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VI.A and B

VI.A and B: “Work in Progress”/Finnegans Wake notebooks


General Material Descriptions

Unlike some authors, Joyce rarely seemed to be overly concerned with the kind and quality of his writing material; most often his paper, pencil, pens, and crayons were very basic and simply utilitarian. Joyce generally bought inexpensive and poor quality writing material with little regard to how it would endure the strain of his prolonged use as he compiled and then used notes from his notebooks. The added strain of further decades of scholarly research has continued to take an obvious toll of many of these frail documents. Though Joyce sometimes went to the same stationer, he tended to buy different kinds of notebooks and then use whatever writing paper and implements were at hand.

Joyce’s extant “Work in Progress”/Finnegans Wake notebooks can nonetheless be grouped into several relatively distinct kinds. He initially relied on stenographer’s tablets and then top-perforated notebooks, but both these kinds of notebooks proved to be too fragile and awkward for the use to which they were put. Joyce then began to use other kinds of notebooks, eventually coming to rely primarily on more durable, vertically bound ledgers and notebooks.

The first type of notebook Joyce used, from December 1922 through March 1924, was a standard kind of stenographer’s tablet with horizontal spines (MSS VI.B.10, VI.B.3, VI.B.25, VI.B.2, VI.B.11, VI.B.6, and VI.B.1). He habitually used this type of notebook as though the two adjoining pages formed one long page, which he filled from top to bottom. That is, when the notebook was fully opened, Joyce would take notes beginning at the top edge of the verso of the leaf (what would be the even-numbered pages) toward the center spine and then he continued taking notes on the recto of the next leaf (the odd-numbered pages) from the center spine toward the bottom edge of these notebook pages.

Joyce was most likely prompted to stop using these flimsy, flip-top stenographer’s tablets because, while they were well suited for the columnar lists of notes he made, this type of inexpensive tablet, which was primarily designed for short-term use, may have proven to be too fragile and awkward as Joyce continued to use them as he wrote “Work in Progress”/Finnegans Wake.

Although MS VI.A (the so-called “Scribbledehobble” notebook) shares several similar features with some of Joyce’s other notebooks for Ulysses and Finnegans Wake and he first used this notebook together with the early stenographer’s tablets, it is unlike any other document in the Joyce archive both physically as well as in the various ways in which Joyce used it to compile notes. As far as we know, it is the largest and most unwieldy notebook he used and the only one he returned to over such an extended period of time (1923–1936) for so many different sections and chapters of Work in Progress”/Finnegans Wake. This manuscript is also the only known example of a notebook that contains both recycled and sorted notes from other notebooks (“second-order” notes) as well as first-order notes drawn presumably from Joyce’s current reading, although many of the source texts still need to be determined. It has been at the center of much debate over the decades and will continue to be of interest to textual scholars and readers.

Joyce then began using top-perforated tablets intermittently from April to July 1924 (MSS VI.B.16 and VI.B.5) and then again from June to July 1925 (VI.B.9).1 This kind of notebook is bound at the top edge and constructed so that leaves can be torn from the tablet, though this was most likely not the principle reason why Joyce chose to use this type of notebook to take notes for his writing. Like the stenographer’s tablets that he had tried previously, this type of notebook was also not suited to the manner in which Joyce actually used them when writing and revising drafts over a prolonged period of time. As Joyce was reading and then as he used notes from the notebooks for his writing, this type of notebook proved to be difficult to keep lying flat. Joyce must have had to apply pressure or otherwise hold them in place to keep them open, thereby causing further damage to the notebooks.

