Autograph notebook containing material for the Lew Archer mysteries The Far Side of the Dollar (1965) and Black Money (1966), 32 pages (11 x 8 ½ in.; 278 x 215 mm), [Santa Barbara] mid-1960s, in ink (mostly) and pencil on ruled sheets, each with three rings for a loose-leaf binder, partially paginated, decorated stiff yellow wrappers, spiral-bound, covers a little worn, a leaf loose.

"This notebook contains early plotting for both Far Side and Black Money"

The preceding phrase was written by Macdonald on the front cover of the notebook; he has also placed the date “Fall 1963” in the upper left corner. He came back to the notebook several years later, for it bears his date “April 1974” in the top center and the remark just below: “This notebook includes thoughts re a missing girl which might be useful for M’s unfinished book [referring to his wife, the mystery writer Margaret Millar]. NB, pp. 9-13-15.” Beneath this he has noted: “Good plot-capsule on p. 13.”

The notebook contains extensive notes on characters, story-lines and plotting, together with bits of dialogue, for the two novels, plus unused material (as the note relating to his wife’s book indicates). The following quotation, from a page headed at top, “This is the early version of Far Side of the Dollar,” is representative of the contents: “... I think we better𓆏 change the Dr. Sylvester bit. The man travelling with Carol is not the doctor who delivered Tom, but a man she took up with soon after the baby’s birth, who forced her to get rid of the child. She got in touch with Ralph and had him adopt Tom, through a lawyer, who enters the present (kidnapping) case, and later is in a position to explain. This man is a kind of psychopath ... who keeps dreaming up get-rich-quick schemes, and frequently gets arrested for them. He is dangerous. Archer might well run into him in Pocatello, and shoot it out with him in a barn or something. Harting is his name, Harold Harting, and he looked like an up-and-coming young man to Carol ... Archer trailed Harold via Tahoe-Reno to Pocatello, with help of Annie, why not. Or Archer runs him down in Reno, almost takes him, but catches him finally in Pocatello. NB—Annie killed in Reno, Phyllis doesn’t want to see Archer at end.”