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The American Edition of Mrs.
Dalloway
by
E. F. Shields
In 1924, Harcourt, Brace and Company agreed to publish, even before reading the manuscripts, the American editions of both Mrs. Dalloway and The Common Reader. Until then, the American editions of Virginia Woolf's works came out later—up to five years later—than the English editions. (The Voyage Out: Duckworth and Co., March 26, 1915, George H. Doran, May 20, 1920; Night and Day: Duckworth and Co., October 20, 1919, George H. Doran, September 29, 1920; Monday or Tuesday: Hogarth, March 7 or 8, 1921, Harcourt, Brace and Company, November 23, 1921; Jacob's Room: Hogarth, October 27, 1922, Harcourt, Brace and Company, February 8, 1923.)[1] In order to eliminate copyright problems, Leonard Woolf requested simultaneous publication dates for the American and English editions of both volumes; in addition, Virginia Woolf wanted The Common Reader to appear before Mrs. Dalloway. But, although Hogarth published The Common Reader on April 23, 1925 and Mrs. Dalloway on May 14, 1925, due to various time pressures, the best that Harcourt could do was to publish both The Common Reader and Mrs. Dalloway on May 14, 1925.
Because Harcourt was attempting simultaneous publication, it was not possible to set the American editions from published English texts. Although the Woolfs were prepared to send manuscripts of both volumes, Donald Brace—in a letter to Leonard Woolf dated December 16, 1924—stated that while the manuscripts would be helpful to their readers (in preparing promotional material), Harcourt would prefer to set from "finally corrected English proofs."[2] The Woolfs conformed to the request and, as a result, the American edition of Mrs. Dalloway was set from English page proofs which were specially prepared for
A collation of the American and English editions of Mrs. Dalloway reveals numerous variants; many of them are minor—a comma inserted or changed to a semicolon, a hyphen added, etc.; but some are substantive—words changed, clauses added, etc. From a study of these variants in light of the corrected page proofs, we can draw two major conclusions: 1) Except for relatively few instances, Harcourt, Brace and Company did "reproduce exactly"—as Donald Brace said they would—from the corrected proofs. 2) Although Harcourt obviously felt that they would have a more reliable text—virtually identical with the Hogarth text—if they set from corrected proofs instead of from a manuscript, the corrected proofs from which the American edition was set were not the "finally" corrected proofs which Harcourt had requested. Some changes made on the proofs (and thus incorporated into the Harcourt edition) do not appear in the Hogarth edition; at the same time, additional or alternate changes appear in the Hogarth edition but not in the Harcourt edition for the simple reason that Harcourt was never informed of these changes.
The corrected proofs at Lilly Library show, first of all, that the vast majority of the changes indicated by Virginia Woolf are included in both the English and the American editions. Some of these changes are fairly substantial, and a few examples will illustrate their range:
| Proof Sheets | Woolf's Revision |
| himself felt. Old Mrs. Parry--Aunt Helena--that was her name--Mr. Parry's sister, who was supposed to preside, detested people being late. (p. 93) | himself felt, and had sat down by old Miss Parry--Aunt Helena--Mr. Parry's sister, who was supposed to preside. (Hogarth, p. 93; Harcourt, p. 91) |
| He said to himself as they were getting into the boat, "They suit each other," dully, without any resentment; but it was an obvious thing. Dalloway suited Clarissa. (p. 96) | He said to himself as they were getting into the boat, "She will marry that man," dully, without any resentment; but it was an obvious thing. Dalloway would marry Clarissa. (Hogarth, p. 96; Harcourt, p. 95) |
