Beckett Digital Library (815 items) > sorted by the extant student library (75 items)
La Sacra Bibbia Roma: Società Biblica Britannica e Forestiera, 1924 Inscription: 'S. B. Beckett / Trinity College / Dublin' Reading traces on: 27*, 52*, 56*, 57, 816, 819*, 820, 822*, 824, 830, 846, 1090*, 1101*, 1115*, 1172*, 1173. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes: All marginalia in blue ink are references to Voltaire's Lettres d'Amabed , notably the footnotes to the Troisième lettre du journal d'Amabed (Van Hulle and Nixon 2013, p. 181).
In the manuscript of En attendant Godot on [page 05r](godot:MS-BNF-MY-440,05r[G440_zone62]), Lévy (Estragon) describes the maps of 'The Holy Land' in the Bible in a way that is a good match with the map in this copy. Read: by October 1924.
Beckett possibly acquired this Bible as soon as his Italian courses started. In October 1924, judging by the inscription.
Burton, Robert : The Anatomy of Melancholy, Vol. 1 London: George Bell & Sons, 1893 A. R. Shilleto (ed. ) A. H. Bullen (introduction ) Location: The private collection of Anne Atik, ParisInscription: 'for Anne / with love / from Sam / Paris / may 77' Reading traces on: 85, 86*, 91, 92, 93, 109, 117, 165, 192, 205, 214, 279, 283*, 285*, 298, 308, 343, 346, 348insert*, 356, 360, 362, 373, 378, 390, 391, 400, 427, 431, 457, 459, 497. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: by November 1931.
Beckett owned a copy which is preserved in the Avigdor Arikha collection. There are more than 200 entries from the Anatomy inserted in Beckett's "Dream" Notebook. Source:
Beckett's "Dream" Notebook , ed. by John Pilling, p. 104.
Burton, Robert : The Anatomy of Melancholy, Vol. 2 London: George Bell & Sons, 1893 A. R. Shilleto (ed. ) A. H. Bullen (introduction ) Location: The private collection of Anne Atik, ParisReading traces on: 45, 48, 69, 78, 79, 85, 86, 87, 97, 100, 102, 115, 133, 134, 138, 139, 152, 153, 154, 175, 208, 209. Read: by November 1931.
Beckett owned a copy which is preserved in the Avigdor Arikha collection. There are more than 200 entries from the Anatomy inserted in Beckett's "Dream" Notebook. Source:
Beckett's "Dream" Notebook , ed. by John Pilling, p. 104.
Corneille, Pierre : La Galerie du palais
Manchester :
Manchester University Press ;
London :
Longmans, Green & Co. , 1920 Thomas B. Rudmose-Brown (ed. ) Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'Samuel B. Beckett / Trinity College / Dublin - / Michaelmas Term - 1923' Reading traces on: 7*, 8*, 52*, 57*, 60*, 68, 75*, 79*, 85. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: by January 1924.
Preserved at the Beckett International Foundation in Reading. Source:
TCD College Calendar
Debraye, Henri : En Touraine et sur les bords de la Loire Grenoble: Éditions J. Rey, 1926 Location: Currently for sale at De Búrca Rare Books [march 2016]Inscription: '[signed] / Paris August 1926' Notes: Loosely inserted is a photographic postcard of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland depicting Arthur Jacob. Inscribed "See ref. to Cycling trip in the Loire with Charles C. Clark and inspiration for
the poem Return to the Vestry 1926 in Lawrence E. Harvey - Samuel Beckett. Poet & Critic, p.308".
Read: Summer 1926.
Beckett used this as his guidebook for his first trip through France. It contains many literary landmarks connected to Rabelais, Ronsard, Descartes and Balzac among others (Knowlson 1996, 64). Notebook MS 10964 (containing a summary of the Divine Comedy ) bears the inscription "Bought at Tours: Sept. 3rd 1926", the town where Beckett started and ended his trip (Knowlson 1996, 65) Source:
James Knowlson, Damned to Fame (1996), p. 64.
Descartes, René : Choix de textes Paris: Louis-Michaud Editions, n.d.
Les grands philosophes français et étrangers L. Debricon (ed. )Inscription: 'Jean Beaufret' Reading traces on: 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 34, 46, 75, 94, 95, 96, 106, 107, 114*, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122*, 123, 125*, 126*, 127, 200insertrecto*, 200insertverso*, backflyleaf*, backcover*. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes:
- the book is inscribed by Jean Beaufret, and it appears as if the marginal notes were made by him, although notes on the back cover could be in SB's hand;
- page with handwritten notes inserted page 200-201, appears to be by Beaufret Read: February 1930.
