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This collection has use restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 5.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5,000 items) |
| Abstract | George Bernard Shaw was a playwright and critic; founding member of Fabian Society, 1884. The collection includes items related to George Bernard Shaw collected or received by Archibald Henderson (1877-1963), mathematics professor at the University of North Carolina, and other materials. Included is correspondence between Henderson and Shaw, his secretaries, and members of his family, largely relating to Henderson's biography of Shaw. Also included are letters and cards received from Shaw by Otto Kyllman of Constable & Co., London, publishers of Shaw's collected works, and carbon copies of the letters sent by Kyllman to Shaw. These letters, dated 1909-1950 (bulk 1929-1933), are concerned primarily with the business relations between the author and his publisher. Letters, 1891-1945 (photostatic copies), from Shaw to Sidney and Beatrice Potter Webb concern their common interest in the Fabian Society and socialism in theory and practice. Also included is correspondence, 1910-1950, between Shaw and Cyril Clemens. This consists largely of letters from Clemens to Shaw requesting permission to quote Shaw's work and to dedicate works to him, and soliciting his advice on publishing activities. Letters, 1888-1907 (copies), from Shaw to British publisher Thomas Fisher Unwin (1848-1935), concern publishing possibilities for his own work and that of others. Letters, 1896-1928, from Shaw to British actress Margaret Halstan (1879-1967) deal with the production of Shaw's plays in which Halstan appeared, offering advice on acting and making comments on the British theatrical scene. Letters from Shaw to Louis Calvert, Shavian actor and director, concern productions of Major Barbara. There is a small amount of other correspondence and compositions by Shaw as well as prints and photographs of Shaw and other subjects. |
| Creator | Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical
Information
George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin in 1856. He moved to London in 1876 to devote himself to writing. In London, he worked as art, music, and drama critic on various London journals. Shaw was a founding member of the Fabian Society in 1884 and edited its Fabian Essays in Socialism (1889).
Among his plays were Arms and the Man (1898); Caesar and Cleopatra (1900); Man and Superman (1903); Major Barbara (1905); Androcles and the Lion (1912); and Pygmalion (1912). Shaw also wrote novels, tracts and books on socialism, and collections of music and dramatic criticism. He received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1925. Shaw died in 1950.
(Adapted from Webster's New Biographical Dictionary (1983).)
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Scope and Content
The collection includes items related to author George Bernard Shaw collected or received by Archibald Henderson (1877-1963), mathematics professor at the University of North Carolina, and other materials. Included is correspondence between Henderson and Shaw, his secretaries, and members of his family, largely relating to Henderson's biography of Shaw. Also included are letters and cards received from Shaw by Otto Kyllman of Constable & Co., London, publishers of Shaw's collected works, and carbon copies of the letters sent by Kyllman to Shaw. These letters, dated 1909-1950 (bulk 1929-1933), are concerned primarily with the business relations between the author and his publisher. Letters, 1891-1945 (photostatic copies), from Shaw to Sidney Webb and Beatrice Potter Webb concern their common interest in the Fabian Society and socialism in theory and practice. Also included is correspondence, 1910-1950, between Shaw and Cyril Clemens. This consists largely of letters from Clemens to Shaw requesting permission to quote Shaw's work and to dedicate works to him, and soliciting his advice on publishing activities. Letters, 1888-1907 (copies), from Shaw to British publisher Thomas Fisher Unwin (1848-1935), concern publishing possibilities for his own work and that of others. Letters, 1896-1928, from Shaw to British actress Margaret Halstan (1879-1967) deal with the production of Shaw's plays in which Halstan appeared, offering advice on acting and making comments on the British theatrical scene. Letters from Shaw to Louis Calvert, Shavian actor and director, chiefly concern productions of Major Barbara. There is a small amount of other correspondence and compositions by Shaw as well as prints and photographs of Shaw and other subjects.
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Series Quick Links
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A. Constable & Co. Correspondence , 1909-1950.
Arrangement: chronological.
This series consists of file correspondence from Constable & Company, London, publishers, containing letters and cards received by Otto Kyllmann, Chairman of the company, from Shaw, with carbon copies of letters sent by Kyllman to Shaw. Constable & Company published Shaw's collected works. The letters, dated 1909-1950, with the bulk from the 1929-1933 period, are concerned primarily with the business relations between publisher and author. The letters show Shaw's meticulous care in revising, correcting, and adding to his former texts in preparation for publication of his collected works.
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B. Webb Correspondence, 1891-1945.
Arrangement: chronological.