| But Rezia Warren Smith cried out, walking Harley Street, that she had been deserted. (p. 155) | But Rezia Warren Smith cried, walking down Harley Street, that she did not like that man. (Hogarth, p. 155; Harcourt, p. 154) |
Many of Virginia Woolf's revisions are very minor, involving polishing the style, correcting the punctuation, or eliminating inconsistencies. Although some of these changes are extremely small, they have been incorporated into both editions:
| Proof Sheets | Woolf's Revision |
| she cried out to herself (p. 21) | she cried to herself (Hogarth, p. 21; Harcourt, p. 17) |
| the aeroplane shot farther away (p. 32) | the aeroplane shot further away (Hogarth, p. 32; Harcourt, p. 29) |
| "Who is that?" (p. 51) | "Who is that?" (Hogarth, p. 51; Harcourt, p. 48) |
| Was she, he wondered, as she moved, respectable? (Hogarth, p. 81) | Was she, he wondered as she moved, respectable? (Hogarth, p. 81; Harcourt, p. 79) |
| Yet heaven knows he loved her. (p. 93) | Yet Heaven knows he loved her. (Hogarth, p. 93; Harcourt, p. 91) |
| But he was--remarkably kind. (p. 157) | But he had been--remarkably kind. (Hogarth, p. 157; Harcourt, p. 157) |
Yet, at the same time that relatively minute changes are followed in both editions, some changes which Virginia Woolf made on the proof sheets are to be found only in the Harcourt edition; the Hogarth edition retains the unrevised version of the original type-set:
| Proof Sheets and Hogarth Edition | Woolf's Revisions, Included in Harcourt Edition |
| some awful quarrel (p. 51) | some quarrel (p. 49) |
| the wife of a Major--thank Heaven she had refused to marry him! (pp. 70-71) | the wife of a Major in the Indian Army--think Heaven she had refused to marry him! (p. 68) |
| said Aunt Helena--poor old lady! (p. 95) | said Aunt Helena--old Miss Parry! (p. 94) |
| give him one kiss on the cheek-- Here he was (pp. 122-123) | give him one kiss--Here he was (p. 122) |
| he thinks, how strange. (p. 127) | he thinks, as he looks at chairs and tables, how strange. (p. 126) |
| (The leaden circles dissolved in the air.) (p. 143) | The leaden circles dissolved in the air. (p. 142) |
| that evening. (p. 149) | that evening he murmured. (p. 149) |
| this sense; his sense of proportion. (p. 151) | this sense; in fact, his sense of proportion. (p. 151) |
| If they failed, he (p. 154) | If they failed him, he (p. 154) |
| a little farther. (p. 205) | a little further. (p. 206) |
| Only human beings? (p. 225) | Only human beings--what did they want? (p. 226) |
| Always her body went through it, when she was told, first, suddenly, of an accident; her dress flamed, her body burnt. (p. 277) | Always her body went through it first, when she was told, suddenly, of an accident; her dress flamed, her body burnt. (p. 280) |
| have perished. She had escaped. But that young man (p. 279) | have perished. But that young man. (p. 282) |
There are also instances in which although both Harcourt and Hogarth incorporate revisions of the original type-set, they incorporate different revisions. Some variants are minor, perhaps the result of changes which Virginia Woolf made for the Hogarth edition on the final proof-sheets. Thus, page 90 of the first page proofs reads:
Other variants in the revisions are more troublesome because they alter the reading of a passage. On page 71 of the proof sheets, the type-set reads:
Listed below are the other major instances in which Harcourt follows the directed revisions of the proof sheets while Hogarth follows different revisions:
- very slowly, very drowsily, smiling mysteriously.
- As he sat smiling, the quarter struck—the quarter to twelve. (Proof sheets, p. 108)
- very slowly, very drowsily, smiling mysteriously.