The lines in the margin indicate either Beckett's reading or his friend Jean Beaufret's. The copy first belonged to Beaufret who was reading it together with Beckett. It is, thus, difficult to determine the author of these non-verbal traces. Source:
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 23.
Dostoievski, Fjodor : La Confession de Stavroguine Paris: Librairie Plon, 1923
13th ed. E. Halpérine-Kaminsky (translation )Notes:
- marginalia: inside cover scribble '[surhomme?]' - probably not SB's hand;
- paper inserted at page xxxvii, the 'introduction du traducteur' Read: August 1931.
Beckett may have read Dostoevsky's Confession de Stavroguine by that time, as Van Hulle and Nixon note (2013, 123) Sources:
Dirk Van Hulle and Mark Nixon, Samuel Beckett's Library , p. 123.
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 79.
Dostoievski, Fjodor : Le Crime et le châtiment Paris: Librairie Plon, [1884]
35th ed. Victor Derély (translation )Read: August 1930.
Beckett may have read Dostoevsky's Le Crime et le châtiment by that time, as Van Hulle and Nixon note (2013, 123). The copy still present in Beckett's library bears no date, nor annotations, but could be a plausible first title by the Russian author for him. Sources:
Dirk Van Hulle and Mark Nixon, Samuel Beckett's Library , p. 123.
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 41.
Fornaciari, Raffaello : Disegno storico della letteratura italiana Florence: G.C. Sansoni, 1901 Notes:
- marginalia: Words or phrases are underlined on virtually every page. Several marginal notes indicating the English translation
of certain words or dates. No markings after page 302, i.e. after Chapter on Manzoni and Romanticism [next chapter is Leopardi and Pessimism].
markings: Pencil, coloured pencils (blue, green, brown, purple) - no obvious pattern to this, but may have been worked on at intervals.
- the book is too brittle to scan;
- like the Boccaccio, this appears to have been used at TCD Read: by October 1927.
The College Calendars do not mention Fornaciari. However, Beckett most likely used this copy during his studies or for his Modertatorship exam. In the chronological account, Beckett marked passages on almost every page up to, but excluding, the third to last chapter (on Leopardi). The various markings in coloured pencils indicate that the book may have been used at different periods of time.
Homère: L'Odyssée Paris: Société d'édition " Les belles lettres ", 1925 Victor Bérard (translation )Notes:
- 3 volumes;
- postcard inserted on page 61 of volume 2. The postcard is of Dürer's painting of the two praying hands, and there are holes in the top centre suggesting that it has been hung on a wall by a nail or the like. Poststamp is Kassel, 16 February 1932, and is addressed to Beckett at École Normale. Sender is presumably Cissie Sinclair: "Feb 16th Am sending the things you left here on today. I was waiting to know your permanent address but as that is not forthcoming apparently . . . Am disappointed not to hear from you and hope you are alright. Things as usual here, only more so. Lebewohl
C.[bottom left:] I hope you got the [sleevelinks?] alright.[bottom right:] Contents of packet 1 Scarf 1 silk handkerchief 2 pair socks 1 scissors (in socks)".
- Last pages of volume 3, ie the section 'Chant XXIV', are uncut. Read: by September 1931.Source:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 90.
Joyce, James : Exiles: A Play in Three Acts London: Grant Richards Ltd., 1918 Inscription: 'S.B. Beckett' Reading traces on: 1, 6, 8, 10, 14, 17, 98, 100, 102, 109, 122, 125, 133, 136. Read: Summer 1927.
Mauriac, François : La Vie de Jean Racine Paris: Plon, 1928 Reading traces on: 35, 49, 51, 80, 85, 86, 88, 95, 97, 99, 105, 120*, 124, 129*, 130, 131*, 140*, 142*, 165, 169, 193, 194*, 198, 200*, 227*, 229*, 242*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: October 1930.
Beckett acquired this book in preparation for his Trinity lectures on French literature. Source:
Dirk Van Hulle and Mark Nixon, Samuel Beckett's Library , p. 48.
