JAMES A. MICHENER'S COVENANT

The Secret History of a Bestseller

Working on James Michener's manuscript for  The Covenant

"Every excerpt, every page you have written for my book these past weeks shows that you are a writer with a superb use of the English language, a remarkable vocabulary and a very special turn of phrase. You unquestionably have the talent to write almost anything you direct your attention to. You are a great researcher, as your copious notes prior to our work sessions together indicated. And you know how to put words together most skillfully as your work on the manuscript proved."

"Uys showed such a mastery and predilection for plotting that again and again he came up with dazzling ideas that again and again attracted my attention. I am no good at plotting, hold it to be almost an excrescence, and pay far too little attention to it, so that Uys's bold suggestions were often appreciated. It was he who suggested most of the coincidences, most of the confrontations, most of the wild occurrences and it was I who rejected a vast majority of them but I was deeply indebted to him for certain plot lines..."  -- James A. Michener

Michener's draft for a section of The Venloo Commando  in the Boer War chapter

Marginal notes and deletions by Errol Lincoln Uys

James Michener manuscript original -  Venloo Commando, Covenant (1)
James Michener manuscript original - Venloo Commando, Covenant (1)
James Michener manuscript original -  Venloo Commando, Covenant  (2)
James Michener manuscript original - Venloo Commando, Covenant (2)

Uys original draft for section of The Venloo Commando chapter in The Covenant

Errol Lincoln Uys, original draft from Venloo Commando chapter, The Covenant (1)
Errol Lincoln Uys, original draft from Venloo Commando chapter, The Covenant (1)
Errol Lincoln Uys, original draft from Venloo Commando chapter, The Covenant (2)
Errol Lincoln Uys, original draft from Venloo Commando chapter, The Covenant (2)
Errol Lincoln Uys, original draft from Venloo Commando chapter, The Covenant (3)
Errol Lincoln Uys, original draft from Venloo Commando chapter, The Covenant (3)
Errol Lincoln Uys, original draft from Venloo Commando chapter, The Covenant (4)
Errol Lincoln Uys, original draft from Venloo Commando chapter, The Covenant (4)

The Covenant - The Venloo Commando on the eve of the South African War

The Venloo commando on eve of South African war - The Covenant - James A Michener
The Venloo commando on eve of South African war - The Covenant - James A Michener (1)
The Venloo commando on eve of South African war - The Covenant - James A Michener (2)
The Venloo commando on eve of South African war - The Covenant - James A Michener (2)
The Venloo commando on eve of South African war - The Covenant - James A Michener (3)
The Venloo commando on eve of South African war - The Covenant - James A Michener (3)