This is an electronic reproduction of the first page of the draft submitted to Random House. Elkin wrote the first draft in longhand on pink Washington University examination booklets, covering both sides as well as the covers of the booklets. The revised pages were typed, and Elkin made extensive corrections on the typed pages. This page demonstrates the extent of revision on a copy that was submitted for publication.

One very significant revision is Elkin’s late decision to remove his protagonist’s birth-name, here revealed to the public for the first time. “Ellery Loyola” became one of the many names the protagonist used on his journey to becoming Dick Gibson. By making this change, Elkin cleverly opened up an entire range of inquiry into the problem of identity, as the nameless protagonist tries on name after name toward becoming his own idea of a radio man. Elkin also transformed his opening sentence from a good one to one of the very best in American literature by this revision.

The typescript is housed in the Special Collections section of the Olin Library of Washington University. It is reproduced with the kind permission of Joan Elkin.

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