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
- 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
- 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).
- 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).
- 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
- 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).
- 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)
- 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).
- 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
- 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).
- 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).
- 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).
- 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).
- 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
- 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).
- 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).
- 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).
- 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).