Finnegans Wake

I.1: Book I Chap. 1

Details of the various draft stages.

Compiled by Danis Rose and John O'Hanlon
Draft Analysis: I.1

2010 edition FW pages 3-23
1939 edition FW pages 3-29

I.1 Protodrafts

Section 1: 1939 FW 3-18.16
I.1§1A.0
First draft (pencil) of 1939 FW 3-10.23, found at the end of the large fibreboard-covered notebook containing the first drafts of III.4 and II.2§8; October-November 1926 (see Letters I, 24 September, III, 16 October and I, 8 November, 1926).
I.1§1A.0+
Redraft of the “Willingdone Museyroom” episode (1939 FW 8.09-10.23); November 1926.
  • MS: BL 47482a, fols. 95r, 95v, 96r, 96v, 97r, 98r, 99r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 23-30
  • Notebooks used: N25 (VI.B.15)
I.1§1BD.0
Continuation of the first draft (1939 FW 10.24-13.29, 14.28-15.28); November 1926.
I.1§1C.0
First draft (pencil) of the “Annals” passage (1939 FW 13.30-14.27) written for insertion between I.1§1B.0 and I.1§1D.0; November 1926.
I.1§1E.0
First draft (pencil) of the “Mutt and Jute” episode (1939 FW 15.29-18.16); November 1926.
I.1§1.1
Second draft (pencil) in a large reddish notebook, with the above Subsections integrated; November 1926 (see Letters, I, 15 November 1926, and Letters, III, 24 November 1926). Note: the text of I.4§1B.3 is written on some of the versos.
I.1§1.1χ
Corrected typescript, glossary, and map of opening passage, sent in a letter to Harriet Shaw Weaver (see Letters, I, and Selected Letters, 15 November 1926).
  • MS: BL 57348, fols. 163r, 164r-v
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 79-81
Section 2: 1939 FW 18.17-29
I.1§2A.1
First draft (pencil) of 1939 FW 18.17-21.04, in the fibreboard-covered notebook; probably written after the completion of §1.1 (see above) and §2B.1 (see below) in late November 1926.
I.1§2B.0
First draft (pencil) of 1939 FW 21.05-23.14, in the fibreboard-covered notebook; November 1926
I.1§2B.1
Second draft (pencil) in the red notebook, including the first available draft of 1939 FW 23.16-29; November 1926.

I.1 Drafts

I.1§1.2/2.2 (see also I.1§1.2+/2.2+, I.1§2.2++ and I.1§2.2+++)
Fair copy (ink); some of the pages are cut up and affixed to redrafted pages; dated by Joyce 29 November 1926, but some of the insertions were made at a later date (see Letters, III, 29 November, 3 December, and 5 December 1926).
  • MS: BL 47472, fols. 4r, 5r, 5v, 6r, 7r, 8r, 9r, 10r, 11r, 12r, 13r, 14r, 15r, 16r, 17r, 33r, 20r, 21r, 34r, 22r, / 23r, 35r, 24r, 36r, 25r, 26r, 27r, 28r, 37r, 38r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 105-133
  • Notebooks used: N01 (VI.B.10)°, N11 (VI.B.5)°, N12 (VI.B.14)°, N22 (VI.B.17)°
I.1§1.2+/2.2+
Redrafted versions of fols. 33r, 34r, 35r, 35v, 36r, 37r-38r; dated by Joyce 6 December 1926.
  • MS: BL 47472, fols. 18r, 19r, (22r), (23r), (24r), 39r, 40r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 134-135, 124, 126, 136-137
  • Notebooks used: N21 (VI.B.20)°
I.1§2.2++
Redrafted version of fol. 39r; December 1926.
  • MS: BL 47472, fols. 41r, 29r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 138-139
I.1§2.2+++
Redrafted version of 41r-29r (top), 40r; dated by Joyce 16 December 1926 (the complete manuscript was sent to Harriet Weaver on 21 December 1926 after the typescript had been prepared).
  • MS: BL 47472, fols. (29r), 30r, 31r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 139-141

