Leaves of Grass (version 2): Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Leaves of Grass (version 2), credited to Walt Whitman, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Leaves of Grass (version 2) by Walt Whitman. Read in English by Foon. In honour of Walt Whitman's 200th birthday (31 May 2019) we bring you a solo recording of his seminal work Leaves of Grass. Originally published in 1855, the work started as a collection of 12 unnamed poems. However, Whitman spent most of his life writing and re-writing Leaves of Grass, resulting in many different editions published throughout his life. The final collection, which is recorded here, is a compilation of about 400 poems separated into 35 books. This book is notable for its discussion of delight in sensual pleasures, and exalting the body and the material world. At the time, such candid displays were considered highly immoral, which led to reviews considering it "offensive", "obscene", "a mass of stupid filth", or suggesting it should have been burned after writing. Leaves of Grass even became banned in various locations, which only led to increased sales, with some printings even selling out on the first day. To this day, the work's legacy remains strong, and is one of the most important collections of American poetry. Among some of the best known poems contained in this work are "O captain! My captain!", "I sing the body electric", and "Song of Myself". (Summary by Foon)

Recording facts

• Recording title: Leaves of Grass (version 2)
• Author credits: Walt Whitman
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 39
• Listed recording duration: 18:43:43

Opening tracks: first 24 of 39

1. 01 - Book 1: Inscriptions — 24:14
2. 02 - Book 2: Starting from Paumanok — 28:01
3. 03 - Book 3: Song of Myself, part 1 — 55:00
4. 04 - Book 3: Song of Myself, part 2 — 44:36
5. 05 - Book 3: Song of Myself, part 3 — 32:46
6. 06 - Book 4: Children of Adam — 46:30
7. 07 - Book 5: Calamus — 45:59
8. 08 - Book 6: Salut au Monde! — 24:18
9. 09 - Book 7: Song of the Open Road — 24:04
10. 10 - Book 8: Crossing Brooklyn Ferry — 14:32
11. 11 - Book 9: Song of the Answerer — 9:53
12. 12 - Book 10: Our Old Feuillage — 13:29
13. 13 - Book 11: A Song of Joys — 16:16
14. 14 - Book 12: Song of the Broad-Axe — 25:22
15. 15 - Book 13: Song of the Exposition — 23:25
16. 16 - Book 14: Song of the Redwood-Tree — 10:12
17. 17 - Book 15: A Song for Occupations — 17:36
18. 18 - Book 16 — 13:40
19. 19 - Book 17: Birds of Passage — 33:12
20. 20 - Book 18 — 8:29
21. 21 - Book 19: Sea-Drift — 36:04
22. 22 - Book 20: By the Roadside — 23:37
23. 23 - Book 21: Drum-taps, part 1 — 45:49
24. 24 - Book 21: Drum-taps, part 2 — 56:17

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Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.