The points of issue
Third edition, greatly enlarged (456 pages), Thayer & Eldridge, Boston, 1860-61. Issued in a variety of decorated cloth bindings (orange, green, brown) with gilt and blind stamping. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Whitman by Stephen Alonzo Schoff after a painting by Charles Hine, with calligraphic title and ornamental motifs. The genuine issue carries the Thayer & Eldridge imprint; the firm failed in 1861.
Is this the true first?
The Thayer & Eldridge printing is the true 1860 third edition. The electrotype plates were later acquired by Richard Worthington, who from 1879 printed unauthorized 'Boston' reprints that Whitman repudiated. Confirm the Thayer & Eldridge imprint and the publisher's decorated binding; the unauthorized Worthington plate-reprints lack the printers' imprint on the copyright page.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Worthington and other plate-reprints postdate the original and were disowned by Whitman; they lack the original Thayer & Eldridge imprint and binding and may omit the copyright-page printers' imprint.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Leaves of Grass (1860–61, 'third edition') a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Third edition, greatly enlarged (456 pages), Thayer & Eldridge, Boston, 1860-61. Issued in a variety of decorated cloth bindings (orange, green, brown) with gilt and blind stamping. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Whitman by Stephen Alonzo Schoff after a painting by Charles Hine, with calligraphic title and ornamental motifs. The genuine issue carries the Thayer & Eldridge imprint; the firm failed in 1861.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The Thayer & Eldridge printing is the true 1860 third edition. The electrotype plates were later acquired by Richard Worthington, who from 1879 printed unauthorized 'Boston' reprints that Whitman repudiated. Confirm the Thayer & Eldridge imprint and the publisher's decorated binding; the unauthorize
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Worthington and other plate-reprints postdate the original and were disowned by Whitman; they lack the original Thayer & Eldridge imprint and binding and may omit the copyright-page printers' imprint.
I have a first edition of Leaves of Grass (1860–61, 'third edition') — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.