Typescript, 241 leaves, on white paper, handwritten emendations in blue and black pen and pencil, and cut and paste inserts (attached with sticky tape). Cover note by Malouf 'Final copy before proof'. Accompanied by 4 leaves with handwritten note 'Rejected passage, from The Great World'. Photocopy, 1 leaf, of inside cover and title page of the published work.

One handwritten page with notes for the first draft, which gives details of how the first draft was created. With the note is the first draft of Child's Play. This draft comprises handwritten and typescript leaves. Handwritten pages are in blue and red biro and some in black ink. Typescript leaves have extensive handwritten emendations. Undated.

One page, handwritten in blue ink, with notes by the author on the original handwritten draft that accompanies it. Original first handwritten draft, 12 sheets of paper, some folded in half and written on both sides, in red and blue biro and black ink. From the accompanying note: This was usually referred to as 'Birds'; Written at Campagnatico in 1981; “Birds was originally to be a long story of some 15,000-20,000 words; the opening of a collection which would include 'Sorrow & Secrets', 'Musica Viva' and several more.”

One handwritten note '1st typescript, heavily corrected'. With first typescript draft, 72 leaves, extensive handwritten emendations, Chapters 10 and 13 not included. Undated.

One leaf, handwritten in blue ink, with details of accompanying typescript. First typescript draft, written in Brisbane in April 1981, handwritten emendations in blue ink, hand written numbering on all pages (one is missed), 105 [sic 106] leaves. Accompanied by small note about a mistake in numbering of pages numbers 3 and 4 (not counted in total number of leaves).

Fly Away Peter is a novella, set in Queensland before the First World War, the story of Jim Sadler, a dedicated bird watcher, Ashley Crowther, his employer and Imogen Harcourt, an eccentric English photographer. It was first published in 1981 with Child’s Play under the title The Bread of Time to Come. It was republished in 1982 as Fly Away Peter. This subseries includes “original first hand-written drafts of Fly Away Peter (usually referred to as Birds)” [D.M.]; rewritten first draft in Brisbane; first typescript draft; second typescript draft; rewritten passages in second typescript draft; chapters 8, 10, 15 of first typescript reworked and replaced and afterword to Fly Away Peter.

Fly Away Peter was the winner of the 1982 Age Book of the Year Award.

This file is comprised of approximately 198 draft pages, various sizes, some handwritten, some typescript, all heavily corrected in blue and black biro, blue ink and pencil. There is handwritten emendations, white-out corrections, and cut and paste inserts (attached with sticky tape).

This file is comprised of approximately 194 draft pages, various sizes, some handwritten, some typescript, all heavily corrected in blue and black biro, blue ink and pencil. There is handwritten emendations, white-out corrections, and cut and paste inserts (attached with sticky tape).

This file is comprised of handwritten notes and draft pages of Remembering Babylon on pages of various sizes, a small exercise book with a handwritten draft, and 106 typescript leaves. There is handwritten emendations, white-out corrections, and cut and paste inserts (attached with sticky tape).

One Upim notebook of 200 pages with handwritten notes on structure of novel, character details and draft of Harland's Half Acre, handwritten in red, blue and black ink. Writing is reversed or written in both directions in the notebook. Handwritten notes on sheet inserted into notebook.