This series consists solely of negative photostatic copies made from original manuscripts in the Library of the London School of Economics. The copies are of letters written by Shaw to Sidney and Beatrice Webb and pertain to their common interest and activity in the Fabian Society and socialism in theory and practice. Other letters, 1913-1916, concern the New Statesman, its politics and business affairs. Other letters discuss Irish politics, the war, and the death of Shaw's wife
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C. Clemens Correspondence, 1910-1950 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Primarily letters by Cyril Clemens to Shaw, asking about his writings, permission to quote, and advice on literary contracts. Also included is a 1948 manuscript (64 pages) of Shaw anecdotes Clemens wished to publish.
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E. Unwin Correspondence, 1888-1907.
Arrangement: chronological.
Copies received from the Archibald Henderson estate; location of originals is unknown. The copies are of letters by Shaw to Thomas Fisher Unwin, publisher of Joseph Conrad, W. Somerset Maugham, and others. Shaw's letters concern publishing possibilities in connection to his own work and other potential projects.
| Folder 18 |
Original Series E finding aid #03516, Series: "E. Unwin Correspondence, 1888-1907." Folder 18 |
1888-1907 #03516, Series: "E. Unwin Correspondence, 1888-1907." Folder 18 |
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D/F. Henderson Correspondence and Notes, 1878-1962 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
This series consists primarily of Archibald Henderson's correspondence with Shaw, his secretaries, and other members of the Shaw family (folders 19-101). Also present are some of Henderson's notes on Shaw, a Shaw family genealogy, and other related writings and Shaw manuscripts. These items are described in the listings for folders 102-138.
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G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948.
Arrangement: In order of acquisition.
Series consists of miscellaneous additions to the Shaw papers from various sources. Descriptions of the items are included as part of the folder list along with date of acquisition.
| Folder 139 |
Original Series G finding aid #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 139 |
Acquisition of November 1975: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 139
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| Folder 140 |
Acquisition of June 1976: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 140Als, 27 December 1928, Lewis Wynne to Shaw [letter requesting personal information]. |
| Folder 141 |
Acquisition of July-August 1976: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 141
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| Folder 142 |
Acquisition of November 1977: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 142Primarily letters from Shaw to C. H. Grinling, Socialist member of the Woolwich Borough Council. Includes:
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| Folder 143 |
Acquisition of June 1980: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 143Corrected typescript of Shaw's On Driving Capital Out of the Country. |
| Folder 144 |
Acquisition of October 1980: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 144
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| Folder 145 |
Acquisition of October 1980: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 145TLs, 7 October 1935, Shaw to Hamish Hamilton |
| Folder 146 |
Acquisition of October 1980: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 146TD with corrections, 16 January 1931, Shaw on the tendency of authors to be overly generous in assigning rights to publishers. |
| Folder 147 |
Acquisition of July 1981: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 147Materials relating to the publication of Shaw's Three Plays for Puritans, consisting of memorandum of agreement between Shaw and Grant Richards, receipts from the printer, R.& R. Clarke, Ltd., notes about the proof sheets, royalty statements, and other similar documents. |
| Folder 148 |
Acquisition of July 1981: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 148TLs with corrections, 11 June 1948, Shaw to Mr. Bentley. |
| Folder 149-153 |
Acquisition of August 1981: #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 149-153Cards and letters, 1937-1938, from Shaw to Henry Charles Duffin with revised typescript of The Quintessence of Bernard Shaw. Folder 149Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153 |
| Folder 154 |
Addition of January 1986 (Acc. 86001): #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 154ALs, 25 November 1945 by Shaw to Jean Dauven with two 1931 agreements, one with Constable & Co. and the other with Fountain Press. |
| Folder 155 |
Addition of January 1997 (Acc. 97051): #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 155Manuscript comments on Stalin and the Second World War, written in answer to a questionnaire from Hubert Humphreys. Also includes an autograph card by Shaw to Humphreys agreeing to answer the questions, 19 November 1940. |
| Folder 156 |
Addition of April 2006 (Acc. 100369) #03516, Series: "G. Miscellaneous, 1893-1948." Folder 156Letters, 1905-1920, from Shaw to Louis Calvert, Shakespearean and Shavian actor and director. Letters chiefly concern the original London production of Major Barbara in 1905 and the New York production in 1915. |
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H. Halstan Correspondence, 1896-1928.
Arrangement: chronological.
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I. Pictures, 1879-1954 and undated.
Arrangement: roughly chronological.
Note: Photographs P-3616/14-24 were taken by E. O. Hoppe of South Kensington, England.
Processed by: Tim Pyatt, April 1997
Encoded by: Jackie Dean, April 2006
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