WORKING BBC SCRIPT — FROM STORY TO NOVEL — Inscribed by Hanley

Hanley, James (1897–1985)

Working BBC Television Service Rehearsal Script for Another World [Inscribed Presentation Copy] [Original Mailing Envelope Included]

London: BBC Television Service, 1963-64.
A unique primary document of James Hanley's creative process, linking his literary prose to the history of BBC television drama and his American publishing circle. 

This working BBC Television Service rehearsal script for 'Another World' was part of the BBC's Festival series, documenting the adaptation of Hanley's earlier short fiction into a televised dramatic form prior to its later development into the 1972 novel. The script corresponds to entries recorded in Gibbs' Hanley bibliography, noting 'Another World' in typescript form and linking it to earlier story forms including 'Miss Williams,' as well as the later published novel by André Deutsch. This document therefore occupies a key position in the textual evolution of the work—from short story to broadcast adaptation to novel.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Original BBC Television Service title sheet with manuscript notations, production markings, and rehearsal strike-throughs. 
+++ Binding: 69 mimeographed leaves, stapled at the top-left corner as issued for production use; housed with the original heavy paper mailing envelope. 
+++ Content: A dramatic adaptation that bibliography identifies as a critical developmental stage of 'Inner World of Miss Vaughn' (Gibbs C62), eventually titled 'Another World'. 
+++ Associated Names: Inscribed by the author on the title page: 'For Pearl with Love. James Hanley. London. 31.8.66.' The recipient, Pearl Raeburn, was the wife of American publisher Ben Raeburn of Horizon Press. The accompanying original mailing envelope is also inscribed in Hanley's hand: 'For Pearl – James Hanley.' 
+++ Imprint: London: BBC Television Service, n.d. [1963-64]. 
+++ Specs: Folio typescript, 8 x 13.5 inches; 69 pages.

CONDITION: Good. The script shows edge wear, light creasing, and minor thumb-soiling consistent with working production and rehearsal use. The text remains entirely clear and legible under the original manuscript revisions and strike-throughs. The staples remain soundly attached at the upper left corner. The original mailing envelope exhibits significant edge wear, toning, and loss along the margins from transit, though the authorial inscription remains bold and unaffected.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Even without a direct inscription to Ben Raeburn, the inscription to Pearl Raeburn is of immense significance. Pearl was not merely a spouse in this circle; she was the domestic anchor of the Raeburn/Hanley relationship. Hanley's choice to send a working script to her with 'Love' suggests a level of intimacy and trust that transcends a standard business arrangement. In the rare book trade, an inscription to a publisher's wife often indicates a warm copy, sent to the home rather than the office.

'Another World' is one of Hanley's most complex psychological works. Most scholars only see the 1953 story and the 1972 novel. This script proves that Hanley was grappling with the 'Inner World' of his characters in a visual, dramatic format years before the novel's release. It is the missing link in the bibliography.

Because the only other recorded drafts are in the Gibbs archive at Northern Illinois University, this copy represents one of the few versions of this script in private hands. For an institution, it represents the 'Third State' of a major twentieth-century text.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Contextual Analysis: Proves that Hanley was actively grappling with the visual and dramatic structure of his characters' internal psychology a full six years before the novel's eventual publication, providing a vital missing link in postwar literary history.
+++ Literary Influence: Represents an essential specimen of British Modernist broadcast history, showcasing how mid-century writers used the medium of television as a collaborative workshop for long-form fiction.
+++ Design & Production: Features authentic, live rehearsal strike-throughs and structural pacing cues that document the physical reality of 1960s British television production.

SUBJECTS: BBC History, Teleplays, James Hanley, Ben Raeburn, British Modernism, Literary Evolution, Literary Manuscripts, Television Scripts, Modern Literature, Irish Literature, British Literature, BBC Television, Festival Series, Horizon Press. Association Copy, Original Manuscript, Ephemera.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: Gibbs C62; NIU Manuscript Collection (Cross-referenced).

Item #21931

Price: $650.00