Michaut, G. : Sainte-Beuve Paris: Librairie Hachette, 1921 Reading traces on: flyer, flyerinsert*, 192*, 193*, 195*, 200*, 203*, 205*. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes:
- inside front cover attached flyer from 'Librairie Gibert', which also carries date '9-1-24';
- on front of this paper SB (presumably) has noted names of French writers Read: by October 1924.
Michaut's biography of Sainte-Beuve is not mentioned in the Calendars and might have been an extracurricular reading for Beckett. The paper note inside bearing a stamp mark with the date "9-1-24" lists a few French authors' names (Boileau, Voltaire, Pascal, Staël, Molière). However, the note could have been inserted at a later date, explaining the handwriting which does not match Beckett's other student marginalia.
Molière: L'Avare Paris: Librairie Hachette, 1918
8th ed. G. Lanson (ed. ) Location: Currently for sale at Peter Harrington, London [april 2016]Inscription: 'Samuel B. Beckett / Trinity College / Dublin. / Hilary Term - 1924' Inscription: 'Daniel de W. Rogers. / T.C.D. / Michaelmas Term 1950.' Reading traces on: 64*, 65*, 71*, 99*, 103*, 108*, 149*, 154*. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes: - The inscription is followed by a second ownership inscription by the linguist Prof. Daniel de Warrenne Rogers, dated 1950, and a stamped seal of the second-hand bookstore 'Fred Hanna Ltd' (Nassau Street).
- The volume contains the menu for the Summer Commencements Dinner, 2 July 1959 (signed by Beckett and four others, notably Walter Starkie, professor of Spanish and Italian), which was the occasion on which Beckett received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters at Trinity College, Dublin.
- The TCD Calendars mention another edition: Molière: L'Avare , edited by Alfred Thomas Baker, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1918.
- Marginalia: notes primarily in Beckett's hand but some made by Rogers, mainly translations of difficult vocabulary.
- Scans: only a sample of the 19 annotated pages are included here, the original book is for sale at Peter Harrington, London. Read: by May 1924.Source:
TCD College Calendar
Molière: Théâtre complet, Vol. 2 Paris: Bibliothèque Hachette, n.d. Inscription: S. B. Beckett / July 1926 Reading traces on: 206*, 207*, 212*, 234, 257*, 258*, 259, 268*, 314*, 315*. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes:
- volume III is missing;
- marginalia: volume 2: from La Princesse d'Élide: 206-207 / 212 / 234; from Tartuffe: 257-9 / 268 / 314-5 Read: by October 1926 (La Princesse d'Élide, Les Amants magnifiques, La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas), by October 1927 (Les Fourberies de Scapin, Tartuffe).
Volumes II, IV and V bear the inscription "July 1926" indicating that he used the volumes for the Michaelmas examination in October 1926 which lists three plays by Molière.
Molière: Théâtre complet, Vol. 5 Paris: Bibliothèque Hachette, n.d. Inscription: S. B. Beckett / July 1926 Reading traces on: 67*, 131*, 138*, 139*, 148. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: by October 1926 (La Princesse d'Élide, Les Amants magnifiques, La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas), by October 1927 (Les Fourberies de Scapin, Tartuffe).
Volumes II, IV and V bear the inscription "July 1926" indicating that he used the volumes for the Michaelmas examination in October 1926 which lists three plays by Molière.
Petrarca, Francesco : Le Rime del Petrarca, Vol. 2 Milan: Nicolò Bettoni, 1824 Location: The private collection of Anne Atik, ParisInscription: 'Eliza Jane de [Visma] / the gift of her dear Father / 1836' Reading traces on: 8*, 13*, 17*, 23*, 24*, 29, 35*, 36*, 39*, 42, 44, 48, 49, 53, 54, 56, 60, 63, 66, 79, 80, 89, 91, 95, 103, 104, 105, 107, 109, 110, 112, 113, 121, 124, 182, 183, 184, 185, 188, 189. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: by January 1926.
Beckett used this edition published in Milan instead of the "Canzoniere" recommended by the TCD College Calendars. Beckett dates his reading experience with the marginal remark "1926" at the end of sonnets VIII and XX.
