Whitman Collection Added To Birthplace

From left: Allen Feinstein, son of Marvin Feinstein; Darrel Ford as Whitman; Miriam Feinstein, Feinstein’s widow; and David Feinstein, son of Feinstein. (Photos/WWBA)

The Gould family — and Darrel Ford as Whitman, back row, second from left — is pictured from left: Robert Gould; Jeffrey Gould, a WWBA trustee; Bruce Gould; and Robin.

The ribbon is cut, unveiling the Norman and Jeanette Gould Library at the Birthplace.

Suffolk Legis. Tom Donnelly, right, attended the dedication last Thursday. He’s pictured, from left, with: Suffolk Legis. Bridget Fleming; Whitman personator Darrel Blaine Ford; and Birthplace Executive Director Cynthia Shor. (Photo/Office of Leg. Tom Donnelly)

The Norman and Jeanette Gould Library at the Birthplace.

By Sophia Ricco
info@longislandergroup.com

Over the course of his life, Marvin Feinstein amassed a collection of Walt Whitman literature and related work, collecting close to 300 books.

His collection was recently acquired by the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association which celebrated last Thursday with a ceremony to formally unveil the new additions.

With books ranging in valuefrom $5-$500, including volumes sets and limited editions, the collection is appraised at $22,000.

“I think the collection offers us breadth and depth,” Cynthia Shor, WWBA executive director, said. “The depth is because we received many copies of ‘Leaves of Grass’ — first edition leather-bound, embossed, multiple publications and publishers, German and French translations.”

But the collection was not solely made up of Whitman’s work, it also included a vast amount of writers who through the years interpreted and reflected on Whitman. From the early 19th century to today, scholars have been analyzing Whitman’s work, each giving different perspectives.

“The breadth is we received over 40 books that involved biographies and approximately 40 books that involve analysis,” Shor said.

The collection brings the total number of volumes at the Birthplace up to 1,800. Shor believes they have the largest private collection, with The Library of Congress having 4,000 volumes.

Feinstein was able to build his massive collection working as a bookseller. Any time he came across a Whitman-related book he would add it to his collection.

“We’re very lucky that Marvin put it in his private collection and that his widow and sons made his collection accessible to the Birthplace,” Shor said. “That’s invaluable. That does not happen.”

Miriam Feinstein initially approached WWBA offering to donate 40 books from the collection and sell the remaining 250 for half of the appraisal. With $2,000 from WWBA’s private fund, the remaining money came from WWBA Trustee Jeffrey Gould to secure the collection.

The Feinstein Collection will be housed in the Norman and Jeanette Gould Library at the WWBA  Interpretive Center.

“Currently we have an exhibit where I displayed 24 books. I call it the Whitman Sampler — like a chocolate box,” Shor said. “I put out different aspects of Whitman that were in the collection - analysis, family connections, historic connections and literary translations.”

Although the collection will be displayed behind glass, the general public “can make an appointment with our curator to view a special book and have a more up close experience with the collection,” Shor said.

At the ceremony, Allen Feinstein, one of Marvin’s sons, read a poem by Whitman, “Shut Not Your Doors to Me Proud Libraries”. The central theme of the ceremony was to recognize the importance of preserving Whitman’s legacy and books.

“I think it’s important to preserve it so we get a full record of the man, not just of his poetry,” Shor said. “We have his voice as we hear it in editorials, we have his perspective in articles he wrote for newspapers, we have his fictional accounts in his novel and short stories that reflect his sensibility, then have volumes of analysis and interpretation that helps us understand his work.”