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I wish to know whether you have safely received the particular copy of the last edition of my poems,

I shall send you, probably by next mail, my latest piece, in a western magazine for February.

Also a second copy of my pamphlet "Democratic Vistas"—If the first copy reached you, send the second

America —about April 10, I shall return here again, & my address will be — I am writing this at my desk—as

above, Treasury Building, middle of afternoon—From my great south window I can see a far-stretching

Clausen, termed in Schmidt's letter "my old friend and countryman," corresponded with Schmidt after he

Church, My friends, If convenient, please remit to me, here, a check for $25 in pay for "O Star of France

Jan. 14, 1869 My dear Mr.

Philp and Solomon: My friends: I have to beg pardon for a sad mistake & piece of remissness—It seems

My dear Ramsdell , Perhaps it may hardly be necessary, but I feel to write you a line of caution about

You might do well to put in about my intended appearance before the American Institute, at its 40th opening

, Sept. 7th in New York, and that the curiosity of both my friends & foes is extremely piqued, &c &c.

where I wanted you to come & see me—(& still want you, if you have a chance. ) But I spend most of my

down at an old farm down in Jersey where I have a fine secluded wood & creek & springs, where I pass my

time alone, & yet not lonesome at all (often think of you Pete & put my arm around you & hug you up

dear —I still make my brother's house at Camden my headquarters, & keep my room there—address my letters

the whole, am getting along pretty well, & good spirits The new edition of my books I sell enough of

about as usual—your postal card came to-day—papers last Monday—As I write, (1 p.m.) am having one of my

all alone in the house , & have had a good time—fine bright warm day—been out twice for short walks, (my

little dog accompanying me)—rest of the time up here alone in my 3d story south room—done up & sent

off my two books to a subscriber in England —Eat my dinner alone, wished you could be with me then, &

them—About coming on I cannot say now, but I shall come , & before long —Love to Mr and Mrs Nash—Love to you my

, Dear Sir: Won't you do me the very great favor to write me a few lines regarding the condition of my

Though we have never met personally, I have heard of you from my mother & sister.

My sister in a late letter, wished me to write you & thank you for your great kindness to her.

Thayer I believe thinks all my thumb wont get well.

…be pleasant to Charlie while I am sick on my account" (The Trent Collection of Whitmaniana, Duke University

Traubel read this letter in 1889, Whitman commented on Heyde: "He is a cringing, crawling snake: uses my

was a plain everyday scamp I'd not feel sore on him: but in the rôle of serpent, whelp, he excites my

Please send me, by express, 30 copies of the number, when ready, to my address here.

In answer to your request, I send you my picture—it was taken three months since.

Farewell, my friend. I sincerely thank you, & hope some day to meet you.

He speaks it over and over, manipulating my body unconciouslyunconsciously, as it were, with bountiful

mats, and at night sometimes waken to find him watching me with earnest, patient looks, his arm over my

Dear Pete, Here I am yet, in my big chair in the parlor—I am up & around, but not very well—I am having

O'Connor— I have no doubt I shall feel better—my sickness comes & goes—& my relief spells the same—I

me a long time, & which I had quite given up—which puts me in better spirits—good bye for present, my

Dear Sir: I have been very much occupied, since I saw you—& wish you to accept my apoligies apologies

Comparing your rec't receipt of my books from Doolady , April 28, '73 (239 Leaves of Grass, &c.

&c)—with the of books handed over by you to Butts (168 Leaves of Grass, &c &c)—see my last letter to

Deduct 25 copies sent to Boston by my order, & 3 copies to Graphic , leaves 43 copies (@ $1.40) to be

April 17, '73 Dear Sir, Your letter of Feb. 8, '73, remitting my acc't account , and sales up to 1st

Also please return me, if convenient, the printed slip I forwarded you of my last acc't. with you, marked

Lee, Shephard & Dillingham whether they would not take my books, (the new editions) & job them.

There is beginning to be a steady, though moderate demand for my books, & if there were a good & permanent

edition you got of Shephard, four or five weeks ago—with the remaining copies (if any) of the 25 sent by my

I have somewhere between 300 & 350 of my little book of later poems, "As a Strong Bird on Pinions free

If you care to have the sole & exclusive command of all my books in existence, take this offer.