- As he sat smiling at the dead man in the grey suit the quarter struck—the quarter to twelve. (Harcourt, p. 106)
- very slowly, very drowsily, smiling mysteriously at the dead man in the grey suit. As he sat smiling, the quarter struck—the quarter to twelve. (Hogarth, p. 108)
- Miss Kilman was quite different from any one she knew. (Proof sheets, p. 198)
- Miss Kilman made one feel so small. (Harcourt, p. 198)
- Miss Kilman was quite different from any one she knew; she made one feel so small. (Hogarth, p. 198)
- she could not, to Elizabeth. "I pity other people much more." (Proof sheets, p. 200)
- she could not, not to Elizabeth. "I pity other people," she said, "more." (Harcourt, p. 200)
- she could not, not to Elizabeth. "I pity other people much more." (Hogarth, p. 200)
- her grandmother's ring which Marie Antoinette had given her—had he got it right?—to come to Bourton. (Proof sheets, p. 283)
- her grandmother's ring which Marie Antoinette had given her great-grand-father to come to Bourton. (Harcourt, p. 286)
- her great-grandfather's ring which Marie Antoinette had given him—had he got it right?—to come to Bourton. (Hogarth, p. 283)
There are very few instances in which Harcourt clearly did not follow Virginia Woolf's directed changes. On page 106 of the proofs, the type-set reads "hard, white, imperishable words"; Virginia Woolf indicated that a comma should be inserted after "imperishable". Hogarth (p. 106) adds the comma, but Harcourt (p. 105) does not. Although Virginia Woolf specifically indicated that a comma should be added, one can easily see why Harcourt did not want to insert it and thus separate the last adjective in the series from the noun modified. Nevertheless, the omission is unusual in that Harcourt chose to ignore a clear and unambiguous revision. Normally, Harcourt diligently followed all directions, attempting to print the text exactly in accordance with Virginia Woolf's wishes. When Harcourt did not follow Virginia Woolf's directions, it generally did so because the directions seemed incomplete, because the directions were confusing, or because—if taken literally—the directions would lead to problems with grammar or punctuation. On page 236 of the proof sheets, the type-set reads:
Page 90 of the proof sheets reads:
For all of her care in using correct printer's symbols, Virginia Woolf tended not to realize the particulars of her corrections; frequently, Harcourt was forced to decide between what was actually indicated and what was presumably wanted. For example, on page 79 of the proofs, the type reads: "Peter Walsh felt he had made it, too, a great renunciation". In her directions, Virginia Woolf encircled "too" and the following comma, indicating that they should be placed after "he". Also, the indefinite article "a" before "great renunciation" was to be replaced by "the". The Hogarth edition (p. 79) reads: "Peter Walsh felt he, too, had made it the great renunciation". The Harcourt edition (p. 77) reads: "Peter Walsh felt he too had made it, the great renunciation". On the basis of Woolf's directions, it would be hard to say that either version is wrong. Hogarth transposes the entire appositional structure for "too", including both commas; Harcourt transposes
In one place, the directed revision apparently so mystified Harcourt that in order to include it Harcourt changed an indirect quotation to a direct quotation. On page 142 of the proof sheets the sentence reads: "Communication is health; communication is happiness." Virginia Woolf deleted the period, replacing it with a comma, and added the sentence "Communication he muttered." If followed exactly, the revision would read:
It is important to note that when a revision involved the deletion or addition of words, Harcourt attempted to follow Woolf's directions literally, even when the accuracy of the indicated revision might be doubted. On page 141, the proofs read: "It was at that moment (Rezia had left) the great revelation took place." Virginia Woolf crossed out "had left", replacing it with "gone shopping", and added "that" after the parentheses. Following the revision exactly, the Harcourt edition (p. 140) reads: "It was at that moment (Rezia gone shopping) that the great revelation took place." The Hogarth edition (p. 141) retains the original "had": "It was at that moment (Rezia had gone shopping) that the great revelation took place."