Pope, Alexander : Essay on Criticism Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1909 John Sargeaunt (ed. )Reading traces on: 1*, 2*, 3*, 4*, 13*, 19, 21*, 23*, 26*, 27*, 29*, 30*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: by October 1925.Source:
TCD College Calendar
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Du Côté de chez Swann * Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1928 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'S. B. Beckett' Inscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,041' Inscription: 'For / Reading University Library / Samuel Beckett / april 1973' Reading traces on: 11, 18, 19*, 22, 24, 25*, 30*, 33, 36*, 39*, 41*, 42, 45, 46*, 47, 49*, 50*, 51*, 53, 55*, 59, 64, 68, 69*, 70, 71*, 73*, 77*, 78*, 79*, 82*, 84*, 93*, 98*, 99*, 100*, 101, 107*, 112*, 116*, 120*, 121*, 122*, 123*, 124*, 125*, 126, 127, 128*, 129, 135*, 139, 140, 144, 147*, 154*, 163*, 166*, 173*, 175, 193*, 200*, 201*, 202, 203, 204, 224*, 226, 249*, 256, 257, 258*, 264, 265, 286*, 289*, 300*, 301*, 302*, 303, 304. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: by October 1927, Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett first read part of volume I in a virtual edition for the final examination at TCD in October 1927 (Moderatorship). Although signed in student fashion "S. B. Beckett", the volume that opens the Nouvelle révue française collection was probably only acquired early in 1928 together with the other fifteen volumes. A letter to Thomas MacGreevy dated summer 1929 reveals Beckett having finished reading the first volume, Du côté de chez Swann , finding it "strangely uneven" (LSB I , 11). Beckett wrote to MacGreevy on 7 August 1930 that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
TCD College Calendar
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Du Côté de chez Swann ** Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1926 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'S. B. Beckett' Inscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,042' Reading traces on: 14*, 23*, 29*, 33*, 34, 41, 51, 54, 74, 102, 103, 106*, 152, 155, 175, 179, 183*, 187*, 190*, 192, 194, 197, 198, 208, 234, 249, 252*, 257*, 258, 268*, 269*, 282*, 295, 298, 300, 301. (*: page contains marginalia) on page(s):
33 [zone 1] Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs ** Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1929 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,043' Reading traces on: 13, 18*, 19*, 20, 21*, 22*, 36*, 59, 60*, 61*, 75, 77, 78*, 79, 91, 97, 99*, 100, 105*, 148, 155*, 156*, 158, 161*, 164*, 165*, 166, 167, 184, 185, 187*, 188*, 189. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). The fourth volume contains a marginal note ("Mail Boat - Aug 1928") that could be mistaken for the date when Beckett was reading that passage. The note actually indicates that Beckett retrospectively associated the narrator's transition from an "ancien moi" to a "moi différent" with his own experience of moving to continental Europe. Nevertheless, the reading itself took place in 1929. Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs *** Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1929 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: '[Insolence]' Inscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,044' Reading traces on: 59*, 71*, 72, 73, 74, 81, 82, 98, 99, 137*, 139, 145, 146, 148, 151*, 155*, 215*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Le Côté de Guermantes I Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1927 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: '9007677342' Inscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,045' Reading traces on: 11, 38, 43, 44, 45, 46, 60, 61, 63, 68, 76, 79*, 82, 101, 102, 105, 110, 112*, 122, 126, 127, 144, 162, 226, 245, 265, 266, 272, 273. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Le Côté de Guermantes II Sodome et Gomorrhe I Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1927 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: '9007677351' Inscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,046' Reading traces on: 12, 15, 19, 20, 26, 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 50, 51, 53, 54, 58, 61, 75*, 76*, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 95, 96, 101, 103*, 107, 173*, 196, 217*, 228, 229, 259. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Sodome et Gomorrhe II * Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1927 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,047' Reading traces on: 13*, 24, 25, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 43, 74, 75, 121, 139, 142, 144, 145, 146, 152*, 153, 157*, 169, 172, 174, 176*, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183*, 186, 188, 195, 203, 208, 210, 213*, 215*, 216, 217. (*: page contains marginalia) on page(s):
208 [zone 1] Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Sodome et Gomorrhe II ** Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1927 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingReading traces on: 8, 12, 15, 19, 21, 23, 33, 43, 54, 55, 66, 67, 70, 95, 96, 100, 121, 131, 141, 144, 146*, 148, 149, 150, 159, 160*, 168, 178*, 188, 189*, 210, 211, 213*, 218, 219. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Sodome et Gomorrhe II *** Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1927 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,049' Reading traces on: 24, 25, 32*, 38, 39, 44, 45, 51, 52*, 55*, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 82, 83, 87, 90, 95, 106, 107, 124, 125, 126*, 159, 165, 174, 191, 198, 207, 209, 210, 211, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218*, 219*, 220*, 221, 222, 223, 224*, 227, 230, 231, 232, 233, 235, 236. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: La Prisonnière (Sodome et Gomorrhe III) * Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1927 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,110' Reading traces on: 9*, 10, 11, 13, 14, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 76*, 91, 92, 93, 104, 105, 112, 116, 117, 124, 128, 130*, 135, 142, 144*, 145, 148, 149, 158, 165*, 205, 215, 217, 234, 244, 259, 260, 261, 267. (*: page contains marginalia)