The next type of notebook Joyce used, from August 1924 to April 1925 (MSS VI.B.14 and VI.B.7), was a much sturdier pocket-sized notebook, with laminated black imitation snakeskin covers. Joyce used this type of notebook sporadically again in 1933, 1935–1936, and then again in 1939 (VI.B.43, VI.B.40, and VI.B.48). Although similarly bound, these five notebooks vary considerably in size and number of pages. For example, the largest and longest (VI.B.40) measures 21.3 x 13.5 cm. and has 240 pages, while the smallest notebook (VI.B.43) measures 14.6 x 9.5 cm. and the shortest (VI.B.48) only has 96 pages.2

Joyce then started using another kind of notebook with colored paper covers over boards (MSS VI.B.19, VI.B.13, VI.B.20, VI.B.18, VI.B.22, VI.B.35, VI.B.34, VI.B.37, VI.B.44, VI.B.42, VI.B.47, and VI.B.30). Although the dimensions, number of pages, and kinds of paper of these notebooks vary considerably at times, they are all bound with variously colored paper over board covers (such as brown, tan, green, and turquoise) and cloth tape spines (that are usually red or black). The smallest notebook of this type is MS VI.B.30 (14.6 x 9.2 cm.) and the largest is VI.B.42 (20.5 x 13.2 cm.); the longest is VI.B.18 (with 286 pages) and the shortest is VI.B.47 (with just 100 pages). These notebooks are all generically similar in kind and Joyce used them periodically from early June 1925 to April 1926 (MSS VI.B.19, VI.B.13, and VI.B.20), from March to July 1927 (VI.B.18), from May to June 1928 (VI.B.22), throughout 1932 to the summer of 1933 (VI.B.35 and VI.B.34), then from September 1936 to early December 1937 (VI.B.37, VI.B.44, and VI.B.42), and finally again at the end of 1938 (VI.B.47 and VI.B.30).

Another type of notebook Joyce used was an even more substantial and better quality kind of diary or album, which is covered in variously colored imitation leather; they are MSS VI.B.23 (September to December 1928), VI.B.27 (May to July 1929), and VI.B.45 (February 1938).

Furthermore, from 1928 to 1936, Joyce also used accounting ledger books covered in black cloth over boards that are of various dimensions and numbers of page (as well as different colored horizontal and vertical lines). Although they are generically similar, they are all different as follows:

Manuscript Number of Pages Pagination Measurements Dating
VI.B.21 300 pages stamped 20.7 x 13.4 cm. January–April 1928
VI.B.26 182 pages not numbered 24.9 x 9.3 cm. July–September 1928
VI.B.4 336 pages not numbered 21.2 x 13.2 cm. January–late April 1929
VI.B.24 [300] pages stamped 20.9 x 13.2 cm. August 1929–early February 1930
VI.B.29 224 pages not numbered 20.4 x 12.9 cm. February–mid March 1930
VI.B.28 200 pages stamped 18.9 x 12.3 cm. Late March–early April 1930 & January–February 1931
VI.B.32 232 pages not numbered 20.9 x 13.2 cm. May–October 1930
VI.B.33 200 pages stamped 20.7 x 13.2 cm. Late February–mid to late April 1931
VI.B.31 272 pages not numbered 20.9 x 13.3 cm. Late April–November 1931
VI.B.36 328 pages not numbered 18.9 x 12.5 cm. 1934
VI.B.38 200 pages stamped 18.8 x 12.2 cm. Spring–September 1936
VI.B.41/VI.C.18 300 pages stamped 20.9 x 13.3 cm. Late August–mid October 1938

There are five more manuscripts that are unlike any other “Work in Progress”/Finnegans Wake notebooks. MS VI.B.8 is a simple, relatively small (16.8 x 10.6 cm.) notebook, with black cloth over boards and has 240 pages, which Joyce used from late July to September 1925. MS VI.B.12 is also an accounting ledger but it has colored paper covers over boards similar to another type of notebook; it is a relatively large (21.4 x 13.7 cm.) notebook that Joyce used from June to August 1926. MS VI.B.15 is a small pocket-sized (19.1 x 12.5 cm.) notebook, with light gray pliable cloth covers and 224 pages, which Joyce used from late September 1926 to late January 1927. Then there is MS VI.B.39, a miniscule vertical metal spiral pocket notebook (10.5 x 6.6 cm. and only 54 extant pages), bound in blue light board covers, which is unlike any other known Joyce manuscript: Joyce used it in the summer of 1936 in Denmark. Finally, there is MS VI.B.46, which is the most ornate of the “Work in Progress”/Finnegans Wake notebooks. It, too, is a diary or album that is covered in brown leather embossed with a rectangular floral design and its edges are stitched with leather. The notebook now consists of 142 pages of heavy, unlined paper, with green watered silk paper pasted onto covers and flyleaves. Joyce used this notebook in early December 1937 to February 1938. (In its current state, it is not possible to determine what type of notebook MS VI.B.17 may have been.)


