Those who are unfamiliar with this CD-ROM will be staggered by its scope and comprehensiveness. (We have printed out a list of contents, including title listings, which runs to 34 A4 pages!) The unpublished material has been compiled chiefly from the large collection held in the Berg Collection of English and American Literature at the New York Public Library and from the Monk’s House Papers at the University of Sussex. Here is a summary of the contents of the CD-ROM:
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- all Woolf’s published novels, collections of essays, biographies, autobiographies, short stories, in both their English and American editions
- her published letters and diaries (inc. the early journals in holograph)
- holographs of many published and unpublished essays and sketches; fragments, drafts of novels and short stories
- all 26 volumes of Woolf’s reading notebooks
- over 100 typescripts of various novels and essays
- audio recording of Woolf reading from her BBC broadcast ‘Craftsmanship’
- the complete text of Mark Hussey’s excellent A-Z of Virginia Woolf
Clearly it is an invaluable tool for any one interested in studying Virginia Woolf and her works. To quote from the publicity material:
As you compare her published works to her handwritten manuscripts, and review the printer’s galleys which show her extensive manuscript revisions, you’ll discover that her deletions are often as fascinating as what she retained. Watch how her writing changes during stressful periods of her life, and become familiar with her work habits-how she would doodle and write in many different directions in one notebook or even on a single page.
Primary Source Media CD-ROM Information Site
catalogue: Major Authors: Virginia Woolf
http://www.psmedia.com/site/catalog/cat239.htm
The CD-ROM is out of print, but may be accessed in some libraries.
copyright© Stephen Barkway & VWSGB 2000