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WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS MANUSCRIPTS:
GUIDE AND INVENTORY
SPEC.CMS.85

(Compiled by John M. Bennett, March 1999)

Collection of Manuscripts for NAKED LUNCH, THE SOFT MACHINE, NOVA EXPRESS, THE TICKET THAT EXPLODED, and EXTERMINATOR!, 1959-1973.

Consists of original and photocopied typescripts, printers proofs, and other materials.

The original OSU catalog numbers (SCMs 22 and SCMs 31) have been left on the folders for reference purposes. The contents of folders 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15 have been photocopied and those copies are filed next to the folders containing the original manuscripts.

Three other items in the Rare Books & Manuscripts Division may be of interest:

1) Editorial records and notes concerning William S. Burroughs THE LAST WORDS OF DUTCH SCHULTZ, 1973-1974; call no. SPEC.MMS.228. This consists of notes and correspondence by and to Richard Seaver, Burroughs editor at Viking Press. It includes 1 leaf original typescript, apparently by Burroughs, consisting of 4 lines of text beginning "His name was Arthur Flegenheimer", notes on editorial changes, illustrations, and publishers and editors descriptions of book and manuscript.

2) Collection of literary manuscripts from Measure, [ca. 1953-ca. 19601; call no. SPEC.MS.AMER.10. This includes a carbon copy typescript by Burroughs, signed William Lee, "Fragment of a Blue Movie, from A.J.s Annual Smoker: Interzone - The Word."James Grauerholz, in his 1998 inventory, says of this manuscript, "Auto. corrections not by WSB. This text ended up in NAKED LUNCH and this publication may predate the 1959 first ed. of that novel."

3) Marijuana Newsletter and Fuck You magazine papers (SPEC.RARE.CMS.16).

Provenance note:

All material in folders 1 - 15 was purchased by OSU from Henry Wenning,
Feb. 9, 1965. All material in folders 16 - 19 was purchased by OSU from Black Sun Books, 667 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10021, Aug. 7,1984.

WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS PAPERS -

CATALOGUE OF INVENTORY, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Detailed Listing/ Box and Folder Listing:

    Box 1

    Folder Number #1

  1. NAKED LUNCH AND THE SOFT MACHINE TS PAGES
    • 198 leaves mixed orig. ts and cc ts, most with orig. holog. editing in WSBs hand, many with various (and out of order) page numberings in WSBs hand, plus one small strip with title, "Typescript of The Soft Machine" on it. Total number of leaves is 199; leaves are numbered on verso in order received by OSU. Leaf 1 is orig. ts letter from WSB to [Henry] Wenning, dated Sept. 23, 1961, written from Palm Beach, Florida. Letter discusses WSBs working methods, and how some of this material was used. According to James Grauerholz ("Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998), "Henry Wenning was a manuscript dealer who purchased materials from WSB." Grauerholz quotes from WSBs letter to Wenning: "I am sending along some more assorted manuscripts. Sorry I can not offer you anything approximating a complete type script of one novel. [...] Includes source material from which Naked Lunch and The Soft Machine were formed. [...]Some of this material dates back five and six years. Some is new. [...]First source material for Naked Lunch junk sections and the junk sections of The Soft Machine. (much of this material is unpublished in either work) Second is source material for South American sections of Naked Lunch and Soft Machine containing unpublished material. Third is miscelanious source material. Four i[s] repeat typescript of the Soft Machine. [...] P.S. I must apologize for the other consignment of manuscripts it was hastily assembled and i did not have time to put it in any sort of order. [...]"
    • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies.
    • Original OSU catalog number was SCMs 22 (1).