General Dating of the Notebooks

The following table sets out a chronological listing of the notebooks (for further information about the dating of the notebooks, see TD 3–37 and FWNB: VI.B.1, B.3, B.5, B.6, B.10, B.14, B.16, B.25, B.29, B.32, B.33, and B.47):

Primary Notebook
According to Spielberg’s Numbering
Date of Compilation JJA
VI.B.10 December 1922–February 1923 31.079–139
VI.B.3 March–July 1923 29.180–262
VI.A, handwriting “A” Probably July 1923 28.001–286
VI.B.25 July–August 1923 35.002–025
VI.B.2 Late August–late September 1923 29.093–179
VI.B.11 Late September–late November 1923 31.140–225
VI.B.6 End of December 1923–mid to late February 1924 30.085–169
VI.B.1 Mid February–March 1924
VI.B.16 Early to mid March–early/mid May 1924 32.357–431
VI.B.5 Mid May–late July 1924 30.001–084
VI.B.14 End of July–November 1924 32.121–239
VI.D.3: Missing Notebook
(See VI.C.4, pp. [220]–[280] and VI.C.5, pp. [001]–[091])
Early December 1924–February 1925 (See 41.279–294 and 41.299–321)
VI.B.7 March–mid April 1925 30.170–292
VI.D.2: Missing Notebook
(See VI.C.3, pp. [176]–[242] & VI.C.15, pp. [177]–[252])
Mid April–May 1925 (See 41.194–211 & 42.409–427)
VI.D.1: Missing Notebook
(See VI.C.2, pp. [123]–[197])
May–June 1925 (See 41.107–126)
VI.B.9 June–early July 1925 31.001–078
VI.B.8 Late July–September 1925 30.293–415
VI.B.19 June–early July and September–late November 1925 33.207–323
VI.A, handwriting “B” Probably Fall 1925 28.001–286
VI.B.13 December 1925–early March 1926 32.001–119
VI.B.20 March–April 1926 33.325–383
VI.B.17 & NLI 36,639/19 April–May 1926 33.002–056
VI.B.12 June–August 1926 31.226–322
VI.D.5: Missing Notebook
(See VI.C.8, p. [217]–back flyleaf verso & VI.C.9, pp. [001]–[019])
August–September 1926 (See 42.129–144 and 42.147–151)
VI.B.15 Late September 1926–late January 1927 32.241–355
VI.B.18 March–July 1927 33.059–204
VI.D.6: Missing Notebook
(See VI.C.11, pp. [096]– [217])
Fall–Winter 1927 (See 43.310–341)
VI.B.21 January–April 1928 34.001–153
VI.B.22 May–late June 1928 34.155–251
VI.B.26 July–September 1928 35.027–105
VI.B.23 September–December 1928 34.253–331
VI.B.4 January–late April 1929 29.263–429
VI.B.27 May–July 1929 35.107–185
VI.B.24 August 1929–early February 1930 34.333–484
VI.B.29 Early February–mid March 1930 36.001–115
VI.B.28 Late March–early April 1930 and January–February 1931 35.187–288
VI.B.32 May–October 1930 36.313–431
VI.B.33 Mid/late February–mid/late April 1931 37.002–104
VI.A, handwriting “D” Early March and October–November 1931 28.001–180
VI.B.31 Late April–November 1931 36.173–311
VI.B.35 1932 37.204–279
VI.B.34 January–Summer 1933 37.106–202
VI.B.43 Probably mid–late 1933 39.207–277
VI.B.36 1934 37.281–444
VI.B.40 February 1935–early 1936 38.236–353
VI.B.38 Spring–September 1936 38.123–225
VI.B.39 Summer 1936 38.227–234
VI.B.37 September–December 1936 38.001–121
VI.B.44 Spring–late August 1937 39.279–376
VI.B.42 Late August–early December 1937 39.109–204
VI.B.46 Early December 1937–February 1938 40.113–238
VI.B.45 January–February 1938 40.001–110
VI.B.41 Late August–mid October 1938 39.001–107
VI.B.47 Early October–December 1938 40.241–291
VI.B.30 Late November–late December 1938 36.117–171
VI.B.48 Summer–Fall 1939 40.293–323