Beckett may be referring to Proust's phrase 'à l'orée d'un bois sacré' in La prisonnière on [page 01r of the fifth typescript of ](thattime:MS-UoR-1477-6,01r[ET5_para02])That Time , MS-UoR-1477-6. Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: La Prisonnière (Sodome et Gomorrhe III) ** Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1927 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'Innocence' Inscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,111' Reading traces on: 12, 19*, 35*, 52, 62*, 63*, 71*, 72*, 73, 74, 77, 78, 79, 110, 111, 112, 124, 168*, 195, 207*, 208, 214, 215, 223, 226, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 246, 247, 249, 256, 268. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Albertine disparue * Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1926 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,112' Reading traces on: 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 25, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 38, 39, 41, 42, 53, 57, 58, 62, 63, 70, 71, 75*, 81*, 82, 100, 101, 110, 115*, 118, 119, 121, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 139, 152, 164*, 166, 169, 173, 182, 188, 203, 205, 223*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Albertine disparue ** Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1926 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,113' Reading traces on: 7, 8, 9*, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 20, 32, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68*, 74*, 77*, 83, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 94, 96*, 97, 98, 99, 100, 105, 110, 114, 117*, 135*, 137, 142, 144, 149, 154, 155, 161, 173*, 178, 183*, 204, 206, 207, 208, 211*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Le Temps retrouvé * Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1929 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'P / Samuel Beckett // 254,114' Reading traces on: 8*, 9*, 11*, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41*, 42, 43, 109, 165, 198, 199, 207, 210*, 212*, 220, 227, 228, 232, 233, insbackcover*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Proust, Marcel : À la recherche du temps perdu: Le Temps retrouvé ** Paris: Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française, 1929 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingReading traces on: 7*, 9*, 10*, 13, 14, 15*, 16*, 18*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23, 24, 25*, 26, 27, 28, 29*, 30*, 34*, 40*, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48*, 49, 59, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 72, 73, 77, 79, 80*, 81, 90, 98, 100, 101, 104, 110*, 114, 125*, 168*, 172*, 174*, 177, 178, 227*, 235*, 236*, 237, 238*, 239, 240*, 241*, 242*, 243*, 244*, 245, 246, 251*, 256*, 257, 258, 260, 261, lastpage*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: Summer 1929, Summer 1930.
Beckett most likely read the entire collection in the (late) summer of 1929, when he wrote to MacGreevy about having finished the first volume (LSB I , 11). On 7 August 1930, he wrote to MacGreevy that he had started re-reading À la recherche du temps perdu (Pilling 2006, 26). Sources:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 11.
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 26.
Racine, Jean : Théâtre complet, avec des remarques littéraires et un
choix de notes classiques par M. Félix Lemaistre; précédé d'une notice sur la vie et
le théâtre de Racine par L.-S. Auger Paris: Garnier Frères, n.d. [1863] Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingReading traces on: 569*, 628*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: by January 1924 (Andromaque), by April 1926 (Phèdre), by April 1926 (Bérénice), by April 1926 (Athalie), by October 1927, October 1931 (Britannicus, Bajazet, Mithridate).
Uncertain: the handwriting and the brevity of the remarks do not resemble young Beckett's student marginalia. Knowing Beckett's deep engagement with Racine's works, it seems likely that this is not the edition he used as a student or later as a lecturer. Source:
TCD College Calendar
Renard, Jules : Le Journal de Jules Renard 1887–1910, Vol. 1 Paris: François Bernouard, 1927 Reading traces on: 8, 28, 34, 38, 39, 43, 50, 55, 59, 60, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 81, 82, 89, 91, 92, 98, 100, 101, 103, 104, 105, 108, 111, 114, 115, 117, 119*, 122, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 136, 140, 141, 147, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168, 170, 171, 173, 174, 175*, 176, 177, 179, 180, 182, 192, 193, 194, 197, 198, 199, 202, 211, 214, 216, 223*, 243, 262, 275, 278, 282, 303, 304, 310, 311, 314, 315, 317, 318, 326, 355, 356. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes: 4 volumes
- volume 1: 1887–1896; volume 2: 1897–1901; volume 3: 1902–1905; volume 4: 1906–1910;
- volume 1 for the set: Number 752 of 3075 copies;
- volume 1: corner of bottom page 28 has been folded down at some point
on page(s):
59 [zone 3] Read: February 1931.
