Leaves of Grass vs Memoranda during the war: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: American Poets, United States Civil War, Poetry, Biography & Memoir, History

Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman · 1855 ★★★★☆ 4.1 288 pages · ≈ 5 h 20 m · Demanding

Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. First published in 1855, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting Leaves of Grass, revising it multiple times until his…

Mysticism Presidents American poetry Manuscripts

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Memoranda during the war Walt Whitman · 1876 ★★★★☆ 3.8 68 pages · ≈ 1 h 16 m · Demanding

“DURING the Union War I commenced at the close of 1862, and continued steadily through '63, '64, and '65, to visit the sick and wounded of the Army, both on the field and in the Hospitals in and around Washington city.”

"In December of 1862, having read his brother's name in a casualty list, Walt Whitman rushed from Brooklyn to the war front, where he found his brother wounded but recovering. But Whitman also found there a "new world,"…

Hospitals 19th Century Assassination Poets

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Leaves of Grass highest: Leaves of Grass 4.1 · Memoranda during the war 3.8.
Memoranda during the war is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 5 for Leaves of Grass.
Leaves of Grass has the widest readership — 119269 ratings behind its score.

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Memoranda during the war ≈ 1h vs 5h for Leaves of Grass

Scores by source

	Leaves of Grass	Memoranda during the war
Goodreads	4.1 (119269)	3.9 (192)
Hardcover	4.0 (1)	—
Google Books	2.5 (4)	—
Apple Books	4.0 (66)	—
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Reception

	Leaves of Grass	Memoranda during the war
Ratings	119269	192
Editions	755	11
Film adaptations	1	—
Want to read	232280	38
Reading it now	12828	—
Written reviews	4575	7
Wikipedia attention	11211	—
Pages	288	68
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Leaves of Grass or Memoranda during the war?

Leaves of Grass has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Leaves of Grass 4.1/5, Memoranda during the war 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Leaves of Grass or Memoranda during the war?

Memoranda during the war is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Memoranda during the war (68 pages, ≈ 1 h 16 m); Leaves of Grass (288 pages, ≈ 5 h 20 m).

Which is harder to read: Leaves of Grass or Memoranda during the war?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Leaves of Grass: Demanding; Memoranda during the war: Demanding.