The composition of a number of Van Gogh’s letters has been altered over the course of time. In this edition, passages that were omitted in previous editions have now been added to the corpus, and others that were inserted in the wrong place have been repositioned. In addition, some sheets that originally belonged together but had become separated have been recombined, while some letters in previous editions no longer exist as separate entities because the sheet or sheets have been moved to one or more other letters. Listed below are the changes with respect to De brieven (1990), which was the most complete edition until now. Of course, the altered composition also applies to Verzamelde brieven (1952-1954), as well as to Complete letters (1958), which was based on that edition. Details of these editions may be found in ‘Publication history’. The Concordance allows the numbering used in previous editions to be compared.
The letter numbers given below in bold type refer to the present edition. Combinations of numbers cited thereafter, e.g. ‘Letter 875 [W21]’, refer to De brieven 1990 and Verzamelde brieven 1952-1954 (Complete letters 1958; numbers given in square brackets).

1 Reordered or previously unpublished letters

The following letters are published for the first time as separate entities in the present edition:
  • 1a
    The Hague, Saturday 26 October 1872
    To Hendrik Verzijl.
  • 75
    Ramsgate, Monday, 17 April 1876
    To Theodorus van Gogh and Anna van Gogh-Carbentus.
    Transcript of a telegram.
  • 124
    Amsterdam, Friday, 3 August 1877
    To Hermanus Gijsbertus Tersteeg.
  • 395
    Nieuw-Amsterdam, Friday, 12 or Saturday, 13 October 1883
    To Theo van Gogh.
    Formerly considered part of letter 394.
  • 576
    Paris, December 1887
    Paul Gauguin to Vincent van Gogh.
  • 730
    Arles, Friday, 4 January 1889
    To Paul Gauguin.
    Formerly considered part of letter 729.
  • 731
    Paris/Amsterdam, on or about Sunday, 6 January 1889
    Jo Bonger and Theo van Gogh to Vincent van Gogh.
    Original announcement of their engagement.
  • 759
    Amsterdam/Breda/Paris, Thursday, 18 April 1889
    Hendrik Christiaan Bonger, Hermine Louise Bonger-Weissman and Anna van Gogh-Carbentus to Vincent van Gogh.
    Original announcement of Jo and Theo’s marriage.
  • 778
    Arles, Friday, 31 May 1889
    Joseph Ginoux to Vincent van Gogh.
  • 791
    Arles, Tuesday, 16 July 1889
    Henriette Lamblot-Gaudin to Vincent van Gogh.
  • 895
    Saint-Rémy, Tuesday, 1 July 1890
    Théophile Peyron to Vincent van Gogh.

