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.
Introduction
Untitled synopsis (The Silver Heel).
Characters in this exact text
AhmedAhmed — Maronite accomplice left on the stairs in The Mystery of Tannernoe LodgeOn Pagefirst: Zaida apartment sequence or surviving narrative.BissettJack Bissett — aspiring reporter persona and concealed murderer in The Silver HeelOn Pagefirst: Opening or surviving narrative.KratzJelner Kratz — Shanghai-born lawyer whose murder initiates The Silver Heel investigationOn Pagefirst: Opening murder setup.LepsteinJoseph Lepstein — Kratz's partner and later victim in The Silver HeelOn Pagefirst: Investigation or surviving narrative.Zaida's maidSelda Mendez — Zaida Lopez's maid and Bissett's accomplice/victimMentionedfirst: Zaida investigation or solution.HarrisonSteve Harrison — private detective and central protagonist of Lord of the DeadOn Pagefirst: Opening or surviving narrative.Wu ShunWu Shun — murdered Chinese man whose stolen ruby connects the earlier crime to The Silver Heel murdersMentionedfirst: Newspaper-clipping or solution backstory.ZaidaZaida Lopez — Eurasian dancer whose silver heel becomes a central clueOn Pagefirst: Investigation of the silver heel or surviving narrative.
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.
Synopsis 3 — surviving incomplete Howard typescriptHoward synopsis typescript
Extent1 pageCompletenessIncomplete
Physical extent: One page survives; manuscript pages 1–2 are missing
TSS: 66022
Untitled Howard synopsis typescript. Only its third page survives.
Additional documentary notes
- Untitled Typescript: The surviving synopsis is untitled. (witness level)
- Missing Pages: The first two manuscript pages are missing; only page 3 survives. (opening)
Source: Hardboiled Manuscripts, Volume 2 v0.77, The Silver Heel Editorial Notes p. 3; Synopsis 3 pp. 13–14