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University of Texas at Austin

George Bernard Shaw:

An Inventory of His Collection at the Harry Ransom Center

Creator: Shaw, George Bernard, 1856-1950
Title: George Bernard Shaw Collection
Dates: 1757-1963 (bulk 1875-1950)
Extent: 80 boxes (33.3 linear feet), 1 oversize box, 13 galley folders, 10 oversize files, and 1 bound volume
Abstract: Holograph manuscripts and typescripts of working and finished versions of plays, essays, correspondence, and financial and legal records are all represented in this collection. Diaries, scrapbooks, materials accumulated by Shaw's wife, and drafts of articles and books written about the Nobel Prize winning Irish journalist and playwright are also present. The bulk of the materials reflect many of Shaw's most popular works, including Candida (1894), Pygmalion (1912), and Saint Joan (1923).
Call Number: Manuscript Collection MS-03803
Language: English.
Access Open for research

Digitized sound recordings are available for this collection. Click here to explore.

Administrative Information 2 matches


Acquisition Purchases and gifts, 1958-1990 A large portion of the Ransom Center's G.B. Shaw Collection was included in the 1958 purchase of part of T.E. Hanley's collection of modern art and literature. Hanley held the largest private collection of Shaw's works and it's transfer to the University of Texas, along with other Hanley material, forms one of the cornerstones of the Ransom Center holdings. In the folder list, and indices, items that were not acquired as part of the Hanley Collection are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Processed by Sally M. Nichols & Chelsea Jones, 1999
Repository:

Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Biographical Sketch 28 matches


Born in Dublin, Ireland, on July 26, 1856, George Bernard Shaw was the only son and third and youngest child of George Carr and Lucinda Elizabeth Gurly Shaw. Though descended from landed Irish gentry, Shaw's father was unable to sustain any more than a facade of gentility. Shaw's official education consisted of being tutored by an uncle and briefly attending Protestant and Catholic day schools. At fifteen Shaw began working as a bookkeeper in a land agent's office which required him to go out among the poor to collect rent, thus giving him an early familiarity with economic injustice. Outside of work, books, theater, and art captured his attention, but it was music that pervaded his home. His mother took singing lessons from a well known Dublin music teacher who eventually moved into the Shaw household. When her teacher moved to London Shaw's mother and two sisters followed. Shaw joined them the following year at the age of twenty hoping to make a living by writing.
His first years in London, 1876-1884, were filled with frustration and poverty. Depending on his mother's income as a music teacher and a pound a week sent by his father from Dublin, Shaw spent his days in the British Museum reading room writing novels and reading, and his evenings attending lectures and debates by the middle class intelligentsia. He became a vegetarian, a socialist, a skillful orator, and developed his first beginnings as a playwright. A driving force behind the Fabian Society, he threw himself into committee work, wrote socialist pamphlets, and spoke to crowds several times a week. Shaw began his journalism career as a book reviewer and art, music, and drama critic, always downgrading the artificialities and hypocrisies he found in those arts.
Shaw remained a boarder in his mother's home until 1889, leaving only when, at the age of 42, he married Irish heiress and fellow Fabian Charlotte Payne-Townshend; the marriage lasting until her death in 1943. Though Shaw experimented with drama from his early twenties he did not see a play of his produced on stage until 1892 with Widowers' Houses, a dramatized socialist tract on slumlordism. Shaw's writings were often controversial as in The Philanderer (1898), a play about the "new woman," and Mrs. Warren's Profession (1898), depicting organized commercial prostitution. His plays were often comical as well and it was not unusual to have serious themes in juxtaposition with a comedic plot. In almost everything he wrote Shaw saw his mission as that of a reformer and felt people should be able to hear important ideas discussed in the theater.
Shaw prefaced his plays with introductory essays dealing not only with the plays themselves but with the themes suggested by the plays; these essays became well known on their own. A Shaw innovation was to write stage directions and descriptions in narrative style in the texts rather than in the usual directorial form. Before a cast was selected for his plays, he would invite potential actors to come for readings and would read the play in its entirety to them acting out the parts exactly as he meant them to be performed. He also attended rehearsals where he gave helpful advice to actors having difficulty with a role.
In addition to his plays, which he continued to write into his nineties, Shaw wrote numerous essays on literary, economic, political, and social topics as well as essays, introductions, and reviews of novelists and poets, and was a prolific letter writer. He continued to be controversial when he spoke out on various issues as he was inclined to tell the truth as he saw it and could be ruthlessly honest. Shaw received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925 after the success of his play Saint Joan, and the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for Pygmalion in 1938, later made into the musical My Fair Lady (1956). George Bernard Shaw died on November 2, 1950.

Sources 4 matches


Dictionary of Literary Biography, v. 10 (Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Co., 1982).
Dictionary of Literary Biography, v. 57 (Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Co., 1987).
Holroyd, Michael. Bernard Shaw, 4 vols. (New York: Random House, 1988).
Pearson, Hesketh. Bernard Shaw, His Life and Personality (London: Methuen & Co. 1961).

