An A to Z compendium of the wit and wisdom of Walt Whitman, one of the greatest -- if not the greatest -- of American poets. The Bard of Democracy. In his early years he was accused of vulgarity and immorality. In his later years he grew into the role of an American sage and visionary -- herald of a new age of freedom. He was a spokesman, not only for a new literature, but a new consciousness. Here are Whitman's greatest lines, drawn from Leaves of Grass and other works, on subjects from A to Z, arranged alphabetically by topic or keyword. Edited by Alex Ayres, a Harvard and UCLA-educated writer and editor, whose previous bestsellers include The Wit & Wisdom of Mark Twain (Harper-Collins) and The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln (Penguin). Why not add a few of Whitman's gems to your own collection? Whitman was said to be one of the first Americans to have attained cosmic consciousness, or enlightenment. A Quotable Wisdom Book. The most wisdom you can get for the dollar.