I am sick & paralyzed—a tedious prospect still before me—& should be glad to have the books off my hands

With Walt Whitman in Camden in 1889: "What a sweat I used to be in all the time . . . over getting my

previously published in Leaves of Grass, "Passage to India" was Whitman's attempt to "celebrate in my

employment for you—now I am here, crippled, laid up for God knows how long, unable to help myself, or my

about 3½ squares the other way, has I believe 6 or 7 cars—I get out & take a ride in them sometimes—my

have the breeze through—I can have what I wish in the grub line—have plenty of good strawberries—& my

much change so far—but I feel comparatively comfortable since I have been here—& better satisfied — My

a bad spell—have distress in the head at times, but keep up a good heart—or at any rate try to—Give my

I am about the same as to my sickness—no worse. Walt. Walt Whitman to Peter Doyle, 31 May [1873]

does not affect me much—it is not near as oppressive here as the Washington heat—I rec'd your letter my

As I write I am sitting in my mother's former room, in her old arm chair—Spend a great deal of my time

Pete, my darling son, I still think I shall weather it, but time only can show— —Mother's death is on

my mind yet—time does not lift the cloud from me at all —I want much to get to the sea-shore, either

So long my darling boy. Walt. Walt Whitman to Peter Doyle, 15–[16] July [1873]

Pete, I am not having a very good time—My head troubles me—yesterday was as bad as ever—as far from well

My dear Dan Gilette, Your kind letter—with that of your English friend Chrissie Deschamps, (so full of

It seems to be a fluctuating & pretty stout struggle between my general physique & constitution, & my

My best regards & love to you, my friend, & to my English friends the same.

My price is $60—same reservation as before & same obligation on my part — The following are responsible

I shall print my College Poem in a small book—it will be small—& is intended as the beginning of a larger

for me—I am writing this in the house in Portland av—we are having a showery afternoon— —Good bye, my

Dear Pete, I am having a better time here than I had my last visit.

swimming— Mother is only middling—has some pretty bad spells with rheumatism—will break up here, & go with my

It is either $120 (or $130, I am not sure—but I have a memorandum in my desk at Washington)—I am feeling

real well, & hope you are too, my loving boy.

If you are willing to go into selling my books, I think you ought to have some of the little 30 brochure

& was glad to hear from you—I am still in a pretty bad way—I am writing this over at the office, at my

desk, but feel to-day more like laying down than sitting up—I do not walk any better, & my head has

strength—very slowly—& shall yet get well as ever — Every thing goes on about the same, in the sphere of my

is impossible in reality— I got a long letter from Dowden —he mentions you—As I sit I look over from my

were men out there in their shirt-sleeves raking it up—I have a big bunch of lilacs in a pitcher in my

again & have some good times—but for all that it is best for you to be prepared for something different—my

alone & think, for two hours on a stretch—have not formed a single acquaintance here, any ways intimate—My

in the morning, & keeps me a good bed & room—All of which is very acceptable—(then, for a fellow of my

run foul of any)—Still I generally keep up very good heart—still think I shall get well—When I have my

have got a letter from Charley Towner—I am finishing this by the open window—still in the rooms where my

As I write it is about noon, & I am sitting up in my room, with a window open & the bright sun streaming

I eat my breakfast with relish this morning, salmon, Graham bread, coffee, &c.

At present my head cannot stand any thing. Still, to-day I am feeling rather better than usual.

I have eat my dinner—beef steak & potatos potatoes , with pumpkin pie & a cup of tea—I eat very moderately

these spells are, (& seems as if they will continue to come on,) I still have abiding hopes & trust of my

laying off, & of the playing of the band under Schneider and Petrola —also about City RR. men—I send my

sore & ready to have them, almost if I move across the room—I am sitting here, feeling pretty bad, my

feel better, & strong enough to come back to Washington—Still I don't know—I think it best to face my

I will certainly send you word, or telegraph—I will write Monday or Tuesday next—We have moved into my

—My head is feeling very sore & touchy & sensitive—I dont don't go out—I have re-written my will —What

I have a great deal of pain in my head yet—no let up.

Farewell my loving son, till next time. Walt. I send a small bundle of papers.

makes it just right—I have been out just a little, but was glad to get back—I am feeling tolerable, but my

out, in a few minutes' walk—I have had two or three quite good spells this week,—sufficient to arouse my

My appetite still holds out—& my sister cooks very nice, gets me what I want— Pete your letter of 8.

My brother Jeff has been on here this week from St. Louis—got in a car in St.

desk, from what I hear from my substitute —He writes me now & then—does my work very well, & more work

My dear Hiram Ramsdell: Mr.

—In respect to Judge Kelly, & his matter, I had already formed my opinion & made out my Report several

I hope it may happen one day that I may have him near at hand, that we get to be friends—such is in my

—There is nothing new in my affrairs—all goes on as usual in the office. I am well.