In his The Textual Diaries of James Joyce, Danis Rose has proposed that Joyce compiled at least five further notebooks for which no scribal copies survive (see TD 3–37):

Possible Further Notebooks Dates of Compilation
Rose “X.1” Late January–early March 1923
Rose “X.2” December 1923
Rose “X.3” Summer 1927
Rose “X.4” November–December 1930
Rose “X.5” March–August 1938

General Publication Information

The notebooks have been reproduced in black and white photo-facsimile in volumes 28–40 of the James Joyce Archive and to date twelve notebooks have been published in The Finnegans Wake Notebooks at Buffalo series as follows:

Manuscript JJA & FWNB Edition
VI.A 28.001-286
VI.B.1 29.001–092 & FWNB: VI.B.1
VI.B.2 29.093–179
VI.B.3 29.180–262& FWNB: VI.B.3
VI.B.4 29.263–429
VI.B.5 30.001–084 & FWNB: VI.B.5
VI.B.6 30.085–169 & FWNB: VI.B.6
VI.B.7 30.170–292
VI.B.8 30.293–415
VI.B.9 31.001–078
VI.B.10 31.079–139 & FWNB: VI.B.10
VI.B.11 31.140–225
VI.B.12 31.226–322 & Forthcoming
VI.B.13 32.001–119
VI.B.14 32.121–239 & FWNB: VI.B.14
VI.B.15 32.241–355
VI.B.16 32.357–431 & FWNB: VI.B.16
VI.B.17 33.002–056
VI.B.18 33.059–204
VI.B.19 33.207–323
VI.B.20 33.325–383
VI.B.21 34.001–153
VI.B.22 34.155–251
VI.B.23 34.253–331
VI.B.24 34.333–484
VI.B.25 35.002–025 & FWNB: VI.B.25
VI.B.26 35.027–105
VI.B.27 35.107–185
VI.B.28 35.187–288 & Forthcoming
VI.B.29 36.001–115 & FWNB: VI.B.29
VI.B.30 36.117–171
VI.B.31 36.173–311 & Forthcoming
VI.B.32 36.313–431 & FWNB: VI.B.32
VI.B.33 37.002–104 & FWNB: VI.B.33
VI.B.34 37.106–202
VI.B.35 37.204–279
VI.B.36 37.281–444
VI.B.37 38.001–121
VI.B.38 38.123–225
VI.B.39 38.227–234
VI.B.40 38.236–353
VI.B.41 39.001–107
VI.B.42 39.109–204
VI.B.43 39.207–277
VI.B.44 39.279–376
VI.B.45 40.001–110
VI.B.46 40.113–238
VI.B.47 40.241–291 & FWNB: VI.B.47
VI.B.48 40.293–323
VI.B.49.a 40.325
VI.B.49.b, [verso–recto in the JJA] 40.326 and 327
VI.B.49.c [loose leaf from VI.B.6] 40.328 and 329 & See FWNB: VI.B.6
VI.B.49.d 40.330 and 331
VI.B.49.e 40.332 and 333
VI.B.49.f 40.334 and 335
VI.B.49.g 40.336 and 337
VI.B.49.h 40.338–340
VI.B.50.a 40.342 and 343
VI.B.50.b 40.344 & 57.406
VI.B.50.c 40.345
VI.B.50.d 40.346 and 347
VI.B.50.e 40.348
VI.B.50.f 40.350

