Comprising 35 original essays written by leading scholars, this Companion constitutes an exceptionally broad-ranging and in-depth guide to one of America's greatest poets. The volume makes the best and most up-to-date scholarly thinking on Walt Whitman available to students. It encourages them to be more aware of the contexts of Whitman's work, and helps them to understand the experimental nature of his writings.

The Companion starts with a section which communicates a strong sense of the poet's time, place and history. The contributions in this section range over subjects such as national identity, imperialism, slavery, race, gender, sexuality, and popular culture. A further selection of essays situates Whitman's work in its literary context. Finally, there are essays devoted to specific works, covering both Whitman's poetry and prose writings. The Companion also includes a compact biography of the poet and a bibliography of his works.