M. Sharples 1. 1 The Collaborative Tradition Collaborative writing is
nothing new. The description below is from the introduction to a book
published in 1911: Every page, however, has been debated and passed by
the three of us. Our usual method has been, first to pick up a subject
that interested us, perhaps a subject we had been talking about for a
long while, then to discuss it and argue over it, ashore and afloat, in
company and by ourselves, till we came to our joint conclusion. Then on
a rough day, in a set-to discussion, I would take down notes, which
frequently amounted in length to more than half the finished article.
From the notes I would make a rough draft, which, after more discussion,
would be re- written, and again, after revision, typewritten. We would
go through the printer's proofs together and finally, after reading the
matter in print, we have once more revised it for book publication.
Collaboration could not be more thorough. (Reynolds, et al. 1911, p. x)
The book, Seems So! A Working-class View of Politics, was written by an
aca- demic working closely with two fishermen.