Box 2

Folder Number #2-4

  1. SOFT MACHINE AND NOVA EXPRESS TS PAGES
    96 leaves mixed orig. ts and cc ts, most with orig. holog. editing, annotations, headings, and/or paginations in WSBs hand. Leaves are numbered on verso in order received by OSU. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this material as follows (leaf count by OSU):
    • WSB TSS, first page headed "Chapter 18 4 pages - First draft Pinball Led Street" in WSB hand. Appear to be all discrete pieces, mostly writing that ended up in Soft Machine or Nova Express.
      To list pieces, as headed:
      • Pinball Led Street (4 leaves ts)
      • Early Answer (8 leaves ts)
      • [ "Fear troubel shuffled out of The Shereton Carlton"] (2 leaves ts)
      • The Carbonic Caper (6 leaves ts)
      • Newspaper Cut Ups [1961-62] (9 leaves ts)
      • From a Land of Grass Without Mirrors (3 leaves ts)
      • Fold In Material for Land of Grass (4 leaves cc ts)
      • The Biologic Courts and Councellors (12 leaves ts)
      • Miscellaneous Fill In Material (19 leaves ts)
      • Fill In Material (5 leaves ts)
      • Planets of the Crab Nebulae (9 leaves ts)
      • Wielest Du? (4 leaves ts)
      • Miscellaneous Fill In Material (11 leaves ts)
      • All pages heavily annotated by WSB, incl. esp. underlining of cut-up material, showing his choices for use of same in his writing.
      • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies.
      • Original OSU catalog number was SCMs 22 (2).

  2. NOVA EXPRESS TS PAGES
    59 leaves mixed ts and cc ts, all with orig. holog. annotations, editing, headings, and/or paginations in WSBs hand. Leaves are numbered on verso in order received by OSU. Headings on leaves are as follows, with notes in brackets by James Grauerholz, from his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998" (leaf count by OSU):
    • THE NOVIA EXPRESS Chapter I 1st version (3 leaves cc ts)
    • THE NOVIA POLICE Chapter II 1st version (6 leaves ts and cc ts, plus 1 leaf cc ts: [page out of sequence, headed: PLAN DRUG ADDICTION, dated 1959])
    • TOWERS OPEN FIRE Chapter III 1st version (4 leaves ts)
    • TOWERS OPEN FIRE Chapter III 2nd version (2 leaves ts)
    • TOWERS OPEN FIRE Chapter III abbreviated version (1 leaf cc ts)
    • TWIGHLIGHTS LAST GLEAMINGS Chapter IV 1st version (3 leaves ts) [not the Kells Elvins piece, but cutup]
    • PHOTO FALLING - WORD FALLING 1st version Chapter V (3 leaves cc ts and ts)
    • PHOTO FALLING - WORD FALLING Chapter V 2nd version (2 leaves cc ts and ts)
    • GAVE PROOF THROUGH THE NIGHT Chapter VI 1st version (8 leaves ts) [resembles Elvins piece]
    • GAVE PROOF THROUGH THE NIGHT Chapter VI 2nd version (4 leaves cc ts) [closely resembles Elvins piece]
    • PURE SONG OF NEW BEFORE THE TRAVELLOR Chapter VII 1st version (2 leaves ts)
    • FROM A LAND OF GRASS WITHOUT MIRRORS Chapter VIII 1st versions and source material (11 leaves cc ts and ts)
      • Part of DISTANT THANK YOU Chapter X 1st version (9 leaves ts)
    • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies. Original OSU catalog number was SCMs 22 (3).

