PROPERTY OF DR. WILLIAM COLEMAN
SHAW, George Bernard. Man and Superman. London: Archibald Constable & Co., 1903.
Details
SHAW, George Bernard. Man and Superman. London: Archibald Constable & Co., 1903.
8vo. 20pp. Publisher's ribbed gray-green cloth, spine gilt (minor soiling, spine very slightly darkened, hinges neatly strengthened), otherwise a very good copy. In a dark green morocco gilt clamshell case, emerald green silk linings.
FIRST EDITION, WITH A FULL PAGE OF ACIDULOUS SHAVIAN INVECTIVE, LAMBASTING THE "CRAZE" OF FIRST EDITIONS. On the blank flyleaf, in dark blue ink, the beleagured Shaw has added a long, heart-felt tirade against those who collect modern first editions: "Dear Mr. Clifford Blears, Do throw all your first editions into the dustbin along with this, and buy, nice, clean cheap copies, quite new, instead of paying ridiculous prices for dirty old ones. You will drive me crazy with your craze. Send me no more rubbish and no more absurd tips. Take up some harmless hobby--suicide, for example. Let me never see your handwriting again, distractedly G. Bernard Shaw." Shaw dates his diatribe 3 July 1933 at top.
Provenance: Clifford Blears, the benighted recipient -- Seven Gables Book Shop, 1964 -- Victor Jacobs (sale, Sotheby's, 29 October 1996, lot 429) -- The present owner.
8vo. 20pp. Publisher's ribbed gray-green cloth, spine gilt (minor soiling, spine very slightly darkened, hinges neatly strengthened), otherwise a very good copy. In a dark green morocco gilt clamshell case, emerald green silk linings.
FIRST EDITION, WITH A FULL PAGE OF ACIDULOUS SHAVIAN INVECTIVE, LAMBASTING THE "CRAZE" OF FIRST EDITIONS. On the blank flyleaf, in dark blue ink, the beleagured Shaw has added a long, heart-felt tirade against those who collect modern first editions: "Dear Mr. Clifford Blears, Do throw all your first editions into the dustbin along with this, and buy, nice, clean cheap copies, quite new, instead of paying ridiculous prices for dirty old ones. You will drive me crazy with your craze. Send me no more rubbish and no more absurd tips. Take up some harmless hobby--suicide, for example. Let me never see your handwriting again, distractedly G. Bernard Shaw." Shaw dates his diatribe 3 July 1933 at top.
Provenance: Clifford Blears, the benighted recipient -- Seven Gables Book Shop, 1964 -- Victor Jacobs (sale, Sotheby's, 29 October 1996, lot 429) -- The present owner.