Copy for transition

In December 1926 Sylvia Beach sent a copy of I.1 to Eugene Jolas and Elliott Paul, editors of a new English-language literary review that was soon to come out in Paris. Joyce followed up by inviting them to a reading. This went so well (see Letters, III, 21 December, BLHW, 30 December, 1926, SL, 1 February and I, 2 March1927) that transition became, in effect, the official publisher of Work in Progress, performing the same function that the Little review had done for Ulysses.
I.1§1.3/2.3 (see also I.1§1.3+/2.3+, and I.1§1.3+'/2.3+')
Typescript; signed by Joyce and dated 16 December 1926 (the date of the final revision of the faircopy manuscript); sent to Harriet Weaver a few days later (see Letters, III, 21 December 1926, and SL, 1 February 1927).
  • MS: Private, fols. 1r, 2r, 3r, 4r, 5r, 5v, 6r, 7r, 8r, 9r, 10r, 11r, 12r, 13r, 14r, 15r, 16r, 17r, 18r, 19r, 20r, / (20r), 21r, 22r, 23r, 24r, 25r, 26r, 27r, 28r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 145-172
  • Notebooks used: N25 (VI.B.15)
I.1§1.3+/2.3+
Late correction sent to probably 17 (18) February 1927 (see Letters, BLHW, 18 February 1927) and copied by her on the above typescript.
  • MS: BL 57349, fol. 28r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 173
I.1§1.3+/2.3+
Duplicate (carbon) of above typescript with the corrections from §1.3/2.3 written in by an amanuensis and with further overlay; February 1927, sent to Harriet Weaver on 4 March 1927.
  • MS: BL 47472, fols. 45r, 46r, 47r, 48r, 49r, 50r, 51r, 52r, 53r, 54r, 55r, 56r, 57r, 58r, 59r, 60r, 61r, 62r, 63r, 64r, / (64r), 65r, 66r, 67r, 68r, 69r, 70r, 71r, 72r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 174-201
I.1§1.3+'/2.3+'
Duplicate (carbon) of above typescript with the corrections from §1.3/2.3 written in by an amanuensis and with further overlay, some of which are repeated on §1.3+/2.3+. The first page is missing; February 1927.
  • MS: Texas fols. 2-28
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): not reproduced.
  • Notebooks used: N25 (VI.B.15)
I.1§1.3++/2.3++
A few late correction made to above draft (missing); February 1927.
  • MS: missing
I.1§1.4/2.4 (see also I.1§1.4+/2.4+)
Proofs for transition 1; dated by the printer 25 February 1927 and sent to Harriet Weaver in early March 1927 (see Letters, I, 2 March 1927).
  • MS: BL 47472, fols. 74r, 74v, 75r, 75v, 76r, 76v, 77r, 77v, 78r, 79r, 80r, 81r, 82r, (83r), 84r, 85r, 86r, 87r, 88r, / (88r), 89r, 90r, 83r, 91r, 92r, 93r, 94r, 95r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 204-225
I.1§1.4+/2.4+
Late corrections (manuscript missing) to above, possibly made on a second (duplicate) set of transition I proofs; probably March 1927.
  • MS: missing
  • Notebooks used: N26 (VI.B.18)
    Note: transition 1 was published on April 1927.

Copy for Faber and Faber

Note: In preparing copy of Book I for the printer of Finnegans Wake Joyce collected and numbered in sequence pages from transition 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (including pages from the ‘Mookse and Gripes’ episode in Tales Told of Shem and Shaun), 7, and pages from the Faber and Faber edition of Anna Livia Plurabelle. Assembling the material to be revised took place in October 1931 (see Letters, III, 27 October 1931) and the revised material (the second set below) delivered to Faber and Faber in March 1933 (see Letters, NLFF unpublished, 10 March, and 12 March, 1933). Joyce signed off on the revisions (including some later emendations sent in 1936 on 11 July 1936 (see the note by Joyce on BL 47475, fol. 1r).
I.1§1.5/2.5 (see also I.1§1.5+/2.5+ and I.1§2.5++)
Pages of transition I (April 1927) revised for the printer of Finnegans Wake; early 1930s.
I.1§2.5χ
An early note for an addition found typed on fol. 102r; early 1930s.
  • MS: BL 47475, fol. 14r
  • JJA 44 (Book I Chapter 1): 286
  • Notebooks used: N42 (VI.B.31)
I.1§1.5+/2.5+
Duplicate transition I pages with the overlay from the above draft repeated (some typed on separate sheets and keyed to the transition I pages) and with further overlay; probably 1933.
I.1§2.5++
Retyped version of the additions for fol. 102r; probably 1933.

Proofs for Finnegans Wake I.1 (1939 FW 3-29)

