Archival note by Jonathan Smith © 2023 University of Bergen. CC BY-NC 4.0

MS 103 is a hardback volume 228 x 152 mm in size. Wittgenstein has included dates between 29 March 1916 and 10 January 1917 in the text. The current binding is a result of conservation in the 1970s and consists of green and brown marbled paper over card with a black spine. The original binding has been preserved. It measures 230 x 148 and is constructed of of dark green fabric over board with a black spine. On the inside rear board there is a small numerical table written using indelible pencil.

Internally there are 99 leaves plus a modern flyleaf and blue thick paper leaf at the front and rear, all 222 x 139 mm in size. Each page is ruled with 20 lines with an additional red line ruled 35 mm from the top of the page. Folio 11 v and the versos of folios 23 to 92 are blank, both sides of folios 93 to 99 are also blank. The volume is foliated f. 1-99. The text is in German with substantial coded remarks, written using pencil, purple indelible pencil, red pencil and blue/black ink. The red pencil is used essentially for annotation.

The volume was seen by the executors in Gmunden in 1952 and remained in Wittgenstein’s family until May 1969 when it was presented to Trinity College Library, by Wittgenstein’s niece, Clara Sjogren.