[Manuscript]: Operation: Outer Space. A Science Fiction Novel

Manuscript. 253 typed leaves (approximately - a few pages are mis-numbered), mixing both ribbon and carbon copies typed rectos only, laid into a printed folder with the name and New York City address of "Otis Kline Associates, Inc. Author's and Publisher's Agents" (aside from his work as an agent, Kline was also a published science fiction novelist). Of the pages, 211 of the numbered leaves constitute a complete draft, and while they exhibit typos, extensive hand corrections of both editorial and authorial nature, adding and deleting words, sentences and whole passages, these pages probably represent a close to final draft of the novel. Also present are an additional 42 numbered leaves, almost exclusively ribbon copies (and using the author's given name, Will F. Jenkins) constituting an early draft of the first two chapters. These leaves are very extensively corrected, removing and adding long passages and showing many additional corrections. The finished book, very close to the completed draft that is present here, was published by The Fantasy Press in 1954. With a fine in fine first edition is included.…