870
Advance shapes like his shape18541860
After all is said and18501855
After certain disastrous campaigns18621865
After death18501860
After the Argument18901891
After the Supper and Talk18841888
After the dazzle of Day18871888
Ah, not this granite dead and cold18851885
America18701892
America needs her own poems18601865
America to Old-World Bards18901891
American air I have breathed18501859
American literature must become distinct18451855
And I have discovered them18501855
And I say the stars18501855
And their voices18501855
And there, farther south18501860
And to me each minute18501855
And to the soul18451855
Are the prostitutes nothing18501855
As in a Swoon18721876
As of Forms.18561860
As the turbulence of the18501860
As to you18501860
Ashes of Roses18681871
Ashes of heroes18701871
Asia18501856
Aye, well I know 'tis ghastly to descend18891891
Beat! beat! drums!18611861
Bill Guess18541854
Black Lucifer was not dead18501855
Bloom18501856
Books, as now produced18501860
Breathjuice18501856
But when a voice in our hearing18501855
By day the distant18831884
By thine own lips, O Sea18831884
Can ? make me18501855
Caution18551860
Certainties, Faith, Counterbalances, Alternation18871888
Citizens took by mutual agreement18531855
City of my walks and joys18561860
Describing the death of nine18501855
Do I not prove myself18501855
Do you ask me18501870
Do you know what music18501855
Eidólons18751876
Enter into the thoughts of18501855
Europe Cape Clear18501860
Europe Laplanders18501856
Fancies at Navesink18851888
For example, whisper18451855
For remember that behind all18451860
Free cider18501860
From the tips of his18531855
Funeral Interpolations18881888
Give us men18501855
Great are the myths18501855
Had I the Choice18851885
Hands Round18651881
Hannah Brush18501880
Hast never come to thee an hour18781881
Have you known that your18501860
Health does not tell any18501856
Hear my fife18501860
His very aches are exstasy18501855
How gladly we leave the18501855
How mean a person is18501855
I admire a beautiful woman18501855
I am a Student18501855
I am a curse18501855
I am become a shroud18501855
I am become the poet18501855
I am not content now18501855
I am that half grown18401855
I ask nobody's faith18501855
I call back blunderers18501855
I can tell of the18501855
I cannot guess what the18501855
I cross'd the Nevadas18601865
I do not compose18501856
I do not expect to see myself18701880
I entertain all the aches18501855
I heat the hot cores18501855
I know as well as18501855
I know many beautiful things18501855
I last winter observed the18501855
I must not deceive you18501860
I say that Democracy18501856
I say that if once18501860
I see who you are18501855
I shall venerate hours and18501855
I subject all the teachings18541860
I tell you greedy smoucher18501855
I think I could dash18501855
I want no more of18501855
If I should need to name, O Western World!18841884
If you have in you18541870
In Nature all is so real18501860
In Poem Song of kisses18501860
In a poem make the thought18501859
In metaphysical points18501855
In the garden18561860
In the course of the18501855
In the gymnasium18501860
In the present state of18501855
Inscription18651867
Iron works18551856
Isaac Joseph Stephen Jesse18501860
It is no miracle now18501855
It is the endless delusion18501855
It seems to me18471855
It were unworthy a live18501855
Italian Music in Dakota18791881
Jan 12. Walter Whitman18421842
Last of ebb18851885
Last of ebb, and daylight waning18821885
Life and Death18881888
Light and air18501855
Like Earth O River18481848
Literature it is certain18401892
Living Pictures18401855
Locust whirring they come in July18501870
Lofty sirs18401855
Loveblows18501855
Make no quotations18471855
Man, before the rage of18451855
Merely What I tell is18501860
Mocking all the textbooks and18451855
Municipal legislation18401860
My Spirit sped back to18501855
My hand will not hurt18501855
My tongue can never be18501855
Names or terms18501860
Nehemiah Whitman18451861
Nerve.—A Frenchman18491849
Night of south winds18501855
Nor you alone18821885
Not to dazzle with profuse18401855
Notes where wild bees flitting hum18781881
O Captain! my Captain!18871887
O joy of my spirit18501867
Of Ownership18561860
Of a summer evening a18401849
Of this broad and majestic18501855
Old Salt Kossabone18871888
One obligation of great fresh18451855
Osceola18891890
Others may praise what they like18601865
Out from Behind this Mask18751876
Outdoors is the best antiseptic18401855
Paumanok18881888
Perfect serenity of mind18501860
Poem for the good old cause18501871
Poem of Kisses18501860
Poem of Names18501860
Poem of Pictures18501856