  3. NAKED LUNCH AND THE SOFT MACHINE TS PAGES
    90 leaves mixed ts and cc ts, many with orig. holog. editing, annotations, headings, and/or paginations in WSBs hand. Also orig. holog. editing, etc. in other hands (see below). Leaves are numbered on verso in order received by OSU. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes the groups of leaves as follows (leaf count by OSU):
    • First draft "The Fish Poison Con" Chapter 12 [Soft Machine] (6 leaves ts and cc ts)
    • Second draft "The Fish Poison Con" Chapter 12 (5 leaves cc ts)
    • First draft and source material Blue JunctionChapter 13 [Soft Machine] (7 leaves ts)
    • First draft The Biologic Police and Courts Chapter 14 [Soft Machine] (5 leaves ts)
    • [leaf in WSB hand: "FINAL TYPESCRIPT OF NAKED LUNCH - NUMBERED PAGES"] (1 small leaf, holog.)
    • ISLAM INCORPORATED AND THE PARTIES OF INTERZONE Pages are in l0pt serif typewriter face, i.e. typed by Kerouac or Ansen in Paris. Pages hand-numbered in pencil "59-73" [with gaps]; were type-numbered by typist: "[1]-Islam 6-[etc.]-Islam 15" [with gaps]. Alan Ansen and [Sinclair Beiles? resembles Ed Sanders hand - ??] have amended this MS, but not WSB. (11 leaves ts)
    • [COUNTY CLERK 1 - l0pt Courier typewriter, one page only, emendations by Beiles? text breaks off, next page does not follow] (1 leaf ts)
    • ["Interzone Imports Unlimited...] (1 leaf ts, with holog. notes verso)
    • [page headed: "Burroughs: we got lost here again." I think Beiles hand, . . not Girodias, nor Southern, nor Ginsberg, nor Gysin, nor Kerouac. Second line: "There is only one thing a writer can write about..." I.e., this is "Atrophied Preface" from Naked Lunch. Pages pencil-numbered "157" and "161" are on WSBs oldest typewriter from this period, caps are usually dropped half a line, suggesting a shift-key system raising the whole platen, i.e. a small portable - and space-bar fails to space about 10% of the time.] (9 leaves ts)
    • COKE BUGS (3 leaves ts)
    • THE EXTERMINATOR DOES A GOOD JOB. (4 leaves ts)
    • THE ALGEBRA OF NEED (1 leaf ts)
    • Explanatory Preface WOULDNT YOU? (5 leaves ts)
    • TECH PSYCHIATRY [Alan Ansen, handwritten heading] (3 leaves ts)
    • [leaf, blue typewriter: JUNK SOURCE MATERIAL. This suggests MS for Junky (which was first called "Junk") but the next several pages can be found in Naked Lunch, where they do however deal with the subject of Junk.] (1 small leaf ts and 4 leaves ts)
    • [leaf, blue typewriter: SOUTH AMERICA SOURCE MATERIAL. Appears (most of it) in Naked Lunch.] (1 small leaf ts and 13 leaves ts)
    • [leaf, blue typewriter: MISCELLANIOUS SOURCE MATERIAL. Again, Naked Lunch.] (1 small leaf ts and 8 leaves ts)
    • An extremely important folder, contains most of the first or second draft typescript of Burroughs 1959 masterpiece, Naked Lunch.
    • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies.


Box 3

Folder Number #5-8

  1. NOVA EXPRESS TS PAGES
    21 leaves ts with orig. holog. annotations, editing, headings, and/or paginations in WSBs hand. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", indicates this is first-draft material from Nova Express. Leaves are numbered on verso in the order received by OSU. They are grouped as follows:
    • 14 leaves with heading "Chapter 17, Operation Sense Withdrawal, 1st draft and source material". 4 of the leaves have extensive underlining.
    • 4 leaves with heading "Chapter 16, 1st draft, The Death Dwarf in the Street".
    • 3 leaves with heading "Will Hollywood Never Learn".
    • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies.
    • Original OSU catalog number was SCMs 22 (5).

  2. SOFT MACHINE TS PAGES
    45 leaves mixed ts and cc ts with typed headings, orig. holog. editing and some pagination in WSBs hand; other paginations in other hands. Leaves are numbered on verso in order received by OSU. In his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", James Grauerholz grouped the leaves as follows, based on headings or first lines (leaf count by OSU):
    • TRANSITIONAL PERIOD. (7 leaves ts and cc ts)
    • ["When The Retroactive Kid walks on set he takes impressions of everybody..."] (5 leaves ts)
    • ["Border City - Noon Ticker Tape - Fight irrupt like sand pened on iron -"] (1 leaf cc ts)
    • ["The Border City of Iron racks between red sand"] (2 leaves ts)
    • ["'Johnny pants down.' He was smearing the past on Johnnys..."] (2 leaves cc ts)
    • UNIT II GREEN THING POLICE KEEP ALL BOARD ROOM REPORTS [p. "37"] (4 leaves ts numbered "37, 38, 39, 40")
    • [misc. / scrambled pages continue this way, cannot transcribe right now] (16 leaves ts and cc ts)
    • "BUT ALL IS BACK SEAT OF DREAMING." (4 leaves cc ts)
    • ["Up a great brown tidal river to The Port City stuck in water..."] (4 leaves ts)
    • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies.
    • Original OSU catalog number was SCMs 22 (12)

