Ballads and Sonnets (1881), proof Signature D (Delaware Museum first author's proof, copy 2)

This is one of two complete sets of first author's proofs for Signature D, the earliest of the extant proofs for this signature. The proofs carry the printer's date stamp 6 April 81 on the first page as well as the handwritten number 1 and a printers mark “X” in the upper left corner. DGR's corrections appear on pages 33, 36, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48. This set was sent to the printer, the other was kept by DGR.

The duplicate of this set is also in the Delaware Art Museum library.

The library of the Delaware Art Museum has four sets of proofs for this signature, the first two numbered and date stamped by the printer Charles Whittingham, of Chiswick Press. In addition to these author's proofs and their duplicate, the other sets at Delaware are: the first printer's revise (numbered 2; perfect, undated) and the final revise (unnumbered, undated). The British Library also has a set of the first printer's revise (numbered 2; perfect, undated).

Also preserved in the Delaware Museum library is a loose sheet from a proof of this signature containing pages 41-42, with a correction on page 42 by DGR in response to a marginal note on the page by WMR. These pages come from the set of proofs DGR was having sent to his brother in April 1881 for comment and correction.