The 85-page manuscript that Beagle first wrote differs greatly from the current version of the book. Though the unicorn "is much the same", the story is set in modern times, and the unicorn is accompanied by a two-headed demon named Webster and Azazel. This original version was published as a limited edition hardcover by Subterranean Press titled "" in 2006. Beagle stopped working on this initial manuscript in 1963, stating that "t was a dead end", but picked the project up again in 1965.