My condition is still what may be called favorable—that is I still keep up without having any of those

Yesterday, & yesterday evening I felt better than usual—but am not so well to-day—the worst of my case

My walking does not improve any at all.

My boy that had his eye hurt is doing rather badly too.

Good bye for this time, my loving boy. Walt Walt Whitman to Peter Doyle, 16[–17] October [1873]

My head has some bad spells, & a touch or more nearly every day, & my locomotion is still as clumsy as

am happy in not having any of those spasms of three weeks since, & indeed I have glimpses again of my

Louis, from my brother Jeff—I am very fond of it for breakfast, can eat it every day—(My appetite is

my love to Wash Milburn—I am writing this up in my room, 3 o'clock, pleasant weather, sun shining, window

Good bye for this time, my loving boy. Walt. Walt Whitman to Peter Doyle, 24 October [1873]

October 31 . 1873 1874 or 5 Dear boy Pete, My condition remains about the same—I don't get ahead any

to notice—but I hold my own, as favorable as I have stated in my late letters, & am free yet from the

Besides I think upon the whole, my general strength is the best it has been yet—for an interval every

Eldridge that he had paid Godey, my substitute, the money I sent on for his October pay.— Washington

Good bye for this time, my loving boy. Walt.

I am still about the same as when I last wrote—am no worse, & not much better—though I perceive my general

strength is at least as good as any time since I have been sick—My head still troubles me with pain

thinking that every thing with me might be a great deal worse—I can put up with all but the death of my

mother—that is my great sorrow that sticks—affects me just as much now, or more, than at the time.

cut out the piece below from a Philadelphia paper, thinking it might interest you—As is I sit here in my

sinking nor getting worse—I have had some very bad times, & have some pretty bad ones yet, mostly with my

head—& my leg is about as useless as ever—still I am decidedly no worse, & I think now I am even getting

myself—something like what I was before mother's death—I cannot be reconciled to that yet—it is the great cloud of my

unfurnished rooms, or top floor, somewhere on or near the car route—Pete if you see Charley Toner, give him my

Good bye, my dear loving boy. Walt. Walt Whitman to Peter Doyle, [14–15 August 1873]

morning—have something of the kind pretty often—Still it seems certain I am improving, generally,—& that my

rec'd a letter from Chas Eldridge—& another from Walter Godey, the young man who is working for me as my

to-day—nothing particular—send the Herald Did I tell you that a doctor I have talked with here says my

Philadelphia—it is hard work, especially as I have no one to go with me—but I put a bold face on, & my

easily do if I would I should like much to go on the trips so handy & cheap, right as you might say from my

is to have every thing wanting—(Pete, dear son, there was $89 coming to you, of the money you put in my

love—also my love to Mr & Mrs.

Nash the next time you go there—so good by for the present my darling son, & you must keep good heart

Camden New Jersey U S America July 28 '78 — I have to-day today forwarded by mail Two sets of my works—four

Whitman: "Because you have, as it were, given me a ground for the love of men I thank you continually in my

endorsement of your friendly enterprise, translating and publishing in Germany, some of the poems of my

It has not been for my own country alone —ambitious as the saying so may seem— that I have composed that

One purpose of my chants is to cordially salute all foreign lands in America's name.

16 '81 Dear Sirs I have been down in the Jersey woods the last ten days—just returned —have finished my

be new or substantially new long primer —I sent on the proof page for a little change, last night on my

New York Sunday 11/3/88 My dear Mr.

Whitman: You will remember my calling a few weeks back when I remember that I do so as a friend of Earl

I am as you know Wellesley Sayle an Englishman & am proud to be one of many thousands of my fellow countrymen

I shall most likely call at Phila on my way where I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again.

It will be the whole expression of the design which I had in my mind When I Began to Write.

Now, that is the way it has been with my book. It has been twenty-five years building.

"My poetry," continued Mr.

But I have accepted it all as a part of my work.

Many of my friends have no patience with my opinion on this matter.

Street Camden New Jersey Jan: 19 '85 Dear Sir In hasty answer to your request asking me to specify over my

This, with my course on another matter, the securing to public use of Washington Park (Old Fort Greene

thirty-five years ago, against heavy odds, during an editorship of the Brooklyn Eagle , are "feathers in my

enough—I get down to the river side at sunset in wheel chair & if the evn'g is pleasant stay an hour—had my

tea—(eat only two meals a day)—miss Alys a good deal —sell a book occasionally—am sitting here now in my

den in Mickle St. in my big chair all comfortable quiet out—my last poem piece was rejected & sent back

As I write the mocking-bird is singing over the way, & my canary—Love to A and L — Walt Whitman Walt