At times, the directed revision was obviously inadequate, and Harcourt was forced to use its own judgment. For example, page 245 of the proofs reads:
There are several instances in which the Hogarth and the Harcourt editions read identically, although Harcourt made corrections on its own authority. Page 117 of the proofs reads:
Similarly, page 93 of the proofs reads:
In addition to the cases in which Virginia Woolf made marginal revisions but did not supply proper or consistent punctuation, Harcourt—on its own authority—made other corrections. On page 110 of the proofs, Virginia Woolf directed the insertion of an "h" in "Betty Whatsername". Harcourt (p. 108) inserts the "h" and also adds an apostrophe: "Betty What 'shername". Hogarth (p. 110) reads: "Betty Whatshername". In another instance, the proofs (p. 69) read: "but in her heart she felt. All the same; he is in love." Hogarth (p. 69) follows Virginia Woolf's revision: "but in her heart she felt, all the same; he is
| Original Version as Followed By Hogarth | Changes Made By Harcourt On Its Own Authority |
| grey white (p. 22) | grey-white (p. 18) |
| saying "Good-bye Clarissa" (p. 73) | saying "Good-bye, Clarissa" (p. 71) |
| Whitbreads, Kindersleys, Cunninghams, Kinlock Jones's (p. 110) | Whitbreads, Kinderleys, Cunninghams, Kinloch-Jones's (p. 109) |
| putting her arms round Septimus, her cheeks against his (p. 135) | putting her arms round Septimus, her cheek against his (p. 134) |
| realised the obligations which size, wealth, health entail (p. 156) | realised the obligations which size, wealth, health, entail (p. 156) |
| with the Dalloway ladies, perhaps a hundred years ago? (p. 185) | with the Dalloway ladies, perhaps, a hundred years ago? (p. 186) |
| infinitely cruel and unscrupulous dressed in a mackintosh coat (p. 191) | infinitely cruel and unscrupulous, dressed in a mackintosh coat (p. 191) |
| How extraordinary it was, strange, yes touching (p. 192) | How extraordinary it was, strange, yes, touching (p. 192) |
| Would Elizabeth like to come with her to listen to So-and-so? (a most extraordinary-looking old man). (p. 197) | Would Elizabeth like to come with her to listen to So-and-so (a most extraordinary looking old man)? (p. 197) |
| NOTE: On the proof sheets, "extraordinary-looking" is not hyphenated. | |
| possibly go into Parliament if she found it necessary (p. 206) | possibly go into Parliament, if she found it necessary (p. 207) |
| Holmes and Bradshaw liked that sort of thing. (p. 225) | Holmes and Bradshaw like that sort of thing. (p. 226) |
| exclaimed (he could hear her) Of course (p. 236) | exclaimed (he could hear her). Of course (p. 238) |
| if it were only a birthplace (Liverpool, for example), in common (p. 240) | if it were only a birthplace (Liverpool, for example) in common (p. 242) |
| three hundred pounds income (p. 254) | three hundred pounds' income (p. 256) |
Of the changes which Harcourt made on its own authority, the majority involve the use of punctuation with quotation marks and the use of the ellipsis mark with or without the terminal period. Although Harcourt followed the English edition in using the British spelling for such words as "kerb", "colour", "tyres", and "centre", Harcourt was unwilling to follow Virginia Woolf in her somewhat inconsistent use of punctuation. The style Virginia Woolf was presumably following states that commas and periods go within the quotation marks if they are grammatically part of the quoted material; they go outside the quotation marks if they are not part of the quoted material but part of the enclosing sentence. A few samples taken from the Hogarth edition will show, however, that Virginia Woolf did not consistently follow this convention:
- "However," said Lady Bruton, anxious to leave the subject, "we shall hear the whole story from Peter himself." (p. 163)
- Now Mrs. Marsham wrote: "She had told Ellie Henderson she would ask Clarissa—Ellie so much wanted to come". (pp. 177-178)
- "And it came over me 'I might have married you'," she said, thinking of Peter sitting there in his little bow-tie; with that knife, opening it, shutting it. "Just as he always was, you know." (p. 179)
- Yes, they liked a man who said "Bartlett pears." (p. 242)
- Old women in the village never to this day forgot to ask after "your friend in the red cloak who seemed so bright". (p. 273)
- Only Richard agreed with her, "didn't like his taste, didn't like his smell." (p. 276)
- "You," she said, only "you", saying it with her white gloves and her shoulders. (p. 81)
- She had called Richard "Wickham". (p. 282)
- when she implored him (as she did now quite clearly) "look in my eyes with thy sweet eyes intently," she no longer saw brown eyes (p. 125)
