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Exact textual stateDraft

The Purple Heart of Erlik

Part of The Purple Heart of Erlik

StateDraft 1Surviving witnesses1TSS catalogue units16
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

Arline EllisArline Ellis — woman blackmailed by Duke Tremayne into attempting to steal the Heart of ErlikOn Pagefirst: Opening paragraph.Duke TremayneDuke Tremayne — adventurer and blackmailer in The Purple Heart of Erlik / Nothing to LoseOn Pagefirst: Opening paragraph.Lady Elizabeth WilloughbyLady Elizabeth Willoughby — wealthy English collector whose identity Arline impersonatesMentionedfirst: Tremayne describes her while planning the theft.Wild Bill ClantonWild Bill ClantonOn Pagefirst: Named in the alley after Arline leaves Tremayne.Woon YuenWoon Yuen — Shanghai antique merchant and possessor/worshipper of the Heart of ErlikOn Pagefirst: Named during Tremayne's explanation of the robbery.Yao ChinYao Chin — Woon Yuen's hatchetmanOn Pagefirst: Woon Yuen orders him to follow Arline.Yun LengYun Leng — second follower of Woon Yuen sent with Yao ChinOn Pagefirst: Yao Chin is told to send Yun Leng back once they find the man.

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 typescriptHoward typescript
Extent16 pagesCompletenessComplete

Physical extent: Complete 16-page untitled typescript

TSS: 10638, 10636, 10634, 10632, 10630, 10628, 10626, 93433, 10624, 10622, 10620, 10618, 64653, 93685, 93683, 93681

Complete untitled Howard typescript.

Additional documentary notes

  • Untitled Witness: First Cuts describes Draft 1 as untitled. (witness level)
  • Irregular page order: The TSS catalogue identifiers are reported in a non-numerical alternating sequence and are preserved in source order. (TSS catalogue citation)

Source: First Cuts: The Veiled Manuscripts v1.4, The Purple Heart of Erlik, Editorial Notes p. 197; Draft 1 pp. 203–218

Published in

The Veiled Manuscripts - First Cuts: The Drafts and FragmentsREH Foundation PressJune 2026 (paperback) est. July 27, 2026 (hardcover)↗