2 The related manuscripts (RM)

The section entitled ‘Related manuscripts’ gathers together those manuscripts and fragments of text that probably belonged to Van Gogh’s correspondence but whose precise status is difficult to gauge. Some of these are published for the first time in the present edition. They include texts that were clearly written to a correspondent, as well as poems and prose passages that were copied out. Separate fragments of letters that were crossed out or dropped from the main corpus for some other reason are also reproduced here.
  • RM1
    London, about July 1873 - May 1874
    Drawing with explanatory text.
    Possibly enclosed in a letter to Anna van Gogh.
  • RM2
    Probably between 1874 and December 1876
    Copy of the poem ‘Soirée d’hiver’ by André Lemoyne.
    Probably sent to Theo van Gogh.
  • RM3
    Probably between December 1874 and March 1876
    Copied poems: H.W. Longfellow, ‘Afternoon in February’, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, ‘Three kings’ daughters fair’.
    Formerly considered part of letter 28.
  • RM4
    Probably between 1875 and 1878
    Note to Theo van Gogh.
  • RM5
    Between May and June 1875
    Pages sent to Theo with a story addressed to several writers and sundry quotations.
  • RM6
    Paris, probably September or October 1875
    Note to Theo van Gogh.
    Formerly considered part of letter 49.
  • RM7
    Ramsgate, April-May 1876
    To Theo van Gogh.
  • RM8
    Ramsgate or Isleworth, between about July and November 1876
    Prose passage copied from Hendrik Conscience’s Le conscrit.
    Formerly considered part of letter 89.
  • RM9
    Probably Isleworth, about September 1876
    Copies of poems.
    Formerly considered part of letter 104.
  • RM10
    Dordrecht, probably February-March 1877
    Passages copied from the Bible.
  • RM11
    Probably May 1877
    Prose passage copied from ‘Scheveningen’ by Henri Alphonse Esquiros.
    Cf. De brieven 1990, Vol. 1, p. 231, letter 118 [99], n. 1.
  • RM12
    Probably Etten, second half of 1881
    Copy of the poem ‘St Jerome’s love’ by Thomas Moore.
    Possibly sent to Anna van Gogh.
  • RM13
    Hoogeveen, September 1883
    To Hendrik Jan Furnée, crossed-out fragment of an order for paint; the sheet was used for letter 388 to Theo (second sheet).
  • RM14
    Nuenen, about January-February 1885
    Fragment of text on the back of the sketch Head of a woman (F - / JH 628).
  • RM15
    Arles, on or about Sunday, 17 June 1888
    Fragment of a letter on the back of the sketch Head of a girl (F 1507a / JH 1466).
    To John Peter Russell.
    Formerly considered part of letter 627.
  • RM16
    Arles, probably September or October 1888
    Crossed-out, unsent fragment of a letter to Paul Gauguin.
  • RM17
    After Sunday, 21 April 1889
    Envelope addressed to Theo van Gogh.
  • RM18
    Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, about November-December 1889
    Fragment of a letter to Theo van Gogh containing a copy of the poem ‘St Jerome’s love’ by Thomas Moore.
    Formerly considered part of letter 839.
  • RM19
    Auvers-sur-Oise, on or about Wednesday, 21 May 1890
    To Willemien van Gogh.
    Letter 875 [W21].
  • RM20
    Auvers-sur-Oise, Saturday, 24 May 1890
    To Theo van Gogh and Jo van Gogh-Bonger.
    Letter 877 [648].
  • RM21
    Auvers-sur-Oise, Sunday, 25 May 1890
    To Joseph Jacob Isaäcson.
    Letter 878 [614a].
  • RM22
    Auvers-sur-Oise, Monday, probably June-July 1890
    Paul Gachet to Vincent van Gogh.
  • RM23
    Auvers-sur-Oise, on or about Tuesday, 17 June 1890
    To Paul Gauguin.
    Letter 893 [643].
  • RM24
    Auvers-sur-Oise, Monday, 7 July 1890
    To Theo van Gogh and Jo van Gogh-Bonger. Letter 902 [647].
  • RM25
    Auvers-sur-Oise, Wednesday, 23 July 1890
    To Theo van Gogh.
    Letter 907 [652].

