Whitman’s Code: A New Bible is a 21^st century biography of Walt Whitman presented within a compendium and commentary of the complete canonical poems. Gardner’s opus is a detective story unraveling a numerical puzzle discovered in the poet’s evolving editions of Leaves of Grass.

The book traces the poet’s debt to Emerson and the history of Idealism in Western and Oriental thought through the centuries that preceded both of the celebrated poets.. Gardner comfortably leads the reader through literary landscapes that are among the loveliest and most profound among the world’s literature.