Letter of authenticity for the manuscript, signed by Neil Gaiman, dated August the 7th, 1998.
"i.e. the printout that went to Gollancz, which they read, which caused them to buy the book..."
In February of 1999 I was fortunate enough to be the high bidder in a charity auction for the "manuscript" of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The manuscript was the "original" printout on Neil Gaiman's dot-matrix printer, along with a letter of authenticity. Included is the uncorrected galley proof from the Gollancz edition that was sent to their U.S. publisher, Workman, which contains handwritten corrections by Mr. Gaiman throughout. The seller, Green Man Press, was kind enough to include two postcards, and their own published portfolio of color artwork by various artists for the novel Stardust, which includes a chapbook by Mr. Gaiman. The portfolio is still available for purchase, and I highly recommend it.
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Letter of authenticity for the manuscript, signed by Neil Gaiman, dated August the 7th, 1998. "i.e. the printout that went to Gollancz, which they read, which caused them to buy the book..." |
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The title page. "Approximately 105,000 words." A small stain (coffee, tea?) ornaments the sheet. The condition of the pages is "well-read", and the paper is starting to yellow. I will be storing them in acid-free boxes to prevent further discoloration.
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The dedication page. As far as I can tell, there are no handwritten corrections on any of the pages; what they printed is what they got. |
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Letter of authenticity for the uncorrected galley proof, signed by Neil Gaiman, dated August the 7th, 1998. "with my handwritten edits / corrections / suggestions on it." |
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The dedication page. |
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Page 1 (and parts of the Dramatis Personae). There are extensive corrections throughout the text. I do not know whether these corrections made it into the U.S. edition alone, or were worked back into the Gollancz edition. The next time I reread this book I will consult all three versions. |
