<p><em>The Annotated Joseph and His Friend: The Story of America&#39;s First Gay Novel</em> contains the original novel by Bayard Taylor, with annotations and commentary by L.A. Fields.&nbsp;<em>Joseph and His Friend</em> is the story of a young Pennsylvania farmer, Joseph Asten, and his marriage to Julia Blessing around the same time as a more powerful friendship arises in his life. Joseph&rsquo;s chance meeting with Philip Held casts doubts on the motivations of his bride-to-be, and as her duplicity is revealed during their marriage, Joseph&rsquo;s love for Philip becomes more and more vital to his survival.</p><p>The notes accompanying each chapter of this book move from the private life of the man who inspired the story (Fitz-Greene Halleck), through the secrets of its author (Bayard Taylor), noting especially his private love for and public rivalry with Walt Whitman (<em>Leaves of Grass</em>). The notes then expand on Whitman&rsquo;s unique position in gay and American history: the nascent coming-out letters Whitman called &ldquo;avowals&rdquo; from the likes of Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde; Whitman&rsquo;s witnessing of the Civil War, the Lincoln presidency, and his lover&rsquo;s chance attendance at Ford&rsquo;s Theater the night of Lincoln&rsquo;s assassination; as well as Whitman&rsquo;s own understanding and defense for writing honestly about the love of men.</p><p>​The structure of the project combines Taylor&rsquo;s original 1870 novel with brief strings of American history, contemporary anecdote, and curiosities from a more secret history. A new topic is positioned behind every chapter, providing the background that reveals just how important this novel was at the time, how rare it is now, and how daring it&rsquo;s always been to tell the truth.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>