The contents of the notebook are as follows:

(i) A section of the novel entitled 'Young Gourlay's first home-coming', which appears in a considerably shortened form as chapter XIX of the finished work. (Folio 1.)

(ii) 'Young Gourlay in Edinburgh', a description of Gourlay's reading habits which is not included in the printed version. (Folio 18.)

(iii) 'A Possible for House with Green Shutters', being the description of the Reverend Struthers found in chapter XX of the novel. (Folio 21.)

(iv) A prologue to the novel, describing the forces that were to cause the downfall of Gourlay's business. It was never printed. (Folio 27.)

(v) 'Chapter I', which is in fact the material for the printed chapters I and III. The material for chapter I, although substantially the same, has been considerably re-arranged. Not appearing in the printed work are folios 38 verso, 39, 44 verso and 45, which describe in more detail the movements of Gourlay's carts, while a passage spreading over pages 6-7 of the novel (Memorial Edition, London, 1923) is not found in the early draft. The material for chapter III (folio 49), shows little appreciable difference from the printed version, except that three folios, presumably corresponding to part of pages 17-18, appear to have been removed from the volume. Nothing corresponding to folio 61 is contained in the printed work. (Folio 34.)

(vi) An unfinished essay on 'Our Three Great Queens', expounding the relative merits of Elizabeth, Anne, and Victoria. (Folio 58 inverted.)