On the other hand, partial reproductions and transcriptions of the notebooks have not been noted here; for further information, see A Wake Newslitter, A Wake Digest, A Finnegans Wake Circular, and Genetic Joyce Studies, among other publications.


General Other Markings

As far as we know, from at least 1917 onwards, Joyce habitually crossed through the entries in the notebooks that he had used in his manuscripts in variously colored crayons. All of the Ulysses notebooks and notesheets are marked in this way as are virtually all the “Work in Progress”/Finnegans Wake notebooks. Although he must have used many different crayons over the decades, Joyce most often used a similar range of (relatively few) crayon colors, specifically red, orange, blue, green, black, and brown. It appears that Joyce may have used several different shades of red crayon as well as one or more shades of orange colored crayons. Scholars have come to realize that draft usage is the only reliable guide to distinguishing between the different shades of red and orange colored crayons, if they are in fact different. Therefore, throughout this catalogue the distinctions between red and orange colored crayons (as well as shades thereof) are only intended as a general guide. The colors of the crayons are listed in the order in which they first appear in the notebook.

Furthermore, Joyce tagged eleven notebooks as he used them for the revisions of his texts for transition magazine as follows:

Manuscript Sign Crayon Color
VI.B.3, p. [168] upside down “t12” Blue
VI.B.3, p. [168] upside down “t13” Green
VI.B.6, p. [192] “t 12” Blue
VI.B.6, back cover verso, vertical “t13 13” Green
VI.B.9, front cover verso “t 12” Blue
VI.B.9, back cover recto “t 13” Green
VI.B.8, front flyleaf recto “t12” Blue
VI.B.8, back flyleaf verso “t13” Green
VI.B.8, back flyleaf recto “t14” Blue
VI.B.13, front cover verso “t12” Blue
VI.B.13, back cover recto “t13” Green
VI.B.15, front cover verso “t 13” Green
VI.B.15, front flyleaf recto “t12” Blue
VI.B.12, front cover verso “t14” Blue
VI.B.12, back flyleaf verso “t12” Blue
VI.B.18, front flyleaf recto “t 12” Blue
VI.B.18, p. [001] “t11” Red
VI.B.18, p. [001] “t13” Green
VI.B.21, front flyleaf recto “12” Blue
VI.B.21, front flyleaf recto “t13” Green
VI.B.21, front flyleaf recto “t14” Blue
VI.B.20, front cover verso “t11” Red
VI.B.20, p. [116] “t13” Green
VI.B.24, front flyleaf verso ‘t17/p. 160’ Blue

Note that both the “t11” tags are in red crayon (MSS VI.B.18 and VI.B.20); all the “t12” tags are in blue crayon (MSS VI.B.3, VI.B.6, VI.B.9, VI.B.8, VI.B.13, VI.B.15, VI.B.12, and VI.B.21); all the “t13” tags are in green crayon (MSS VI.B.3, VI.B.6, VI.B.9, VI.B.8, VI.B.13, VI.B.15, VI.B.18, and VI.B.20); the three “t14” tags are in blue crayon (MSS VI.B.8, VI.B.18 and VI.B.20); and the one reference to “t17” is in blue crayon. The tags refer to transition 11 that was published in February 1928, transition 12 in March 1928, transition 13 in July 1928, as well as transitions 14 and 17, though they did not contain fragments from “Work in Progress.”

