SHAW, George Bernard (1856-1950). Plays: Pleasant and Unpleasant. London: Grant Richards, 1898.

2 volumes, 8vo. Photogravure portrait frontispiece and 8pp. publisher's advertisements in Vol.I; 4pp. publisher's advertisements in Vol.II. (A few stains.) Publisher's green cloth gilt, top edge gilt, others uncut (some staining, spines darkened and slightly leaned, hinges starting or separating); morocco-backed slipcase. Provenance: Alfred J. Warne Browne (presentation inscription, stamp on paste-down vol.I).

FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY SHAW: "From G.B.S. ,painter of humanity, to Warne Browne, painter of the next deepest subject - the sea! Cadgwith Sept. 1899." Shaw's "unpleasant" plays were so-called because they forced the spectator to face unpleasant truths; he followed them with "pleasant" plays in an effort to appeal to producers and audiences.

[With:] SHAW. The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God. London: Constable & Company Limited, 1932.

8vo. Numerous wood-engraved illustrations by John Farleigh. (Some occasional spotting or soiling.) Publisher’s pictorial black and white boards (some light rubbing). FIRST EDITION of Shaw’s controversial short story collection.

Property from the Annette Perlman Trust

SHAW, George Bernard (1856-1950). Plays: Pleasant and Unpleasant. London: Grant Richards, 1898.