ABSTRACT
James Joyce sent the text of Storiella with Lucia Joyce's 'initial' to Carlow on 22 July 1936 and the book was published in October 1937. As Stacey Herbert points out, Joyce 'made use of limited editions in part to circumvent censorship' and 'he took an increasing interest in shaping the material form of his books, choosing type, layout and binding design as integral elements of the work'. Of these pre-book publications, Storiella is by far the most luxuriant edition. The process of writing and revision with the aid of the Scribbledehobble notes brought with it needed inspiration and perhaps enthusiasm. If storytelling is so fundamental that it shapes our 'narrative selfhood' and if human consciousness is the product of tales told, it is fitting that the story of the pre-book publications of 'Work in Progress' ends with Storiella, the personification of narrative selfhood.
