Textual identity is not textual authority. “Catalogue primary/default” selects the default catalogue representation; it does not mean that this wording is automatically Howard’s most authoritative text.
Surviving manuscript evidence
The records below describe surviving physical typescripts, carbons, manuscript material and documentary catalogue evidence for this exact textual state. TSS numbers identify physical catalogue units; they are not story or draft IDs.
Draft 1 — surviving Howard handwritten manuscriptHoward handwritten manuscript
Extent3 pagesCompletenessComplete
Physical extent: 3 TSS catalogue units
TSS: 26233, 26234, 26235
Original handwritten Robert E. Howard manuscript.
Manuscript details
School gradeCTeacher annotationTeacher notes on the shared school manuscript sheet are later non-authorial annotations and are not treated as Howard story text.
Additional documentary notes
- Handwritten Manuscript: The surviving Howard story manuscript is handwritten school/homework material rather than a typescript. (witness level)
- School Assignment: The spreadsheet identifies the story manuscript as a school homework assignment. (witness level)
- Shared Reverse Side: The reverse of the physical sheet represented by TSS 26235 also contains teacher notes and an untitled poem later titled “Code” by Glenn. The poem is excluded from this REH Writings story import. (witness level)
Source: 000 TSS of REH moving towards final.xls · Complete List · Fishing Trip, A (d1) · TSS 26233, 26234, 26235 · spreadsheet rows 3961–3963