Joyce also tagged his notebooks with sigla markings (probably after 1926 and before 1933) as he used continued to use the notebooks as follows:

Manuscript Sign(s) Writing Implement
VI.B.10, back cover recto | Shem | Cain | | b” Lead pencil
VI.B.3, p. [168] d” Lead pencil
VI.B.3, p. [168], upside down c/b Lead pencil
VI.B.3, p. [168], upside down “Shem Cain Lead pencil
VI.B.25, p. [168] c Red crayon
VI.B.2, back cover verso “Shem | Cain | | b | d Lead pencil
VI.B.11, back cover verso Shem | Cain” Lead pencil
VI.B.11, back cover verso, upside down “Shem | Cain | | b” Lead pencil
VI.B.6, back cover recto d Lead pencil
VI.B.6, back cover recto Red crayon
VI.B.6, back cover recto Lead pencil
VI.B.6, back cover verso, upside down “Shem | Cain | Lead pencil
VI.B.6, back cover verso, upside down b Lead pencil
VI.B.1, p. [179] Red crayon
VI.B.1, p. [179] b | c | d Lead pencil
VI.B.16: back cover verso | c” Red crayon
VI.B.5, back cover verso b” Lead pencil
VI.B.5, back cover verso | Red crayon
VI.B.5, back cover verso “b c | d” Lead pencil
VI.B.14, front flyleaf verso Red crayon
VI.B.14, back cover recto c a | d <> ab” Lead pencil
[VI.D.3] VI.C.5, p. [091] dbca’ NA
VI.B.7, front flyleaf verso Red crayon
VI.B.7, back flyleaf recto dabc” Lead pencil
VI.B.7, back flyleaf verso | Lead pencil
[VI.D.3] VI.C.15, p. [197] dbca” NA
VI.B.9, front cover verso Blue crayon
VI.B.9, front cover verso Red crayon
VI.B.9, back cover recto d” Lead pencil
VI.B.8, back flyleaf verso d” Lead pencil
VI.B.8, back flyleaf verso Red crayon
VI.B.19, front cover recto d” Lead pencil
VI.B.19, back flyleaf verso abcd” Lead pencil
VI.B.19, back flyleaf verso Red crayon
VI.B.12, front cover verso Red crayon
VI.B.20, front cover verso Red crayon
VI.B.33, front flyleaf recto “studies” Orange crayon

Therefore, Joyce marked five notebooks (MSS VI.B.10, VI.B.3, VI.B.2, VI.B.11, and VI.B.6) with the notation “Shem/Cain” as well as two notebooks (VI.B.5 and VI.B.7) with “” (the “Shem” siglum), which presumably all refer to Finnegans Wake I.7; he marked nine notebooks (VI.B.10, VI.B.3, VI.B.25, VI.B.2, VI.B.11, VI.B.6, VI.B.1, VI.B.5, and VI.B.14) with “” (the “Anna Livia Plurabelle” siglum), which probably refers to Finnegans Wake I.8; he marked eight notebooks (VI.B.6, VI.B.14, VI.B.9, VI.B.7, VI.B.8, VI.B.19, VI.B.12 and VI.B.20) with “” (the “HCE” siglum), which presumably refers to Finnegans Wake Book I; he marked all these notebooks, except VI.B.12, VI.B.20, and VI.B.33, with a variation on the “a–d” sigla, which probably refer to Finnegans Wake III.1–4.

Joyce marked six notebooks with the cities in which he used them as follows:

Manuscript City Date when marked (after) Writing Implement
VI.B.3, p. [001] “Z’ch” July–September 1932 Red crayon
VI.B.5, back cover verso, upside down “S. Malo” Probably 1932 Lead pencil
VI.B.21, front cover verso “Nice” September–October 1932 Green crayon
VI.B.21, front flyleaf verso “Z’ch 33” July 1933 Red crayon
VI.B.27, front flyleaf recto “Feldkirch” August–September 1932 Red crayon
VI.B.29, front cover verso “Nice” September–October 1932 Orange crayon
VI.B.33, front cover verso “Zurich | Feldkirch” July–September 1932 Orange crayon

Finally, Mme Raphael marked thirteen notebooks with her initial “R” in black ink, presumably after she had transcribed the notebook: MSS VI.B.4, VI.B.24, VI.B.20, VI.B.14, VI.B.13, VI.B.8, VI.B.22, VI.B.15, VI.B.19, VI.B.35, VI.B.27, VI.B.37, and VI.B.38, presumably in this order as she transcribed these notebooks in MSS VI.C.16, VI.C.15, VI.C.12, VI.C.13, VI.C.14, and VI.C.17.


