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Exact textual stateDraft

Three-Bladed Doom — Draft 5

Part of Three-Bladed Doom

StateDraft 5Surviving witnesses5TSS catalogue units161
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.

Characters in this exact text

Ahmed ShahAhmed Shah (Three-Bladed Doom) — stocky Yusufzai companion of GordonOn Page14 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionAzizunAzizun — Indian girl held in ShalizahrOn Page18 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionBaber KhanBaber Khan (Three-Bladed Doom) — Ghilzai chief of KhorOn Page37 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionCambysesCambyses — historical Persian king invoked by comparisonMentioned1 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionErlikErlik — god worshipped by the people of Khor in King of the Forgotten People.Mentioned4 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionGordonFrancis Xavier Gordon — American adventurer known as El Borak (“the Swift”), active throughout Afghanistan and Central Asia.On Page229 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionHaroun ar RaschidHaroun ar Raschid — historical caliph invoked by comparisonMentioned1 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionHassan ibn SabahHassan ibn Sabah — historical leader of the AssassinsMentioned1 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionIvan KonstantineIvan Konaszevski — Cossack antagonist in the long/short Three-Bladed Doom versionsOn Page14 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionKhuruk KhanKhuruk Khan — Orakzai thief and murderer in ShalizahrOn Page5 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionLal SinghLal Singh — Sikh swordsman, thief and recurring adventurerOn Page56 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionMelek TausMelek Taus — Yezidee deity invoked in the storyMentioned2 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionMuhammad ibn AhmedMuhammad ibn Ahmed — Arab captain of the Shalizahr guardOn Page9 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionMusaMusa (Three-Bladed Doom) — Persian agent/servant of OthmanOn Page15 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionOthman el AzizOthman el Aziz — Persian ruler of ShalizahrOn Page1 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionSaladinSaladin — historical Muslim rulerMentioned1 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionYar Ali KhanYar Ali Khan — Afridi swordsman and recurring Gordon allyOn Page47 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, sectionYusuf ibn SuleimanYusuf ibn Suleiman — Kurdish warriorOn Page16 source-counted occurrence(s) · first: El Borak and Other Desert Adventures — tbd-short, section

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 5 — complete Howard short-version typescriptHoward typescript
Extent81 pagesCompletenessComplete

Physical extent: 81 TSS catalogue units

TSS: 28679–28759

Complete Robert E. Howard typescript witness to Three-Bladed Doom — Draft 5, explicitly the short version.

Manuscript details

BylineThe manuscript is explicitly bylined.Word countThe manuscript carries a word count.OAK stampThe manuscript has an OAK stamp.

Additional documentary notes

  • Short Version: The source explicitly identifies Draft 5 as the short version. (witness level)
  • Titled Manuscript: The manuscript is explicitly titled. (witness level)
  • Complete Witness: The manuscript is explicitly complete. (witness level)

Source: 000 TSS of REH moving towards final.xls · Complete List · Three-Bladed Doom (d5) · TSS 28679–28759 · spreadsheet rows 17115–17201

Draft 5 — CPPL coverCatalogue / documentary card
Extent1 pageCompletenessComplete

Physical extent: 1 TSS catalogue unit

TSS: 28678

CPPL documentary cover page for the Draft 5 short-version manuscript.

Manuscript details

Documentary coverCPPL cover page; documentary evidence only.

Source: 000 TSS of REH moving towards final.xls · Complete List · Three-Bladed Doom (d5) · TSS 28679–28759 · spreadsheet rows 17115–17201

Draft 5 — low-resolution whole-PDF scanOther physical witness
CompletenessComplete

Physical extent: 1 TSS catalogue unit

TSS: 12129

Low-resolution documentary scan representing the complete Draft 5 manuscript set.

Additional documentary notes

  • Documentary Scan: Low-resolution whole-PDF representation of the Draft 5 manuscript. (witness level)

Source: 000 TSS of REH moving towards final.xls · Complete List · Three-Bladed Doom (d5) · TSS 28679–28759 · spreadsheet rows 17115–17201

Draft 5 — incomplete short-version carbon/copy witnessHoward carbon copy
Extent77 pagesCompletenessIncomplete

Physical extent: 77 TSS catalogue units

TSS: 63888–63898, 63900–63908, 63910–63926, 63928–63941, 63943, 63945, 63947, 63949, 63952–63953, 63955, 63957, 63959, 63961, 63963, 63965, 63967, 63969, 63971, 63973–63983

Incomplete carbon/copy witness to the short-version Three-Bladed Doom — Draft 5.

Additional documentary notes

  • Carbon Copy: The -cc group is treated as a carbon/copy witness. (witness level)
  • Short Version: The source explicitly identifies this carbon/copy set as the short version. (witness level)
  • Titled Manuscript: The source identifies the carbon/copy witness as titled. (witness level)
  • Explicit Incomplete Witness: The source identifies the carbon/copy witness as incomplete. (witness level)
  • Page Label Gaps: Represented labels omit 21, 42, and 43; no further missing-page structure is invented. (witness level) · Uncertain
  • Source Finality Note: The source says 'looks final'; this remains source wording only. (witness level) · Uncertain
  • Source Cross Reference: The source notes 'many more of the pages at 20952-20978'; this is retained as a cross-reference only. (witness level)
  • Non Authorial Page 81: Page 81 is represented separately by a Glenn clone page rather than Howard carbon wording. (witness level)

Source: 000 TSS of REH moving towards final.xls · Complete List · Three-Bladed Doom (d5) · TSS 28679–28759 · spreadsheet rows 17115–17201

Draft 5 — Glenn clone page 81Secondary retype
Extent1 pageCompletenessCompleteness uncertain

Physical extent: 1 TSS catalogue unit

TSS: 63984

Glenn Lord clone/retype of Draft 5 manuscript page 81; non-authorial.

Additional documentary notes

  • Secondary Retype: Explicit Glenn clone page 81; non-authorial. (witness level)

Source: 000 TSS of REH moving towards final.xls · Complete List · Three-Bladed Doom (d5) · TSS 28679–28759 · spreadsheet rows 17115–17201

Textual witnesses & editorial mediation

These records describe how this textual state is known or represented. A witness may be authorial, editorially mediated, restored, transcribed or otherwise derived without becoming a new Howard-authored textual state.

El Borak and Other Desert AdventuresRestored reading editionAuthority basis: Restoration toward authorial text · Treatment: Restored toward authorial wording

El Borak and Other Desert Adventures; source basis noted by the edition as Howard typescript.