On 24 February 1931, Beckett wrote to MacGreevy that he had started Jules Renard's Journal (LSB I 69). Source:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 69.
Renard, Jules : Le Journal de Jules Renard 1887–1910, Vol. 2 Paris: François Bernouard, 1927 Reading traces on: 381, 408, 423, 426, 429, 433, 435, 444, 460, 462, 465*, 471, 473, 474, 476, 479, 484, 485, 489, 491, 493, 496, 500, 508, 510, 527, 528, 548, 569, 583, 596, 597, 602, 604, 607, 608, 619, 622, 628, 654, 658, 661, 663, 664, 670, 671, 692. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: February 1931.
On 24 February 1931, Beckett wrote to MacGreevy that he had started Jules Renard's Journal (LSB I 69). Source:
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 69.
de Sanctis, Francesco : Storia della letteratura italiana, Vol. 2 Bari: Gius. Laterza & Figli, 1925 Benedetto Croce (ed. )Reading traces on: 23*, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185*, 218, 225, 247, 249, 261, 264, 267, 274, 275, 276, 277, 353, 354*, 355, 356, 357*. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes:
- Inscription of second volume has not been scanned — the paper is creased and crumpled and the inscription hardly legible; both volumes are also very brittle, and on the verge of falling apart.
- Two National Library slips inserted in volume 2 page 222, both for books on Aubanal, one by Welter, the other by Legré. No date given. Read: by October 1927.
For the Moderatorship examination, Beckett was free to choose any of the histories on Italian literature by de Sanctis, Hauvette or Scherillo. His copy of de Sanctis' Storia was bought in May 1927 in Florence. Source:
TCD College Calendar
Scève, Maurice : Délie: Object de plus haulte vertu Paris: Hachette, 1916 Eugène Parturier (ed. ) Location: The private collection of Anne Atik, ParisReading traces on: vii, viii, ix, x, xii, xiii, xiv, xix, xvi, xx, xxi*, xxii, xxiii, xxiv, xxix*, xxv, xxvi, xxvii*, xxxiii, xxxv, xxxvi, xxxviv, 3*, 5*, 8*, 11*, 13*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 20*, 23*, 24*, 38*, 47*, 48*, 50*, 57*, 64*, 67*, 69*, 75*, 76*, 79*, 81*, 82*, 83*, 84*, 85*, 97*, 99*, 109*, 110*, 113*, 114*, 124*, 140*, 146*, 147*, 148*, 149*, 152*, 154*, 157, 159, 160*, 171*, 175*, 176*, 177, 182*, 183*, 196, 197, 210*, 211*, 216*, 217*, 220*, 222*, 226*, 236*, 237, 244*, 247*, 258*, 266*, 267*, 270*, 280, 284*, 303*, 305*. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: by January 1926.
This book now belongs to the private collection of Avigdor Arikha and Anne Atik. Source:
TCD College Calendar
Shakespeare, William : Macbeth Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922 A.W. Verity, M.A. (ed. )Inscription: 'm / S. B. Beckett. / Portora. / VIth Form / September 1922' Reading traces on: tp1*, 6*, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19*, 21, 23*, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31, 34, 37*, 38*, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 51, 52*, 56, 57, 59, 60, 67, 68, 72, 73*, 78, backflyleafverso*, insidebackcover. (*: page contains marginalia) Read: September 1922.
The inscription by Beckett metions that he was at Portora Royal School when he acquired this book.
Shakespeare, William : The Works of William Shakspeare London / New York : Frederick Warne and Co, n.d.
The "Universal" Edition Reading traces on: 225, 808, 811, 821, 823, 946insert*, 1087*. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes: scrap of a diary inserted page 946-47 (Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, scenes 3 and 4): 'Avigdor PLM 11 (photo) / Briquets / foie / whiskey'
We owe a debt of gratitude to James Little for offering a correction to the title.
