SHAW, George Bernard; BAYNTUN, binder

Complete Plays of Bernard Shaw, The [&] Prefaces by Bernard Shaw

London: Constable and Company Limited, 1931-34. Item #06648

George Bernard Shaw - The Complete Plays and Prefaces

SHAW, George Bernard. The Complete Plays of Bernard Shaw. London: Constable and Company Limited, 1931. [&] Prefaces by Bernard Shaw. London: Constable and Company Limited, 1934.

First editions. Two large octavo volumes (9 5/8 x 6 3/4 inches; 245 x 172 mm.). [vi], [1]-1131, [1, blank]; viii, 802 pp.

Handsomely bound by Bayntun of Bath ca. 1960 in three-quarter red morocco over red cloth boards ruled in gilt, spines with five raised bands decoratively ruled and lettered in gilt in compartments, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. Inner hinges of Plays cracked but sound, spines uniformly slightly faded. A near fine and attractive set.

Bringing together the dramatic achievements of George Bernard Shaw, this two-volume set represents one of the most comprehensive early collected editions of his work, pairing the plays themselves with the author’s famously expansive and incisive prefaces. Shaw’s prefaces - often as substantial and provocative as the plays - serve as manifestos on drama, politics, religion, and society, illuminating the intellectual framework behind works that helped redefine modern theater. From biting social satire to philosophical debate, Shaw’s plays challenged Victorian and Edwardian conventions with wit and audacity, securing his position as one of the central figures of modern drama and earning him the Nobel Prize in Literature. Together, the plays and prefaces offer not merely a collected works, but a unified statement of Shaw’s dramatic and intellectual vision.

Price: $450.00