Harcourt tended to standardize the punctuation, according to the American system, by putting all commas and periods within the quotation marks:
"And it came over me 'I might have married you,'" she said, thinking of Peter sitting there in his little bow-tie; with that knife, opening it, shutting it. "Just as he always was, you know." (pp. 179-180)
Old women in the village never to this day forgot to ask after "your friend in the red cloak who seemed so bright." (p. 276)
As was the case with some of the punctuation changes discussed earlier, Harcourt occasionally made changes on its own authority which coincide almost identically with changes ultimately made in the Hogarth edition. Thus, page 275 of the proofs reads:
Virginia Woolf also tended to be cavalier in her use of the ellipsis mark; at times she recognized that additional punctuation was needed, but at other times she seemed to use three or four periods at will. Examples:
(Hogarth, p. 258; Harcourt, p. 260)
it was odd how standing there one felt them going on, going on, some quite old, some . . . (Hogarth, p. 257; Harcourt, p. 260)
One scene after another at Bourton . . .
(Proofs, p. 231; no correction indicated)
(Hogarth, p. 231; Harcourt, p. 233)
An important area where the Harcourt and Hogarth editions frequently vary is in the use of blank lines to separate sections. Several of these section separations were added as revisions on the proof sheets. For Harcourt, these revisions provided no difficulty because Harcourt was setting its original type from the revised proofs; for Hogarth the revisions were fairly troublesome because they were made on page proofs not galley proofs. Nevertheless, the Hogarth first edition contains more space divisions (11) than does the Harcourt first edition (7). In three cases Harcourt is at fault, and all three seem to follow the same pattern. At the bottom of page 125 on the proof sheets, Virginia Woolf directed the printer to leave two lines white after "foo swee too eem oo". In the Harcourt edition (p. 124) there is no space division; in the Hogarth edition (p. 125) there is a space division, and, in addition, a period has been added after "foo swee too eem oo" (there is no period on the proof sheets, and Virginia Woolf did not indicate that one should be added). For Hogarth, the insertion of the blank space threw off the pagination, but Hogarth immediately regained the lost line by rearranging the two following paragraphs. The Harcourt edition (p. 125) follows the original type-set:
Oh poor old wretch!
Oh poor old wretch! she said, waiting to cross.
Similar problems occur on page 89 of the Hogarth edition. On the proof sheets, Virginia Woolf indicated that there should be a space division. The insertion of the blank line throws off the pagination in the Hogarth edition. After the space, the Hogarth edition has combined the two following paragraphs into one paragraph (Harcourt, page 88, follows the original type-set of the proof sheets and prints two
The second instance in which Harcourt fails to insert a blank line although directed to do so occurs on page 142. Hogarth adds a blank line after "said Dr. Holmes, looking not quite so kind." In this instance, the insertion of the blank line was not problematic for Hogarth because considerable material was cut from the paragraph immediately following the space division. The original type-set reads:
The third instance in which the Harcourt edition fails to insert a blank line occurs on page 228; Hogarth (p. 227) prints the blank after "So that was Dr. Holmes." The explanation of the three missing blank lines in the Harcourt edition seems to lie in the fact that in all three cases the blank lines should have appeared at the bottom of the page. Examination of the type-set on pages 142 and 228 of the Harcourt edition explains the omissions on these pages and probably also explains the omission on page 124. Pages 142 and 228 show fairly clearly that in the original setting of the type a blank line was included. Whereas the typical page in the Harcourt edition contains twenty-six lines of type, pages 142 and 228 contain only twenty-five lines; the printer has compensated for the "missing" line of type by inserting additional leading between the lines. Apparently, when the pages were proofed by Harcourt, the space at the bottom of pages 142 and 228 was viewed as a dropped line and thus "corrected." The same procedure might well have occurred on page 124, although it is not
Probably the most significant space division in the novel occurs on page 281 of the Hogarth edition, separating Clarissa's scene in the small room from the closing scene with Peter and Sally. The Harcourt edition does not have a space division (p. 284) because the page proofs do not have one and Virginia Woolf did not indicate that there should be one.
