Source / activity 4: Early draft of 'Lanark'

This page is from an early handwritten draft of book 4, chapter 38 of 'Lanark'.

It demonstrates a common feature of the manuscript, as it includes the author's detailed instructions about the proposed layout of the page.

Here, Alasdair Gray suggests that text representing speech should appear in narrow columns to distinguish it from the main narrative.

The manuscript for 'Lanark' is held by Glasgow University Library.

Suggested activity

Source 4, source 5 and source 6 can be used together to demonstrate the process of publishing, proofing, and the importance of page layout and design.

Each source illustrates a different stage producing a final version of 'Lanark' for publication, and you might like to compare them with the most recent printed edition (Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 2007, pages 448-450).

This source shows a page from the handwritten manuscript. Source 5 and source 6 show an extract from a letter which Alasdair Gray wrote to his publisher. It includes his own instructions relating to design, layout, and typography, and a proof page produced by the printer, with author's edits.

In each case, it's clear that Gray has a specific vision for the way in which the text should be presented in the final, printed version.

Do you think that the page layout and design has any impact on the meaning, or highlights important elements, of the text?