Virginia Woolf’s personal copy of her debut novel, The Voyage Out, digitised for the first time.
The book was rediscovered in 2021, having mistakenly been housed in the science section of the University of Sydney library for 25 years. It is the only publicly available copy of its kind and contains rare inscriptions and edits.
Another UK first edition used personally by Woolf is owned by a private collector based in London.
Scholars say the find is “remarkable” and could provide insight into the English author’s mental health and writing process.
Woolf is considered to be one of the most important modernist 20th Century authors, publishing more than 45 works including To The Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway. She pioneered the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device and is a lasting literary influence to this day.
The University of Sydney hopes by publicly sharing their copy, the multiple notes showing the adopted and abandoned revisions will give a new generation of readers, literary students and scholars some insight into Woolf’s thoughts.
The University of Sydney said it appeared the rediscovered copy of The Voyage Out had been lost “through the bustle of everyday campus and library life”.
Simon Cooper, Metadata Services Officer from the Fisher Library, found the book incorrectly shelved in 2021.
He said: “I knew the book didn’t belong there, so I took it out and then saw the author’s name handwritten on the first page.
“So, I looked up her handwriting to compare it, and it matched. It’s her copy”.