  3. THE TICKET THAT EXPLODED TS
    135 leaves mixed ts and cc ts (132 sequentially numbered pages with 3 pages for insertion on pages 42, 54, and 60. James Grauerholz very useful remarks from his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998" follow:
    • The Ticket That Exploded. Apparently the complete, sequential final typescript of this novel, First page headed "The Ticket that Exploded" in WSBs hand and signed "William Burroughs." Also on page is typed "WINDS OF TIME" and the page number "1." Numerous marks and corrections by WSB. Also marked by one other person (see "p. 131" where "ACTORS ERASED THEMSELVES INTO AIR" is seen in a different hand), who seems to have also added a small square "box" in the left margin where a paragraph and/or indent was wanted....not clear who this was, that assisted WSB with the MS, but I am guessing it was Alan Ansen, again (the "t" and "a" are made like his). Entire TS typed on one typewriter, almost certainly by WSB; bears hallmarks of his typing style, although much more neat in first pass than earlier writings. On last page -"p. 132" - is seen the struck-out heading: THESE OUR ACTORS BID YOU A LONG GOOD NIGHT above which WSB has signed "William Burroughs" again, and again at bottom of page: "William Burroughs. Nov. 8, 1962 Paris, France". A very important TS.
    • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies.
    • OSUs original call number was SCMs 22 (14).

  4. THE TICKET THAT EXPLODED PAGE PROOFS
    176 leaves. Pages start at p. 7. P. 11 missing. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this material as follows:
    • The Ticket That Exploded, single-page letterpress proofs for Olympia Press edition (Paris: 1962). Within a brown manila envelope mailed from "W. Burroughs, 9 Rue Git-Le-Coeur, Paris 6, France" to "Mr. U. Grant Roman, Suite 314 Bayview Bldg., 1040 Bayview Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A." with several French airmail stamps etc., cancelled November 16, 1962. Grant Roman was a manuscript dealer, and this is an interesting find, because it suggests that already by 1962, WSB had learned to sell off his MSS, and these page proofs had only outlived their utility a few months earlier. On the first page are seen three different hands: "window" and "color" are in WSBs hand; "1 ligne a le p. 8" and gray nib-pen copy-edit marks are in the French typesetters hand; green ballpoint ink also with copy-edits and corrections, not clear who this is, but is found on other novel MSS from this period (within this collection). At p. 178 is an "INSERTION" leaf, typed by WSB and marked by him.
    • OSUs original call number was SCMs 22 (15).


Box 4

Folder Number #9-10

  • NOVA EXPRESS TS
    170 leaves, numbered in red on lower R corner 1-19, 19A, 20-169. Leaf 168 signed by WSB and dated Oct. 24, 1962; leaf 169 date-stamped "Received Aug. 4, 1964". Mixed orig. ts and cc ts, with some leaves pasted up. Most leaves with orig. holog. editing in WSBs hand, and by one or more copy editors. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this ts as follows:
    • Typesetting MS for Nova Express first ed. 1965, New York: Grove Press. Heavily corrected by WSB and copy-edited for setting. . . .very important and. . .fragile.
    • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies.
    • Original OSU catalog number was SCMs 22 (6).

  • NOVA EXPRESS LONG GALLEYS, C. 1, BURROUGHS SET
    56 leaves (including 1 leaf orig. ts) typeset galley proofs with orig. holog. annotations, corrections, etc. The 56 leaves include 1 leaf orig. ts, and 1 leaf (number 43) cut into 2 and originally taped together. Numbered galley leaves go from pages 1 to 54. Pages 55 and 56, present in Folders 11, 12, 13 are lacking here. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this as follows:
    • Nova Express (Grove) long galleys, noted: "Burroughs set." Bears annotations in handwritings of: WSB; Brion Gysin; Alan Ansen; unknown hand, possibly Ian Sommerville. Important.
    • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 22 (7).


    • Box 5

    Folder Number #11-15

    1. NOVA EXPRESS LONG GALLEYS, C. 2
      56 leaves type-set galley proofs, with a few copy-editing marks. Includes leaves 55 and 56, missing from c. 1 (Folder 10). James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items. Aug. 21, 1998", describes this as follows:
      • Nova Express (Grove) long galleys, noted: "Jules set." Few if any annotations; Jules perhaps an editor or otherwise with Grove Press.
      • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 22 (8).