General Notes

Mme Raphael transcribed the following MSS VI.B notebooks as follows (see the catalogue descriptions for MSS VI.C.1VI.C.18 for further information):3

Primary Notebook According to Spielberg’s Ordering Scribal Notebook(s)
VI.B.1, pp. [001]–[180] VI.C.3, pp. [051]–[176]
VI.B.2, pp. front cover verso–back cover verso VI.C.2, pp. [006]–[122]
VI.B.3 Not transcribed
VI.B.4, front flyleaf verso–p. [011]
VI.B.4, p. [011]–back flyleaf recto
VI.C.16, p. [275]–back flyleaf recto; continued on
VI.C.15, pp. [001]–[176]
VI.B.5, pp. front cover verso–[161] VI.C.4, pp. [028]–[153]
VI.B.6, pp. [001]–[136]
VI.B.6, pp. [136]–[191]
VI.C.2, pp. [198]–[280]; continued on
VI.C.3, pp. [001]–[050]
VI.B.7, front flyleaf recto–p. [197]
VI.B.7, p. [198]–back flyleaf recto
VI.C.5, pp. [224]–[280]; continued on
VI.C.7, pp. [001]–[019]
VI.B.8, pp. [001]–[240]
VI.B.8, p. [001]–back flyleaf verso
VI.C.7, pp. [020]–[135]
VI.C.13, pp. [027]–[155]: duplicate transcription
VI.B.9, pp. [001]–back cover recto VI.C.4, pp. [154]–[219]
VI.B.10, pp. [001]–[120] VI.C.5, pp. [092]–[169]
VI.B.11, pp. [001]–[170] VI.C.1, pp. [075]–[208]
VI.B.12, front cover verso–p. [006]
VI.B.12, p. [006]–back cover recto
VI.C.7, pp. [270]–[276]; continued on
VI.C.6, pp. [001]–[140]
VI.B.13, front cover verso–p. [188]
VI.B.13, p. [188]–back cover recto
VI.C.12, p. [224]–back flyleaf recto; continued on
VI.C.13, pp. [001]–[026]
VI.B.14, pp. [001]–[019]
VI.B.14, p. [019]–back cover recto
VI.C.15, pp. [263]–back flyleaf verso; continued on
VI.C.12, pp. [001]–[223]
VI.B.15, front cover verso–[018]
VI.B.15, p. [018]–back cover recto
VI.C.13, p. [265]–back flyleaf recto; continued on
VI.C.14, pp. [001]–[161]
VI.B.16, pp. [001]–[012]
VI.B.16, pp. [013]–[146]
VI.C.6, pp. [142]–[149]: transcribed separately
VI.C.1, pp. [001]–[074]
VI.B.17, pp. [001]–[068]
[VI.B.17; missing pages]
VI.C.5, pp. [170]–[221]
VI.C.5, pp. [221]–[223]
VI.B.17, pp. [001]–[068]
[VI.B.17; missing pages]
MS NLI MS 36,39/19, pp. [001] and [002] VI.B.17, pp. [069]–[104]
NLI MS 36,39/19, pp. [003] and [004]
VI.C.11, pp. [001]–[058]
VI.C.11, pp. [059]–[061]
VI.C.11, pp. [061]–[063]
VI.C.11, pp. [063]–[093]
VI.C.11, pp. [093]–[095]: duplicate transcription
VI.B.18, pp. [002]–back flyleaf recto VI.C.8, pp. [048]–[216]
VI.B.19, front cover verso–back cover recto VI.C.14, pp. [162]–[255]
VI.B.20, pp. front cover verso–[068]
VI.B.20, pp. [068]–back cover recto
VI.C.3, pp. [243]–[280]; continued on
VI.C.4, pp. [001]–[027]