Poem of the Universalities18501860
Poem—a perfect school18501855
Priests18501855
Progenitors18501860
Proud music of the Storm18651869
Proudly the flood comes in18801885
Remember how many pass their18501860
Remember if you are dying18501860
Remember that the clock and18501855
Remembrances I plant American ground18501855
Returning to my pages' front once18711876
Rule in all addresses18501856
Rules for Composition18501855
Sail out for good? for aye, O mystic yacht!18901891
Sailing Down the Mississippi at Midnight18481848
Sands at Seventy18881890
Sanity and ensemble characterise18551860
Sculpture18501860
See'st thou18501855
September 11, 12, 13—185018501883
Silence18501865
Slavery18501860
Song of the Universal18741874
Starry Union18761876
Such boundless and affluent souls18501856
Such things18551890
Superb and infinitely manifold as18501855
Sweet flag18501855
The Air18501860
The Elder Brother of the18501855
The Great Laws do not18501855
The Katy-did works her18501855
The Patrol at Barnegat18801880
The Play-Ground18411846
The Ruins18501860
The Sobbing of the Bells18811881
The Unexpress'd18891890
The analogy18451855
The crowds naked in the18501855
The dalliance of the eagles18781880
The fester of defeat sharper18501855
The genuine miracles of Christ18501855
The good hostess18401860
The horizon's edge18501855
The idea of reconciliation18541860
The idea that in the18541888
The man-of-war.-Bird18691876
The money value of real18501855
The most immense part of18551860
The most perfect wonders of18501860
The most superb beauties are18501855
The new theologies bring forward18501855
The offices18501854
The only way in which18451860
The power by which the18501855
The questions involved18401860
The regular time18401860
The sores on my shoulders18501855
The spotted hawk salutes the18501855
The three or four poets18501855
The true friends of the18501854
The wild gander leads his18501855
There can be nothing small18501855
There is no word in18501855
This is the Earths word18501856
This mouth is pulled by18501855
This singular young man was18401855
Thou West that gave'st him to us18651865
To be at all18501855
To pass existence is so18501855
To the English18501859
To the year 188918881889
Topple down upon him18501855
Understand that you can have18501860
Vast national tracts18541860
Walt Whitman's Caution18561860
Walter Whitman, of Suffolk co.18411841
Wants18411862
Waves in the Vessel's wake18741874
What babble is this about18501855
What shall the great poet18501859
What the word of power unbroken18701876
What we call literature is18451860
What would it bring you18501855
Whatever I say of myself18501855
Where the boys dive and18501855
Where the little musk ox18501855
Who knows that I shall18501855
Who wills with his own18501860
Why need genius and the18501855
Why should I subscribe money18501860
Will you have the walls18501855
With husky‑haughty lips, O Sea!18831884
Write a new burial service18401860
Yet far sweeps your road18641864
You lusty and graceflu youth18501855
You there18501855
You villain, Touch18501855
[Fa]bles, traditions18501855
[l]oving every one I meet18501860
airscud18501855
and nobody else am the18501855
are you and me18551856
armies & navies pass on the surface18501870
born at all is equally18501855
clearing the way18501855
cottonwood18501855
distinctness every syllable the flounderer18401855
dithyrambic trochee18461855
do nothing but lose from18501860
far. Amongst this18441846
for droppings18501860
for lect on Literature18501870
ground where you may rest18501855
halt in the shade18501855
hands are cut by the18501855
hexameters18501860
human feet, awaits us18451855
identical with the18501855
in Poem of Existence18501860
in the West18501860
incidents, for (Soldier in the Ranks)18631865
is rougher than it was18481855
is wider than the west18401855
just as much here directly18541854
left with Andrew18541855
myself to celebrate18501855
names18501881
of these poems18451860
poet of Materialism18451855
seems perpetually goading18401855
some threading Ohio's18811881
something that presents the sentiment18501856
sorrow18651865
steamboats and vaccination18501855
tainting the best of the18501855
that it fibre and strengthen18501854
the most definitely18551855
there are leading moral truths18501855
to enjoy the Panorama18401855
undulating18501855
vain the mastadon retreats beneath18501855
wainscot, hut18501856
waited their due time to18501855
were paid for with steamships18501855
wooding at night18481887
you cannot define too clearly18501860
you woman, mother of children18501860
your needed blending discord‑parts18841885

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