Exact textual stateSynopsis
Untitled synopsis (John Gorman found himself in Samarkand, . . .)
Part of Untitled synopsis (John Gorman found himself in Samarkand, . . .)
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.
Version-specific titles
She-Cats of Samarcand
Characters in this exact text
Abdullah KhanAbdullah Khan — Persian in Kabul, supposedly a European in disguise and engineering expert, whose activities are exposed by Gorman's letterMentionedfirst: Opening sentence identifies the target of the incriminating letter.John GormanJohn Gorman — protagonist/agent carrying evidence against Abdullah Khan in the Samarkand–Herat synopsisOn Pagefirst: Opening words of the surviving synopsis.
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 — surviving Howard typescript fragmentHoward synopsis typescript
Extent1 pageCompletenessIncomplete
Physical extent: Single surviving untitled synopsis-fragment typescript sheet
TSS: 90400
One surviving untitled Howard synopsis-fragment typescript sheet.
Additional documentary notes
- Untitled Witness: The surviving synopsis fragment is untitled. (witness level)
- Fragmentary Survival: First Cuts explicitly describes the surviving text as a synopsis fragment and states that no full story is known to survive. (witness level)
Source: First Cuts: The Veiled Manuscripts v1.4, “John Gorman found himself...” Editorial Notes p. 471 and reproduced synopsis manuscript/transcription pp. 472–474
