Richard Maurice Bucke

First published in 1897, "The Wound Dresser" contains a collection of Walt Whitman's letters written from hospitals in Washington during the American civil war. This fascinating volume offers a unique glimpse into Whitman's experiences volunteering as a nurse in army hospitals during the American civil war, providing the reader with a telling insight into the mind of America's greatest poet. "The Wound Dresser" was published posthumously by Whitman's literary executor Richard Maurice Bucke.

This classic study in the evolution of the human mind is a pioneering work as valuable today as when it was first published in 1901. At that time, it was enthusiastically acclaimed by both William James and P. D. Ouspensky. It has long been accepted as a landmark in the field of mysticism. In reviewing the mental and spiritual activity of the human race, Dr. Bucke discovers that at intervals certain individuals have appeared who are gifted with the power of transcendent realization—or Illumination. Their experiences constitute a definite advance in man’s relation with the Infinite. Moreover, the author shows from available records that this transfiguring endowment of Illumination is on the increase, and he gives full details of practically all the cases on record up to the time when the book was written.