With Walt Whitman, Himself | signed by author

“A beautiful book of windows onto the life of Walt Whitman,” says award-winning poet Steve Scafidi of With Walt Whitman, Himself. “From the clear ringing prose to the fascinating photographs and colored illustrations of the great poet’s life we find the man anew—standing in his time and looking straight at us…. [Jean Huets] has made a book of marvels and I can’t put it down.”

Over 300 period images and text with extensive quotes by Walt Whitman and his family and friends (and enemies) immerse the reader in Walt’s tempestuous life: a family harrowed by alcoholism and mental illness; the bloody Civil War; burgeoning, brawling Manhattan and Brooklyn; literary allies and rivals; and his beloved America, racked by disunion even while racing westward.

Author Jean Huets talks with Blue Ridge PBS host Rose Martin about With Walt Whitman, Himself  | watch online

PRAISE

“Jean Huets’ With Walt Whitman, Himself is a true Whitmanian feast—for the intellect as well as for the eyes. It is hard to put this book down once you’ve opened its riches—beautifully reproduced illustrations of Whitman’s various places, friends, family, disciples, contemporaries—his cities and his rural retreats. The descriptions of his life and times are concise and smart. The book keeps opening up to new facets of Whitman, his work, and his era.” — Ed Folsom, Editor of Walt Whitman Quarterly Review and Whitman Series, and Co-Director of Walt Whitman Archive

“Foregrounds Whitman against a richly detailed stitching of American history.… Huets presents a view of Leaves of Grass consonant with Thoreau’s observation [of Leaves], that ‘on the whole it is to me very brave and very American.’” — Walt Whitman Quarterly Review full review

“This could be called a family album, a big picture book in size and substance…. It’s an intimate personal guide to assist understanding Whitman, in greater context, and this is done successfully.” — Washington Independent Review of Books full review

“Jean Huets has researched, written and published an outstanding account of Whitman’s life and times. Published in the 200th anniverary year of his birth, this tribute to a great American writer should be in every U.S. library.” — Compulsive Reader full review

“It is explicit in the title: You’re going to 19th century America with Walt Whitman’s life as your tour agenda.… After reading With Walt Whitman, Himself, I was soul-satisfied that I had found my spiritual ancestor. No poet I, nor truth to tell much of a poetry consumer; but Walt Whitman, comme d’habitude, pursued me down the street to talk to me.” Richard Derus, Expendable Mudge full review

“With Walt Whitman, Himself is a beautiful, multi-media documentary of Whitman’s life and times and includes gems of which this reviewer was previously unaware even though he thought he knew Whitman’s biography fairly well. Its multi-coloured texts and reproduced images also make it suitable for instruction in secondary and tertiary schools and community college settings, although I suspect many scholars will also appreciate many of the documents, paintings or photographs Huets has assembled.… Having read over a dozen books about Whitman and his written works, this is the first book I’ve seen which adequately describes Whitman’s immediate family and his ancestors, their influence on his life, and his parents’ and siblings’ response to his writing.” — Bryan R. Monte, Amsterdam Quarterly full review