Writings
The following listing of Henry Darger's written material is largely based upon The Writings of Henry J. Darger: A Catalogue Raisonne and Reader's Guide prepared by John MacGregor and Betsey Wells Farber for the Henry Darger Research Archive of the Contemporary Center of the American Museum of Folk Art (2001). Additional information has been provided by Michael Bonesteel.
Literary works, prepatory journals and related manuscripts:
The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion… total name of story, In the Realms of the Unreal (henceforth in this listing referred to as the Realms)
Bound Realms Volumes
Each volume is bound front and back with heavy cardboard covered with wallpaper samples. The typewritten pages (many glued back-to-back) are hand-stitched along the spines and connected to the covers.
Volume I , 644 pages
Volume II , 915 pages
Volume III, 1,162 pages
Volume IV , 1,577 pages
Volume V , 862 pages
Volume VI, 933 pages
Volume VII , 1,176 pages
Unbound Realms Volumes
These volumes were originally found in bundles of loose pages. After reading them, scholar John MacGregor attempted to put them in to some kind of order. As he writes: "…the final sequence of volumes and chapters was left unsettled by Darger, with several volumes lacking either a title page or a volume number. Darger often moved huge sections of his manuscript about within a work, and large fragments were left out, perhaps to be fitted in later. The various numbering systems you will encounter on some pages provide evidence of evolutionary moments in the writing history of the Realms."
Volume VIII (unbound), 836 pages (continuity with bound Volume VII).
Volume IX (?) (unbound), 2,164 pages (in the absence of any title page or identifying volume number, MacGregor has tentatively labeled this Volume IX).
Volume X, Part 1 (unbound), 862 pages (Darger identified this as Volume X and identified the next volume as Volume X, Part Two).
Volume X, Part 2 (unbound), 944 pages (continuity with Volume X, Part 1).
Volume XI (unbound), 908 pages (continuity with Volume X, Part 2; this is the last volume numbered by Darger).
Volume XII (?) (unbound), 1,210 pages (this volume was identified by Darger on the first page as Volume VII, but the material was apparently bypassed for the pages in bound Volume VII. Subequently, MacGregor determined that this might tentatively serve as Volume XII).
Volume XIII (?) (unbound), 652 pages (in the absence of any title page or identifying volume number, MacGregor has tentatively labeled this Volume XIII; it is clearly the last volume of the Realms, with the story brought to a firm conclusion, and also contains an alternative ending on several unnumbered pages).
Volume A (unbound), 364 pages, plus a number of song/poems (pages are out-of-sequence; this might possibly be a reservoir for any unused or rejected material for which Darger could not find a place).
Total number of typewritten pages in the Realms: approximately 15,000.
Handwritten journals and manuscripts related to the Realms
Unbound register book (cover missing), "In a Child Slave Plantation," dated October 27, 1926, 328 pages (these chapters appear with little change in Volume IX of the Realms).
Bound, gray cloth-covered register book (1) , "Strange Incidents in St. Claires Plantation," dated January 22. 1927, 138 pages, (these chapters appear with little change, and in continuity with "In a Child Slave Plantation," in Volume IX of the Realms).
Bound, gray cloth-covered register book (2) , "Did Jannie find out who her master was? Chapter, What is it?" April 1, 1927, 136 pages, (these chapters appear with little change, and in continuity with "Strange Incidents in St. Claires Plantation," in Volume IX of the Realms).
Unbound register book (cover missing and labeled "Book 4"), "The Plantation is Abandoned," April 5, 1927, 320 pages, (these chapters appear with little change, and in continuity with "Did Jannie find out who her master was? Chapter, What is it?" in Volume IX of the Realms).
Bound register book (1) (very large and heavy), "Mullencat State Calverinia. Explosion, flood, and fire, 700,000 lives lost," November 23, 1927, 474 pages, (this manuscript is not in continuity with the above manuscripts, but it does appear with little change in Volume IX of the Realms). There are also two other long sections in this manuscript: "Chapter 1, Introducing an Attempt of Violet and her Sisters to find out who is Responsible for the Flood Disasters," (this section appears in Volume VII [bound] of the Realms); and "Chapter One, Further Adventures of the Vivian Girls in Chicago," (this probably forms part of Darger's handwritten book, Further Adventures of the Vivian Girls in Chicago, but it is not clear how this segment fits into the sequence of volumes in that book).