    2. NOVA EXPRESS LONG GALLEYS, C. 3
      59 leaves (56 leaves typeset galleys and 3 leaves unattached orig. ts marked "insert page 52"). Orig. holog. copy-editing annotations. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this as follows:
      • Nova Express long galleys (Grove). "Master Set 6/24/64." Emendations in unknown hand but incl. black-marker cross-out prob. by WSB as well as additions typed by him and glued on.
      • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 22 (9).

    3. NOVA EXPRESS LONG PAGE PROOF GALLEYS
      63 leaves with some orig. holog. editing. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this as follows:
      • Nova Express long galleys (Grove). "Master Set 8/14/64." Few emendations, in Richard Seavers hand (?).
      • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 22 (10).

    4. NOVA EXPRESS PLATE PROOF
      • 37 leaves typeset plate proofs. The first 2 leaves (with front matter) have sections stapled together. Pages have sparse orig. holog. copy-editing marks. Rubber-stamped "Plate Proof, Master Set, Please Return with Dead Proof".
      • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 22 (11).

    5. NAKED LUNCH LONG GALLEYS
      • 87 leaves of long galleys of text of Naked Lunch, Grove Press 1962 first US edition. Leaf 1 signed "William S. Burroughs" at top and on last page. Occasional orig. holog. corrections and annotations. Leaf 73 has a note to "Bill" about missing pages being set and checked.
      • Accompanied by an archival and a user photocopies.
      • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 22 (13).


    Box 6

    Folder Number #16-19

    1. EXTERMINATOR! SETTING MS
      141 leaves plus 1 black and white photo print of a dead cockroach. Leaves are mixed pc ts, pc typeset text, and orig ts, all with extensive copy editing marks and annotations. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this as follows:
      • Exterminator! (Seaver/Viking US ed.) MS. assembled for typesetting. Includes graphic for cover design, with photo image of dead cockroach (as on first edition cover). The chapters that were previously published are usually present as paste-ups of their magazine appearances. Other chapters are photocopies of WSB TS, with copy editors marks, no WSB marks. First WSB orig. TS is p. "91" - "The Last Words of Dutch Schultz." Next is p. "119" - "The 'Priest They Called Him." This TS made double-spaced on an old Remington typewriter, with para. indents - i.e., prob. not typed by WSB, but by whom? Pages of "Priest" chapter are typewriter numbered "113-113A-113B-113C." No further actual TS to end of MS. This folder very important because the variety of typewriter faces from chapter to chapter indicates approx. date and place of composition or retyping. I would like to study this further, as I can recognize most of these machines.
      • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 31 (1).

    2. EXTERMINATOR! LONG GALLEYS, AUTHORS PROOF
      48 leaves typeset galley proofs, with some orig. holog. annotations. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this as fol1ows:
      • Exterminator! (Seaver/Viking US ed.) long galleys, marked "Authors proof" at top. A few WSB auto. corrections.
      • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 31 (2).

    3. EXTERMINATOR! MASTER SET PAGE PROOF LONG GALLEYS
      87 leaves typeset long galleys of page proofs, with some copy-editing marks and annotations. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this as follows:
      • Exterminator! Master page proof. 87 leaves. Few corrections, all in unknown hand, probably copy editors. "A Richard Seaver Book. Viking Press." New York: 1973.
      • OSUs original call number was SCMs 31 (3).

    4. EXTERMINATOR! RICHARD SEAVERS FILE
      leaves mixed pc clippings, pc ts, orig. ts, pc holog., orig. holog., cc ts, and printed matter. Includes orig. holog. poem/blurb by Allen Ginsberg, and interesting pc ts letter from WSB to Peter Matson discussing WSBs conception of the work. Correspondence and other documents discuss books title, contents, cost of printing, payment to WSB, and other matters. James Grauerholz, in his "Review of MS. items, Aug. 21, 1998", describes this as follows:
      • Exterminator! Misc. 39 leaves. Richard Seavers file. Incl. ALS by Allen Ginsberg, blurb for book; p.c. TS by WSB (his typing), "Exterminator!"; and carbon TS (not his typing), "Twilights Last Gleamings" 10 pp, marked "Win. Burroughs / ORIGINAL" in Peter Matsons hand. Also corres. between Seaver and Matson, WSBs agent. Promo sheet, several book reviews.
      • OSUs original catalog number was SCMs 31 (4).


    Content last revised: March, 1999

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