Although Virginia Woolf's directions state that two lines should be left white for the divisions, both Harcourt and Hogarth standardly leave only one line blank. In two cases (pp. 99 and 281) Hogarth does leave two lines white, but the variation seems incidental rather than intentional. In both cases, the printer was helped when material was cut from the passages immediately before the break. On page 99 of the proofs, in the paragraph immediately before the break, the original type-set reads:
The deletion of the sentence on page 281 of the Hogarth edition represents the sixth major source of variants between the English and the American editions. The variants which have been discussed so far can be divided into five groups:
- 1.) directed changes which only Harcourt makes;
- 2.) directed changes which Harcourt fails to make but Hogarth makes;
- 3.) directed changes which Harcourt makes following the given directions on the proof sheets; Hogarth also makes changes but they are not identical to the ones indicated on the proof sheets;
- 4.) differing interpretations by Harcourt and Hogarth of what might have been identical, but confusing, directions;
- 5.) changes made by Harcourt on its own authority, including attempts— not always consistent—to correct or standardize Virginia Woolf's punctuation.
| Harcourt Edition, Following Type-set of Page Proofs | Hogarth Edition |
| coming down the stairs (p. 74) | coming downstairs (p. 76) |
| always about the place, totally unlike her, an attractive creature (p. 89) | always about the place, an attractive creature (p. 91) |
| Regent's Park Tube station (pp. 122 & 123) | Regent's Park Tube Station (pp. 123 & 124) |
| Would they let him off then, his torturers? (p. 148) | Would they let him off then, Holmes Bradshaw? (p. 149) |
| and Miss Kilman swelled and looked very plain. But then Miss Kilman (p. 198) | and Miss Kilman swelled and looked very plain, but Miss Kilman (p. 198) |
| listening with his hand up.
But she heard nothing. And once they found the girl who did the room (p. 213) |
listening with his hand up. But
she heard nothing. And once they found the girl who did the room (p. 212) |
| when Clarissa grasped the hot water can, to think of her under this roof (p. 260) | when Clarissa grasped the hot water can. To think of her under this roof (p. 258) |
| But she did not know what it was— about Sir William (p. 278) | But she did not know what it was about Sir William (p. 276) |
| It was due to Richard; she had never been so happy. (p. 282) | Odd, incredible; she had never been so happy. (p. 279) |
| to watch that old woman, quite quietly, going to bed. (p. 283) | to watch that old woman, quite quietly, going to bed alone. (p. 280) |
| She felt glad that he had done it; thrown it away. (p. 283) | She felt glad that he had done it; thrown it away while they went on living. (p. 280) |
In examining the variants in the British and American editions of Mrs. Dalloway, it is difficult to decide which edition should be preferred. One tends to prefer the Hogarth edition partly because Virginia Woolf was able to exercise much closer control over its publication. Certainly, in the general question of punctuation, we must favor the Hogarth edition; even when the punctuation is inconsistent, at least it is Virginia Woolf's own inconsistency. Similarly, in the matter of the space divisions between sections, the Hogarth edition obviously reflects much more accurately Virginia Woolf's wishes. But, at the same time, because Hogarth had to revise type on page proofs in order to work in the additional space divisions, certain changes, such as those on pages 89 and 126 of the Hogarth edition, probably reflect more the needs of the printer than the desires of the author.