3 Summary of the changes in the composition of the letters

The following is a summary of the changes in the composition of the letters with respect to De brieven 1990. The relocation of complete letters that has resulted from redating is indicated in the Concordance. More details are given under the heading ‘Arrangement’ with the respective letters.
  • 11
    We have added a copy of Jan van Beers’s poem ‘The evening hour’ (not included in earlier editions).
  • 28
    The copied poems, H.W. Longfellow, ‘Afternoon in February’, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, ‘Three kings’ daughters fair’, have been removed. Now RM3.
  • 49
    A second sheet, previously thought to be part of this letter, is now RM6.
  • 89
    This letter consists of sheets that were previously thought to be parts of three different letters: 88 [-], 89 [82a-2], 90 [82a-1]. A copied prose passage, previously thought to be part of letter 88 [-], is now RM8.
  • 94
    A sheet (FR b1470) has been added at the end.
  • 96
    The enclosed sermon is part of the letter; in earlier editions it was published separately (letters 95 [79] and 96 [-] ).
  • 104
    The appendix that was added to this letter in De brieven 1990 (now RM9), has been replaced with a prayer by Van Gogh (FR b1463).
  • 210
    Pages 5 and 6 have changed places with respect to De brieven 1990.
  • 234
    This letter is a combination of letters 233 [204] and 234 [201].
  • 245
    This letter is a combination of letters 245 [213] and 246 [214].
  • 264
    One sheet that was formerly published with this letter has been moved to letter 266.
  • 265
    One sheet that was formerly published with letter 264 has been added here.
  • 301
    This letter is a combination of letters 302 [260] and 305 [261].
  • 332
    One sheet that was formerly published with letter 439 has been added here.
  • 341
    The postscript that was formerly published with this letter has been moved to letter 345.
  • 345
    The postscript was formerly published with letter 341.
  • 354
    One sheet that was formerly published with this letter has been moved to letter 437.
  • 362
    The postscript of this letter was formerly published as a separate letter (364 [-]).
  • 364
    Pages 5 and 6 have changed order with respect to De brieven 1990.
  • 375
    The arrangement of this letter is different from the version in De brieven 1990.
  • 381
    One sheet that was formerly published with letter 382 has been added here.
  • 382
    One sheet that was formerly published with this letter has been moved to letter 381.
  • 394
    One sheet that was formerly published with this letter is now letter 395.
  • 395
    This letter was formerly published as a part of letter 394.
  • 403
    One sheet that was formerly published with letter 414 has been added here.
  • 413
    One sheet that was formerly published with letter 414 has been added here.
  • 414
    One sheet that was formerly published as part of this letter has been moved to letter 403, and another to letter 413.
  • 415
    The position of the second sheet has been altered with respect to De brieven 1990.
  • 418
    The sequence of the sheets differs from that in De brieven 1990; also, what is now the second sheet of this letter was considered to be an incomplete, separate letter (letter 421 [193a]).
  • 430
    One sheet with five poems by François Coppée has been added (FR b1471).
  • 432
    One sheet that was formerly published with this letter is now added to letter 474.
  • 434
    One sheet from letter 442 has been added.
  • 435
    The sequence of the sheets differs from that in De brieven 1990.
  • 436
    One sheet from letter 463 has been added.
  • 437
    One sheet that was formerly published with letter 354 has been added here.
  • 439
    One sheet that was formerly published with this letter has been moved to letter 332.
  • 440
    One sheet from letter 442 has been added.
  • 442
    One sheet has been moved to letter 434, and another to letter 440. Sheets 2 and 3 have changed places with respect to De brieven 1990.
  • 443
    One sheet from letter 463 has been added.
  • 461
    One sheet has been moved to letter 464.
  • 463
    One sheet has been moved to letter 463, and another to letter 443.
  • 464
    One sheet has been moved to letter 473, and one sheet from letter 461 has been added.
  • 473
    One sheet has been moved to letter 474, and one sheet from letter 464 and one sheet that was part of a supposed separate letter (letter 480 [355a]) has been added.
  • 474
    Three sheets have been added: one sheet each from letters 432 and 473, and a sheet that was part of a supposed separate letter (letter 480 [355a]).
  • 502
    One sheet has been moved to letter 506.
  • 506
    One sheet from letter 502 has been added.
  • 530
    One sheet that was published as a separate fragment of a letter (letter 534 [-]) has been added.
  • 543
    One sheet with a sonnet by Jules Breton has been added (FR b1469).
  • 616
    A draft letter to Gauguin is added as an appendix to this letter. It was formerly published as a separate letter (letter 619 [494a]).
  • 625
    One sheet that was published as a separate letter (letter 632 [535a]) has been added.
  • 627
    In De brieven 1990 this letter ended with a fragment that was written on the back of the enclosed sketch. The fragment has been removed and is now RM15.
  • 659
    One sheet has been moved to letter 664.
  • 664
    One sheet from letter 659 has been added.
  • 674
    One sheet with an order for paint from letter 685 has been added.
  • 685
    One sheet with an order for paint has been moved to letter 674.
  • 686
    The postscript has been moved to letter 702.
  • 687
    The second sheet from letter 691 has been added.
  • 691
    The second sheet has been moved to letter 687. The letter now ends with the recently discovered text on the back of the sketch of the Yellow House.
  • 694
    One sheet has been moved to letter 697.
  • 697
    A sheet from letter 694 has been added.
  • 699
    One sheet that was published as a separate letter (letter 703 [564]) has been added.
  • 702
    The postscript from letter 686 has been added.
  • 729
    This letter to Theo was published together with letter 730 to Gauguin (letter 734 [566]). They have been separated.
  • 730
    This letter to Gauguin was published together with letter 729 to Theo (letter 734 [566]). They have been separated.
  • 732
    One sheet that was published as a separate letter (letter 737 [569]) has been added.
  • 839
    The last sheet has been removed; it is now RM18.
The following letters (as previously numbered) no longer exist as separate entities because the sheet or sheets have been moved to one or more other letters: 89 [82a-2], 96 [-], 234 [201], 246 [214], 305 [261], 364 [-], 421 [193a], 480 [355a], 534 [-], 619 [494a], 632 [535a], 703 [546], 737 [569].
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