Beschreibung:

The White Ship, author's manuscript fair copy, 1880, written in brown ink to rectos of 19 ruled leaves, signed and dated 'D.G. Rossetti: 1880' at end, a little spotting, contemporary plain green wrappers, 202 x 162 mm, top edge gilt, bound in contemporary gilt-lettered polished calf with oval arabesque design to centre of both covers, marbled endpapers and small armorial bookplate of the Boyds of Penkill to front pastedown, 4to 'The ballad retells the story of the death of Henry I's son and heir, when his ship went down with all aboard on 25 November 1120 as it was sailing from France to England ... The poem was completed around 26 April 1880, but it was undoubtedly begun much earlier, perhaps as early as 1873, certainly by 1878. Fragments for the ballad appear in note books that date from those years. On 12 April he showed William Michael Rossetti some of his preliminary work on the ballad and told him he was "inclined to take it up again". Three manuscripts of the poem survive: a draft manuscript in Duke University Library; a first fair copy in Yale's Beinecke Library; and a second fair copy, printer's copy, in the British Library' (RossettiArchive.org). To the census of fair copies can now be added this third fair copy manuscript, formerly in the possession of Alice Boyd (1825-1897), 14th Laird of Penkill Castle, where Rossetti was a regular visitor. Both the draft manuscript (T.J. Wise/Ashley Library copy) and the Beinecke Library copy are written on 70 numbered, and slightly taller, pages. The ballad was first published in 'Ballads and Sonnets' (1881), and collected thereafter. Three textual variations between this copy and the Yale copy have been identified: line 46 first word is 'But' in this copy, the draft, BL and first printed editions, 'Yet' in Yale copy; line 220: 'The King had watched' in draft, Yale, BL and first published edition, but 'The King had sat' in this copy; line 236: 'When the sea-mew' in all copies except here where perhaps uniquely, 'When the sea-bird'. (1)