Whitman on Wellness: Poetry and Prose for a Healthy Life - Hardcover

by Walt Whitman (Author), Mose Velsor (Author), Bevin Vieweg-Lenz (Editor)

Long before today's modern use of the term wellness, Walt Whitman, widely considered to be one of America's greatest poets, extolled the virtues of self-care and the mind-body connection. In a series of thirteen newspaper installments, written in 1858 for The New York Atlas under the pseudonym Mose Velsor -- unearthed more than 150 years later by a University of Houston graduate student -- Whitman adopted the role of advice columnist. Velsor dispensed tips on "manly" health issues, including alcohol use, depression, diet, exercise, physical beauty, sex, socialization, and a host of other subjects. This volume juxtaposes excerpts of Whitman's well-known verse with his lesser-known prose, offering unique and fascinating insights into one of America's most beloved poets.

Back Jacket

" Let nothing divert you from your duty to your body."
"Oh I say these are not the parts and poems of the body only, but of the soul."

One of America's greatest poets, Walt Whitman adopted the role of advice columnist in 1858 under the pseudonym of Mose Velsor. In this entertaining book, Whitman extols the virtues of self-care for the human body, dispensing tips on men's health including diet, exercise, physical beauty, sex, habit, vitality, and a host of other subjects. The volume juxtaposes excerpts of his well-known verse with his lesser-known prose and is richly illustrated with Victorian line drawings. These unique and fascinating insights into one of America's most beloved poets reinforce his holistic idea that the body and the mind are connected--and that to be fully alive one must attend to both.