I.1§1.6/2.6 (See also I.1§2.6χ)
Galleys 1-17 (first set) for Finnegans Wake; included here is a (duplicate) typescript of the overlay inscribed on this first set of galleys, of some overlay written on separate sheets and keyed to the galleys, of some late errata (also written on separate sheets), and (rarely) of some overlay for which the authorial holograph versions are missing or are found on the second set of galleys; in most cases the typescript is not keyed to this galley set; dated by the printer 12 March 1937 and received by Harriet Shaw Weaver 25 February 1938 (see Letters, I, 14 July, 6 August and NLFF, 18 December, 1937).
  • MS: BL 47476a, fols. 1r, 2r, 3r, 5r, 5v, 6r, 6v, 7r, 8r, 9r, 9v, 10r, 11r, / (11r), 12r, 13r, 14r, 14v, 15r; 47476b, fols. 429r, 428r, 427r; 47476a, fols. 16r, 16v; 47476b, fols. (429r), (428r), (427r), 426r; 47476a, fols.17r, 17v, 18r
  • JJA 49 (Book I Galleys, vol. I): 5-33
  • Notebooks used: N51 (VI.B.44), N52 (VI.B.42), N53 (VI.B.46), VI.C.7°, Sheets VIII
I.l§2.6χ
Predraft versions of some of the overlay on the above galley set (Sheets VIII); late 1937.
I.1§1.7/2.7
Galleys (second set, duplicates) for Finnegans Wake; included here is a (duplicate) composite typescript of the overlay on the first set, of the overlay inscribed on this second set of galleys, and (rarely) of some overlay for which the authorial holograph versions are missing; some of the overlay on fols. 255r, 256r, and 259r is in the hand 4of an amanuensis; the typescript additions carried over from the first set are keyed to this galley set, but with a few exceptions, the new typescript additions are not; dated as the first set but received by Harriet Shaw Weaver 16 May 1938.
  • MS: BL 47476a, fols. 133r, 134r, 134v, 135r, 136r, 136v, 137r, 137v, 138r, 138v, 139r, 139v, 140,r, 140v, 141r, 142r, 142v, 143r, 143v, 144r, / (143v), (144r), 144v, 145r, 145v, 146r, 146v, 147r, 147v 148r, 149r, 149v, 150r, 151r, (147r), 153r 152r, 152v, (153r)
  • JJA 49 (Book I Galleys, vol. I): 290-327
  • Notebooks used: N48 (VI.B.38)°, N52 (VI.B.42)°, N53 (VI.B.46), N54 (VI.B.45)
I.1§2.8'
Additions for galleys 15 and 16, also included in the typescript to the third set of galleys (below); 1938.
  • MS: BL 47476b, fols. 468r, 469r, 470r, 471r, 474r; BL 47488, fol. 270r
  • JJA 50 (Book I Galleys, vol.II): 274-279
  • Notebooks used: N54 (VI.B.45)
I.1§1.8/2.8 (See also I.1§2.8+ and I.1§2.8++)
Galleys (third set, duplicates) for Finnegans Wake; included here is a (duplicate) composite typescript of the overlay on the first and second sets, of some late additions written on separate sheets, and (rarely) of some overlay for which the authorial holograph versions are missing; the typescript is keyed to this galley set; May 1938 (see Letters, NLFF, 23 May 1938).
  • MS: BL 47476b, fols. 276r, 277r, 277v, 278r, 279r, 279v, 280r, 280v, 281r, 281v, 282r, 282v, 283r, 283v, 284r, 285r, 285v, 286r, 286v, 287r, / (286v), (287r), 287v, 288r, 288v, 289r, 289v, 290r, 290v, 291r, 292r, 293r, 293v, 294r, 295r, 296r, 296v, 302r
  • JJA 50 (Book I Galleys, vol. II): 4-41
  • Notebooks used: N54 (VI.B.45)
I.1§2.8+
A few revisions (missing) to the additions for galleys 15 and 16, some incorporated into the typescript to the third set of galleys (above); 1938.
  • MS: missing
I.1§2.8++
Reset versions of galleys 15-17 (fols. 293r, 296r, and 302r) incorporating the accumulated additions on the three sets of galleys; a few new additions and corrections; June 1938 (see Letters, NLFF, 24 May, 1 June and 16 June, 1938).
I.1§2.8++'
Reset versions (duplicates) of galleys 15-17 (fols. 293r, 296r, and 302r) incorporating the accumulated additions on the three sets of galleys, with additions and corrections; June 1938.
  • MS: BL 47476b, fols. 297r, 298r, 299r, 300r, 301r
  • JJA 50 (Book I Galleys vol.II): 280-284

Page proofs for I.1 (1939 FW 3-29)

I.1§1.9/2.9 (See also I.1§1.9+/2.9+)
Page proofs, first set; dated by the printer 7 July 1938; returned to Faber and Faber mid-November (see Letters, NLPL 11 September, 28 September, 30 September and NLFF, 18 November, 1938).
  • MS: Tulsa, A 1-16, B 17-29
  • JJA: not reproduced
  • Notebooks used: N56 (VI.B.41)
I.1§1.9+/2.9+
Page proofs, second set, only one revision (new paragraph after “Environs.”) was made at this draft stage; dated by the printer 20 November 1938 and returned within a few days (see Letters, NLFF, 26 November, 26 November and NLHW, 30 December, 1938).
  • MS: Tulsa, A' 1-16, B' 17-29
  • JJA 51 (Book I Galleys vol. ii): not reproduced

Errata for I.1 (1939 FW 3-29)

I.1§1.10/2.10
Errata for Finnegans Wake, begun in 1939 (see Letters, NLFF, 22 July, NLPL 10 August, 19 August, and NLFF, 30 August, 1939), involving marking up an unbound copy of the first edition (minimal corrections only as the paging could not be redone), and completed in the summer of 1940 at Saint Gerand-le Puy. The corrections were then typed in duplicate (Buffalo VI.H.4.b, c) or triplicate and given to Maria Jolas on 28 August, 1940 for delivery in New York to B.W. Huebsch of the Viking Press. The third copy was presumably sent to Faber and Faber.
  • MS: Buffalo VI.H.4.a, pp. 3-29 [ → ]; Buffalo VI.H.4.b, fols. 1r, 2r, [ → ]; Buffalo VI.H.4.c, fols. 1r, 2r, [ → ]
  • JJA 51 (Book I Galleys vol. ii): not reproduced; 289-290; not reproduced