Bound register book (2), "No. One," (this fragment running from pp. 11-46 belongs to the Realms, but it is not clear where it fits or if it was ever used); "No. Two," (this fragment runs from pp. 47-143 and may belong to Further Adventures of the Vivian Girls in Chicago).
Ring-binder pages tied together with string , "Amazing Phenomena Connected with the Enormous Battle of Dolorine Costellio," 839 pages, (this long account has a possible connection with a much shorter version contained in Volume II of the Realms).
Small blue-black Keystone ring-binder , (pp. 840-957 establishes exact continuity with the manuscript above, "Amazing Phenomena Connected with the Enormous Battle of Dolorine Costellio"). The end of the binder contains blank pages.
Small Compositions book (front cover broken in half), "Battle of Eva Sainte Claire," (there is no other information about this manuscript).
Large register book, "Please Return this Book to its Proper Place. This means you Henry D." is handwritten on the outside cover (the first part of this book, pp. 181-273, consists of questions and answers copied from the Catechism of Christian Doctrine; the remaining pages contain drafts of Realms material, sketches of flags, plus various listings of characters, battles, generals, and deaths in the Realms, as well as a listing of Darger's 78 rpm vinyl record collection).
Small bound book , commercially titled Time Book Monthly on the cover, containing handwritten, diary-like entries. It contains a series of "Predictions" dated June 1911-December 1917, used in the Realms.
Further Adventures of the Vivian Girls in Chicago, a handwritten manuscript in 16 volumes (because there is no title page, this novel was previously named by MacGregor variously as The Vivian Girls in Chicago and Further Adventures in Chicago: Crazy House; Bonesteel called it Further Adventures in Chicago). In 2015, a number of Darger scholars determined that Further Adventures of the Vivian Girls in Chicago best describes this book, particularly as Darger himself identified this as the title in his Bound register book (1) (see above). Additionally, there are more than 100 manuscript fragments thought to be related in some way to this book. Total number of handwritten pages in Darger's final version of Further Adventures: approximately 10,500.
The History of My Life, a handwritten manuscript in 8 volumes (Volume One begins with "Descriptions from the Holy Bible," pp. 1-37; a new set of hand-numbered pages, pp. 1-206, deals with Darger's memoirs; however, pp. 206-5,084 relate a vast fictional saga of a tornado called "Sweetie Pie" and the damages it wreaks). Additionally, there are more than 4,000 manuscript fragments thought to be related in some way to the "Sweetie Pie" portion of this book. Total number of handwritten pages in Darger's final version of The History of My Life: approximately 5,000.
Diary Journals:
Book of Weather reports on temperatures, fair cloudy to clear skies, snow, rain, or summer storms, and winter snows, and big blizzards, also the "low" tempertures [sic] of severe cold waves, and hot spells of summer, a handwritten manuscript in six volumes dated December 31, 1957-December 27, 1960; May 31, 1962-November 15, 1963 (there is a break in the dating from the first to the second book, and a note by Darger explaining that the missing material was stolen); November 16, 1963-October 31, 1964; November 1, 1964-December 31, 1965; January 1, 1966-December 31, 1966; January 1, 1967-December 31, 1967.
First volume of Darger' diary, commercially produced Desk Diary, bound, olive green, number of pages unknown, dated March 24, 1968 to February 21, 1969.
Second volume of Darger's diary, "Continuation of my Diary," DePaul ring-binder, blue, 28 pages, dated February 22, 1969 to January 1, 1973.
Excerpt from February 1971 to December 1971
Not much Life History until October, when I had an eye operation in the left one because of a serious infection, and was in bed at home until a little before Christmas. I Couldn't dare go out because of an eye covering for protection placed by the doctor. I had a very poor nothing-like Christmas. Never had a good Christmas all my life, nor a good New Year, and now resenting it. I am very bitter, but fortunately, not revengeful though I feel I should be. Now I am walking the streets again going to mass as usual. What will it be for me for New Years 1972, God only nows. This year was a very bad one, hope not to repeat it for—
Penworthy Composition Book titled "Property of Henry Jos. Dargarius (Hendro)" containing lists of Darger's favorite songs, plus Abbieannian song titles and copied religious texts.