[Holograph manuscript, in the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds; blue cloth cover, ruled paper]
[spine] STEVENSON. стивEнсонъ
[flyleaf] Arthur Ransome,
Datcha [sic] Gellibrand,
Terijoki [sic],
Finland
[Three loose sheets of MS, same small quarto paper as the parcelled MS; on the first the following paragraph]
Stevenson. Conclusion.
It was about this time that Stevenson became ‘a great penny-whistler before the Lord’, and the fact deserves a little notice. The instrument is unjustly despised, even laughed at, but it is capable of great things. Stevenson and his stepson played duets: it led him to study the technique of music: he even composed for it. And, somehow, it is symbolical of his career. A grown man playing the instrument of youth, playing it with a skill not often dedicated to it, and, in larger matter, playing a penny whistle in the orchestra of English literature. [A wavy line through the first few lines, perhaps indicating deletion; ‘son’ crossed out, ‘stepson’ inserted.]
[Two loose folio sheets contain a summary list made by Ransome after 1945 from early diaries, of meetings with Robert Ross at the time of his book on Wilde, not relevant to Stevenson.]
The ‘Stevenson exercise book’
[many pages remain blank]
A.1.ii Annotated chronology of Stevenson’s life and works.
[fol. 1] |
Stevenson. |
1850 |
Nov. 13. Born 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh. |
1857 |
17 Heriot Row. Eng. Lakes. |
1862 |
His father took him to London, for the 2nd Int. Exhibition, & abroad. Riviera, & his first tour of Lighthouse inspection. |
[fol. unnumbered page between fols 1 and 2]
1866 |
The Parlour Diary. |
1867 |
Edinburgh University & practical engineering. Swinton Cottage. |
1868 |
Descent in diving suit, cf. Random Memories. |
1869 |
To Shetland in the Pharos steamer with his father. |
1870 |
3 weeks on Erraid, where Balfour was shipwrecked. Spec. 1869. |
1871 |
‘New Form of Intermittent Light for Lighthouses’. Worked for W. |
[fol. 1v]
1874 |
Victor Hugo (1st ind. paper) |
1876 |
Burns commissioned. Fontainebleau. With R. A. M. S. With Simpson |
1876–77 |
Virginibus Puerisque. 76 Inland voyaging & the Mast[er of] Ballantrae |
1877 |
Between Edn-Paris-London-Fontainebleau |
1878 |
[illegible] + [?]Burford Bridge & Meredith. Autumn. Travelling with a donkey. |
1878. |
put, Jan, t[o] b[ed] ‘Sire de Maletroit’s Door’. ‘Will o’ the Mill’ Jan. Cornhill. |
[fol. 2] |
|
1878 |
’Inland Voyage’, May. |
1879 |
Spring. ‘Deacon Brodie’. |
1879 |
Sept to Dec. ‘Thoreau’ [illegible] |
1881 summer |
‘Thrawn Janet’. Began C[hild’s] G[arden] of V[erses]. |
1881 autumn |
Life of Hazlitt [illegible] it. |
[fol. 3]
March 83 → Oct. 84 Silverado Squatters. mission. Otto. C[hilds] G[arden] of Verses. Black Arrow.
(T[reasure] I[sland] published autumn.)
Sept. Dec. 1884 Admiral Guinea & Beau Austin.
1885 |
Finished Otto. Child’s Garden of Verses. |
1885 |
Olalla. ?autumn |
1886 |
Finished Kidnapped. |
Sept. 1887–12 |
essays, for [illegible]. Dreams. [?] Paloris of Umbria. |
May 1888 |
Master of Ballantrae |
[fol. 2v] |
|
1887 |
Sept. Voyages in Ludgate Hill. |
1888 |
Saranac, left in April. |
[fol. 4; On this last page of chronology, 1889–94, some titles are ticked; for Ransome a tick usually means ‘section written’. Here it may mean ‘book acquired’; see fols 65v and 66.]
1889, Dec. Finished ✓ Master of Ballantrae.
✓ Wrong Box |
|
1890 |
✓ The South Seas Father Damien. |
1891 |
✓ Beach of Falesa (began) |
1892 |
Correcting proofs ✓ Wrecker & ✓ ‘Beach of Falesá’ plans Sophia Scarlet |
1893 |
✓ St Ives |
1894 |
Annals of his family. |
Oct. |
& St Ives. |
Oct–Nov–Dec ✓ Weir of Hermiston. |
[Quotations copied but unused, some with brief notes made]
[fol. 5] |
The Sea. |
[fols 7–9] |
The Master of Ballantrae pub. Aug. 1889. L[etters] III, 37, ‘I am on the jump with a new story which has bewitched me – I doubt it may bewitch no one else. It is called The Master of Ballantrae – pronounce Bállan-tray. If it is not good, well, mine will be the fault; for I believe it is a good tale.’ |
[fol. 8] |
Master of Ballantrae. |
[fol. 9] |
Master of Ballantrae |
[fol. 11] |
Characteristics of Style |
[fol. 12] |
Style. |
[fol. 14] |
Character Lantern bearers. Across the Plains, 138. |
[fol. 15] |
Character. Lighthouses. Action. |
[fol. 16] |
The cloak, [Letters,] I 123. |
[fol. 17] |
The sedulous ape. |
[fol. 20] |
Letters. |
[fol. 23] |
Attitude towards art. |
[fol. 25] |
Treasure Island & Black Arrow. 1883–84 appearing in serial, Young Folks 2. |
[fol. 26] |
cf. earn my seamanship in journey … |
[fol. 28] |
Catriona |
[fol. 30] |
Opinions on Contemporaries. etc. |
[fol. 31] |
Opinions |
[fol. 32] |
Technique of Narration. |
[fol. 34] |
The South Seas |
[fol. 36] |
Poetry. |
[fol. 61v] |
Virginibus Puerisque. |
[fol. 62] |
Plan. |
I |
Introductory. |
II |
Biographical Summary. |
III |
The Early Essayist. |
IV |
Short Stories. |
V |
New Arabian Nights, and The Dynamiter. |
VI |
Treasure Island and Black Arrow. |
IX |
Jekyll and Hyde. Markheim. etc. to [?highness] of Hawthorne. |
X |
The Scotch stories. Kidnapped & Catriona. The Master of Ballantrae. |
XI |
The collaborations. ? Fleeming Jenkin. experiments in style. |
XII |
Weir of Hermiston |
VII |
Child’s Garden of Verses & poetry generally. |
VII |
The South Seas. Island Nights Entertainments. |
XIII |
Conclusion. |
[Arrows lead VII and VIII to their places; a sum divides 60,000 by 13, giving 5000; another column lists 4.5, 13, 135, 45, 585 – these relate to numbers of pages written, and word-counts.]
[fol. 62v] |
Stevenson’s Books |
[fol. 66] |
Books wanted for Stevenson. |
[fol. 68] |
[listing number of MS pages completed under each heading.] |