Beckett seems to allude to King Lear on [page 16v of the 'Kilcool' Notebook, MS-TCD-4664](noti:MS-TCD-4664,16v[AS1_zone49]). He quotes from the The Tempest on [page 02r of the third typescript of ](noti:MS-UoR-1227-7-12-4,02r[ET3_zone15])Not I , MS-UoR-1227-7-12-4. Read: by January 1924 (Henry V), by October 1923 (The Merchant of Venice), by January 1924 (A Midsummer Night's Dream), by January 1925 (The Merchant of Venice), by May 1924 (Julius Caesar), March 1931(Julius Caesar), by May 1924 (Coriolanus), by October 1924 (As You Like It), by October 1924 (Twelfth Night), by January 1925 (The Tempest), November 1928 (The Tempest), by May 1925 (Richard III), by May 1925 (Romeo and Juliet), March 1931 (Romeo and Juliet), by October 1925 (Macbeth, by October 1925 (Hamlet), March 1931 (Anthony and Cleopatra), March 1931 (Othello), March 1931 (Richard II), March 1931 (Troilus and Cressida).Source:
TCD College Calendar
Spenser, Edmund : The Faerie Queene, Vol. II Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922 Lilian Winstanley (ed. ) Location: The private collection of Terence KilleenInscription: 'S. Beckett / Trinity College, Dublin / 1924' Reading traces on: 53, 99, 127*, 129*, 145*, 199*, insertrecto*, insertverso*. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes: The BDMP owes a debt of gratitude to Terence Killeen for drawing our attention to these two volumes and for making them available to the project. Read: by May 1924.Source:
TCD College Calendar
Stendhal, [Henri Beyle] : Le Rouge et le noir Paris: Garnier, 1925 Location: Beckett International Foundation, The University of ReadingInscription: 'S.B. Beckett Dublin November 1926' Read: by October 1927, December 1931.
Stendhal's Le Rouge et le noir , which Beckett had bought in November 1926, features on the list for the Moderatorship exam (Pilling 2006, 13). Beckett mentioned re-reading Le Rouge et le noir in a letter dated 20 December 1931 (LSB I 100). Sources:
TCD College Calendar
John Pilling, A Samuel Beckett Chronology , p. 13.
The Letters of Samuel Beckett , vol. I, 1929-1940, p. 100.
Tasso, Torquato : Gerusalemme liberata Milan: Ulrico Hoepli, 1923
6th ed. Inscription: Samuel B. Beckett / May 1925 Reading traces on: 1*, 2*, 3*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 30*, 31*, 54*, 55*. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes: The book is heavily annotated, whereby two modes discernible (similar to other TCD books): ink, black and blue pen, and pencil underlining and annotation tend to be translations of specific words/lines; coloured pencil tend to be underlining and crosses against passages, ie contextual annotation. Annotations continue to the end of Canto X, after that, nothing. Sample scans of pages 2-9 made. Read: by October 1925.
Beckett acquired Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata in May 1925 as the first page shows. Source:
TCD College Calendar
Thompson, A. Hamilton : A History of English Literature, and of the Chief English Writers London: John Murray, 1914
Revised edition Inscription: S. B. Beckett / feb. 1923 Reading traces on: 143, 149, 171*, 180, 192, 214, 215, 223, 276, 291, 303, 319, 386, 438, 510, 540. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes: pages 309, 311, 511, 523, 601, 603, 605, 645 and 647 have been folded down. Read: by April 1923.
The History contains a marginal comment on page 171 in the "Marlowe" subsection which reads "25/4/23". This allows us to determine that Beckett was already preparing months in advance for his Junior Exhibition (the entrance examination in October 1923). Prospective students were also supposed to read the accompanying extracts from Smith's Specimens organized under the same chapter titles as Thompson's History . We can assume Beckett read Thompson and Smith in parallel in the spring of 1923, although no extant copy of the Specimens is available. Source:
TCD College Calendar
Vaissière, Robert de la : Anthologie poètique du XXe siècle, Vol. 1 Paris: Les Editions G. Crès et Cie., 1923 Reading traces on: 4, 5, 10, 11*, 13, 14, 15*, 20, 21, 27*, 28, 29*, 31*, 33, 35*, 36, 37, 42*, 44, 45, 50, 51, 52, 58, 66, 83*, 106, 110*, 113, 122*, 144*, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 159*, 162*, 168, 177*, 226, 249, 251, 253*, 254. (*: page contains marginalia) Notes: front page missing Read: by October 1927.Source:
TCD College Calendar