In the cases involving substantive variants, one hesitates to say that either edition should consistently be preferred over the other. When Harcourt prints the original type-set version and Hogarth prints an altered version, we should probably favor the Hogarth edition on the assumption that the revision indicates that Virginia Woolf was not satisfied with the type-set version. Conversely, the same line of reasoning can be used to prefer the Harcourt edition in the passages where Harcourt followed Virginia Woolf's directions and changed the text from the type-set of the page proofs while Hogarth retained the original version. Clearly, while correcting the proof sheets for Harcourt, Virginia Woolf felt, at least at that moment, that she wanted the text altered.
The fact that so many revisions, both major and minor, have been included in identical form in both the English and the American editions indicates that the revisions made on the proofs prepared for Harcourt were transcribed onto the proofs intended for Hogarth's printer.[4] At the same time, the variants suggest that the transcription
When both Harcourt and Hogarth publish revised versions of the original type-set, but the revisions vary, we must judge each instance separately. On occasion, the revision given to Harcourt seems to be a mistake on Virginia Woolf's part—not really what she wanted; the Hogarth edition apparently "corrects" the revision. On other occasions it appears as though Virginia Woolf either changed her mind as she was transcribing the revision onto Hogarth's set of proofs or inadvertently transcribed the revision differently for Hogarth. It is possible, of course, that Virginia Woolf transcribed the revision exactly and then later, in reading the final proofs for Hogarth, revised the previously revised passage; but the fact that in the cases of the variant revisions Hogarth frequently retains more of the original type-set than does Harcourt seems clearly to suggest that the changes were made by Virginia Woolf while preparing the page proofs for Hogarth.
Without the page proofs used by Hogarth before us, we can not state with assurance how and when certain variants came into the two editions. (Some variants might be the result of interpretations or misreadings on the part of Hogarth's printer.) Nevertheless, on the basis of a collation of the two first editions and an examination of the proofs used by Harcourt, we can at least evaluate the authenticity of the Harcourt edition and recognize the need of distinguishing between the Harcourt and the Hogarth versions of Mrs. Dalloway. At times, the differences are fairly substantial, and a critic quoting from one edition of the novel must be aware that the other edition of the novel might not contain the same passage or might contain it in a greatly altered form.
Given Virginia Woolf's temperament, it is not surprising that the Harcourt and Hogarth editions—theoretically identical—are so different. While some of the variants are the result of Harcourt's editorial
Notes
Unpublished letter in the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.
In her diary entry for January 6th, 1925, Virginia Woolf, after commenting on the difficulties she encountered in writing Mrs. Dalloway, concludes: "Anyhow it is sent off to Clark's [Hogarth's printer], and proofs will come next week. This is for Harcourt Brace, who has accepted without seeing and raised me to 15 p.c." A Writer's Diary (1959), p. 71.
It is possible, of course, that Virginia Woolf first corrected the proofs intended for Hogarth's printer and then transcribed the revisions onto the proofs intended for Harcourt. The large number of revisions made only in the Harcourt edition indicates that she not only transcribed the revisions but also read Harcourt's set of proofs independently. If she corrected Hogarth's proofs first, in all probability she transcribed the revisions and then reread Harcourt's entire set of proofs, making additional changes which she did not add to the Hogarth proofs. After sending the revised proofs to Harcourt, she once again read the Hogarth proofs and made further changes.
The Uniform Edition of Mrs. Dalloway, published by the Hogarth Press, is the commonly available English edition of the novel. It is actually the third English edition. A collation of the Uniform Edition and the first English edition reveals numerous variants, but since both the second edition (1942) and the third edition (1947) were published by Leonard Woolf after Virginia Woolf's death, both must be viewed as edited editions. Virginia Woolf herself supervised the publication of only the first editions. The Harcourt edition has never been re-set.
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