GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. VIII (ff. 15). 1. ff. 1b-12. ['Sharp Practice'?]. Draft. See Add. MS. 49297, ff. 2-19 below. 2. f. 13. Part of an unidentified draft. 3. f. 14b. Part of 'The Fortune Hunter'. Early draft. See Add. MS. 49290, f. 143b.
GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. IX (ff. i+21). 1. ff. 2-19. Part of ['Sharp Practice'?] as in Add. MS. 49296, ff. 2-12 above, but with altered names of characters. On the conjectural title, see f. 4b. 2. ff. 21b-20b reversed. Part of 'The Fortune Hunter'. Draft.
GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. X (ff. 126). 1. ff. 1-43. 'The Yeomen of the Guard', first produced 3 Oct. 1888. Preceded (ff. 1-6b) by a 'Summary of Incidents. Act I.' Includes songs not published in Original Plays by W. S. Gilbert, III, 1895. 2. ff. 44-126. 'The Gondoliers', first produced 7 Dec. 188...
GILBERT PAPERS. Vols. X-XVIII. Drafts and synopses of plays and libretti, etc.; bef. 1873-1911, n.d. Mostly autograph. These drafts are much more complete and closer to the final published versions than those in Add. MSS. 49289-49297. Nine volumes.
Scope & Content:
Drama: Drafts and synopses of plays and libretti by Sir W. S. Gilbert: 19th-20th cent: Partly typewritten and pressed copies: Mostly autograph.
GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. XI (ff. 263). 1. ff. 1-113. 'Her Majesty's Ship "Pinafore"'. ff. 1-51 (draft), ff. 52-113 (typewritten). 2. ff. 114-263. 'The Story of The Mikado'. ff. 114-171 (draft), ff. 172-263 (typewritten). Published as The Pinafore Picture Book: The Story of H.M.S. Pinafore, 190...
GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. XII (ff. 99). 'Utopia Limited', first produced 7 Oct. 1893. Includes material not published in Original Plays, III, 1895. Followed (ff. 89-99) by printed proofs. includes: f. 85 Art. Illuminations and Drawings: Pen-and-ink drawing of a robed judge, by W. S. Gilbert: bef....
GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. XIII (ff. 132). 'His Excellency', first produced 27 Oct. 1894. Wants much of the dialogue and end of Act II. Followed (ff. 62-132) by imperfect printed proofs, with substantial MS. additions. Includes material not published in Original Plays, IV, 1911.
GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. XIV (ff. 133). 1. ff. 1-62. 'A Domestic Pantomime' (i.e. 'The Fairy's Dilemma'), first produced 3 May 1904. Differs only slightly from the version published in Original Plays, IV, 1911. 2. ff. 63-133. 'Selene' (i.e. 'Fallen Fairies'), first produced 11 Dec. 1909. Based o...
GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. XV (ff. 50). 1. ff. 3-41. 'Ruy Blas' or 'Gonzago'. Fair copy. Much fuller than the version in Warne's Christmas Annual, ed. Thomas Hood, 1866. 2. ff. 42-48b. 'Attendance Book' of Gilbert's coterie, 'The Serious Family', signed weekly by Thomas Hood, Clement Scott and oth...
GILBERT PAPERS. Vol. XVI (ff. ii+69). Two notebooks (ff. 1-47, 48-69) containing carbon press copies, with printed foliation as follows:– 1. ff. 1-30. 'Broken Hearts', first produced 9 Dec. 1875. Published in Original Plays, II, 1881. 2. ff. 31-47. Letters of Gilbert to his parents and relatin...