VI.B.20, front cover verso–p. [101]
VI.B.20, p. [102]–back cover recto
VI.C.11, p. [218]–back flyleaf recto
VI.C.15, pp. [253]–[262]: duplicate transcription
VI.B.21 Not transcribed
VI.B.22, p. [003]–back cover recto VI.C.13, pp. [156]–[264]
VI.B.23, front flyleaf verso–back flyleaf recto VI.C.10, pp. [169]–[248]
VI.B.24, front flyleaf verso–back flyleaf recto VI.C.16, pp. [066]–[231]
VI.B.25 Not transcribed
VI.B.26, pp. [001]–[182] VI.C.10, pp. [059]–[168]
VI.B.27, front flyleaf verso–back flyleaf recto VI.C.17, pp. [064]–[150]
VI.B.28, pp. [004]–[093]
VI.B.28, p. [093]–back flyleaf recto
VI.C.9, pp. [236]–back flyleaf verso; continued on
VI.C.10, pp. [001]–[058]
VI.B.29, front flyleaf recto–p. [221] VI.C.9, pp. [020]–[124]
VI.B.30 Not transcribed
VI.B.31, front flyleaf recto–back flyleaf recto VI.C.9, pp. [125]–[235]
VI.B.32, front flyleaf verso–p. [130]
VI.B.32, pp. [130]–back flyleaf recto
VI.C.6, pp. [240]–back flyleaf verso; continued on
VI.C.8, pp. [001]–[047]
VI.B.33, p. [001]–back board recto VI.C.6, pp. [150]–[239]
VI.B.34, pp. [001]–[172]
VI.B.34, pp. [172]–[185]
VI.C.1, pp. [209]–[280]; continued on
VI.C.2, pp. [001]–[005]
VI.B.35, front flyleaf recto–p. [039]
VI.B.35, pp. [040]–[144]
VI.C.14, pp. [260]–back flyleaf recto; continued on
VI.C.17, pp. [001]–[063]
VI.B.36 Not transcribed
VI.B.37, back flyleaf verso–front cover verso VI.C.17, pp. [151]–[237]
VI.B.38, front flyleaf verso–back flyleaf verso VI.C.18, pp. [001]–[095]
VI.B.39VI.B.48 Not transcribed
VI.B.49.a VI.C.14, pp. [256]–[257]
VI.B.49.b, [verso–recto in the JJA] VI.C.14, pp. [257]–[260]
VI.B.49.c [loose leaf from MS VI.B.6] VI.C.6, pp. [141]–[142]: transcribed separately
VI.B.49.d–h Not transcribed

Mme Raphael did not transcribe the first-order “Work in Progress”/Finnegans Wake notebooks MSS VI.B.3, VI.B.21, VI.B.25, VI.B.30, VI.B.36, and VI.B.39VI.B.48, nor the loose sheets MSS VI.B.49.d–h.

  1. In the meantime, Joyce had tried another, more durable type of notebook MSS VI.B.14 and VI.B.7.
  2. Joyce seemed to have settled on this format of vertically-bound notebook from August 1924 through March 1926 since six of the extant Finnegans Wake notebooks are similarly pocket-sized notebooks (VI.B.14, VI.B.7, VI.B.9, VI.B.8, VI.B.19 and VI.B.13, of which VI.B.14 is the largest and VI.B.7 the smallest).
  3. Note that at least five VI.B notebooks were transcribed twice, presumably accidentally: MSS VI.B.8, VI.B.17 and VI.B.20, as well as the missing notebooks VI.D.2 and VI.D.5.