[Manuscript]: The Spire. First Draft

Draft of the manuscript of the American edition. Quarto. 214 photomechanically reproduced leaves printed rectos only, with a typed title page noted as "First Draft" and with the American publisher's information, probable price and date, etc., presumably used in the publication of the first American edition. Housed in a spring-loaded dark blue binder. Front joint a bit cracked at the front gutter, but holding and otherwise near fine. A novel by the English author of *The Lord of the Flies* about the building of a great cathedral. The manuscript seems to utilize the text of the London edition (issued almost simultaneously with the American), and while the text of the manuscript as represented here largely made up the finished text of the American edition, an examination of the text reveals lines that were altered in the American first edition. For example, on the first page, in discussing the model of the cathedral, the manuscript states: "Eighteen inches. Yes. Well. It represents, does it not, an erection of wood, stone and metal -". In the American edition "an erection" is changed to "a construction" ("Eighteen inches. Yes. Well. It represents, does it not, a construction of wood, stone and metal -"), apparently in case that Americans would come down with a case of the vapors from reading the word "erection." Even a cursory reading of the text reveals other words, sentences, punctuation, and usage that were changed for the American edition. Although the changes we discovered do not substantially change the meaning or pace of the novel, they do make for a modestly interesting insight into the process of the publication of this English novel into an American version. Presumably one of only a handful or fewer copies for use by the American publisher. The manuscript accompanied by a nice copy of the first American edition for comparison. A *Burgess 99* title.…