{"product_id":"wodehouse-p-g-annotated-typescript-draft-of-quick-service","title":"WODEHOUSE, P.G. Annotated typescript draft of Quick Service.","description":"\u003ch3 style=\"font-variant: small-caps\"\u003e‘A Foundation for the Fair Copy’\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWODEHOUSE, P.G.\u003c\/strong\u003e Annotated typescript draft of \u003ci\u003eQuick Service.\u003ci\u003e [\u003ci\u003eS.l.\u003c\/i\u003e] 9 August 1939.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4to. Typescript, held together with a single brass fastener at upper left corner, housed in a custom red cloth clamshell box, gilt black lettering-piece to spine, foot of spine lettered directly in gilt; ff. ‘214’ (\u003ci\u003ei.e.\u003c\/i\u003e 235); text to rectos only (though several ff. with earlier material to versos, out of sequence), pagination inconsistent, with many manuscript amendments and errors throughout; measuring 270 x 210 mm (save for ff. ‘59–82’, measuring 253 x 200 mm); first title-page a touch soiled and creased, slight edge wear, else clean and well preserved; extensive authorial revisions, corrections, additions, and deletions throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOriginal typescript, with substantial manuscript revisions throughout, of the complete rough draft of the novel Wodehouse believed to be his best, from the library of James H. Heineman.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eQuick Service\u003c\/i\u003e was published on 4 October 1940 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and on 27 December 1940 by Doubleday, Doran, New York, having previously been serialised in the US in \u003ci\u003eThe Saturday Evening Post\u003c\/i\u003e between 4 May and 22 June 1940. The novel follows the ‘Ham King’, American meat-packing tycoon James Duff, in his quest to reacquire a portrait of his ex-fiancée, Beatrice Chavender, who complains to him after she consumes an unpleasant mouthful of ham produced by the company of which he is managing director.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWodehouse, according to Frances Donaldson, thought \u003ci\u003eQuick Service\u003c\/i\u003e to be his best book, a statement supported by a 1966 letter to Charles A. Goodrum in which he describes the novel as ‘one of the ones of mine I think I like best’. The title-page of this original typescript, signed by Wodehouse in ink, contains his pencilled note at the top: ‘this is the rough draft of the story. It lacks certain bits written into the fair copy, but it will serve as a foundation to work on if the fair copy gets lost. PGW’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the lower portion of the page, ‘Chapters 1 to 3’ (typed) is crossed through, with ‘PART ONE’, dated ‘Aug 9–1939’, pencilled in its place, along with the additional authorial note: ‘This – up to [?] moat scene – should be at least 100 pages.’ Densely annotated in pencil throughout, with notes, emendations, and deletions on most pages,  a significant number of the versos contain additional typescript material, many with corrections, not used in the published novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.        Maggs Bros, \u003ci\u003eAutograph Letters and Historical Documents\u003c\/i\u003e (catalogue 698 (1940), no. 1035) and \u003ci\u003eAutograph Letters and Historical Documents\u003c\/i\u003e (catalogue 759 (1946), no. 676).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2.        From the estate of James H. Heineman. His sale, Sotheby’s (26 June 1998), lot 91 (not sold).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSKU: \u003c\/strong\u003e2126351\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Henry Sotheran Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64900334354809,"sku":"2126351","price":25000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0045\/2178\/7426\/files\/2126351.jpg?v=1792134954","url":"https:\/\/sotherans.co.uk\/products\/wodehouse-p-g-annotated-typescript-draft-of-quick-service","provider":"Sotheran's","version":"1.0","type":"link"}