Whitman in 1855 What was Walt doing at this time? Late in 1854, Whitman was working in carpentry. He is assumed to have started his writings for what would later be known, and published as Leaves of Grass in late 1854 or early 1855. One of his brothers once commented that Walt would get an idea while working, write it down, then take the rest of the day off. How did Walt get his book published? Allen contends that …showed first 75 words of 1671 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1671 total…permission, but he never mentioned anything about it to Walt. Emerson visited Walt for what is thought to be the first time in December, and this was the beginning of an aquaintance between the two men. Did Whitman go back to work? Walt's positive business relationship with Fowler and Wells resulted in Walt's interest in journalism flourishing once again. Walt contributed to Life Illustrated, a weekly magazine distributed in New York between November 1, 1855 and August 30, 1856.