Scope and Contents 52 matches


Scope and Contents
Holograph and typescripts of working and finished versions of plays and essays, correspondence, financial records, and legal agreements are all represented in the George Bernard Shaw collection, 1770-1963 (bulk 1875-1950). Diaries, scrapbooks, materials accumulated by Shaw's wife, and drafts of articles and books written about Shaw are also present. The collection is arranged alphabetically by title or author and divided into five series: Series I. Works, 1878-1950 (31 boxes); Series II. Correspondence, 1780-1963 (25 boxes); Series III. Personal Papers, 1876-1950 (7 boxes); Series IV. Charlotte Shaw Personal Papers and Household Records, 1883-1943 (5 boxes); and Series V. Third-Party Works, Legal Documents, and Financial Records, 1757-1960 (12 boxes). This collection was previously accessible through a card catalog, but has been re-cataloged as part of a retrospective conversion project.
The Works Series contains material by Shaw in a variety of formats, including holograph drafts, typescripts, galley and page proofs, filmscripts, pamphlets, articles, poems, lectures, prefaces, and reviews. The Center holds a large number of Shaw's plays in versions varying from drafts and fragments to rehearsal and directors' prompt copies. Three novels are also represented in the collection.
The Correspondence Series contains letters to and from Shaw, and between people associated with Shaw. Many of the letters to Shaw are from admirers, fundraising agencies, publishers, theaters, and friends.
The Personal Papers Series contains a series of agreements with publishers and producers, notes for and translations of a number of plays, as well as diaries, scrapbooks, and incidental notes and lists created by Shaw or with his collaboration. Financial records and additional legal documents are also included here.
The Charlotte Shaw Personal Papers and Household Records Series contains a few notes and lists created by Shaw's wife and a small number of letters written by her, as well as a great deal of business correspondence sent to her by various contractors and publishers as well as a few personal letters from friends and acquaintances. Also included here are household financial records and legal documents including a draft of Charlotte's Will and two passports.
The Third-Party Works, Legal Documents, and Financial Records Series is made up of notes, drafts, and proofs of essays, interviews, biographies, and plays written about Shaw or sent to him with requests for reviews or comments. Many items have short notes written by Shaw on the manuscripts.

Series Descriptions
Series I. Works, 1878-1950
The Works Series contains manuscript materials, including drafts, prompt books, and screenplay adaptations, for forty-one of Shaw's plays; particularly well-represented are Androcles and the Lion (1916), The Apple Cart (1930), Arms and the Man (1898), Buoyant Billions (1947), Caesar and Cleopatra (1901), Fanny's First Play (1914), Getting Married (1911), Great Catherine (1919), John Bull's Other Island (1907), Misalliance (1914), Pygmalion (1916), Saint Joan (1924), The Showing up of Blanco Posnet (1911), and Too True to Be Good (1932).
Essays, poems, novels, and diaries are also represented in the collection. The three novels present are Immaturity (composed 1879, published 1931), Love Among the Artists (1887-1888), and An Unsocial Socialist (1884). Stanley Rypin's unpublished transcriptions of Shaw's shorthand personal diaries may be of particular interest to scholars. In addition, there are hundreds of articles, notes, prefaces to works of other authors, reviews, prepared lectures, and fragmentary comments, varying in length from a scrap of paper to several pages.
Series II. Correspondence, 1780-1963
Over 4,000 business and personal letters are found in the Correspondence Series which is divided into three subseries: A. Outgoing Correspondence, 1875-1950 (15.5 boxes); B. Incoming Correspondence, 1875-1950 (8 boxes); and C. Third-party Correspondence, 1780-1963 (1.5 boxes). Individual authors and recipients can be identified in the Index of Correspondents at the end of this finding aid.
Outgoing Correspondence contains a great deal of personal correspondence from Shaw to friends and acquaintances spanning the better part of Shaw's life. Of particular note are letters written to fellow writers Charles Charrington, Harley Granville-Barker, Archibald Henderson, William Maxwell, Grant Richards, Siegfried Trebitsch, John Vedrenne, and Frederick Whelen, as well as to translator Janet Achurch, actress Lena Ashwell, his secretary Blanche Patch, and others. He also carried on extensive correspondence with his printer, R. & R. Clark.
Incoming Correspondence contains significantly less personal material, being made up of a great many requests for autographs, speaking engagements, money, clarification of his political or social position, arguments with those positions, and similar items. Other correspondents ask for permission to perform Shaw's plays or report on the financial state of approved performances. Almost all of these letters to Shaw have a written or typed response from Shaw which was later transcribed and sent by Shaw's personal secretary. A number of letters to Shaw are in German and French and this is indicated in the Index of Correspondents. Personal letters to Shaw in this section include letters from Frank Harris, Roy Limbert, Margaret Mackworth, Lucy Shaw, Sidney Webb, and others.
The Third-Party Correspondence subseries is made up of some personal but primarily business letters written between people associated with Shaw including Arthur Fifield, Archibald Henderson, Blanche Patch, R. & R. Clark, Lucy Shaw, and others. This subseries also includes letters between Townshend family members from as early as 1780.
Series III. Personal Papers, 1876-1950
The Personal Papers Series is made up of documents which Shaw had some part in creating but which are not considered "works."These include legal agreements, translations of Shaw's works which Shaw approved or edited, day books, financial records, and other items. This series is divided into six subseries: A. Agreements, Notes, and Translations for Works by Shaw, 1895-1940 (4 boxes); B. Applications, Memberships, and Subscriptions, 1898-1950 (.5 box); C. Diaries and Scrapbooks, 1876-1928 (1.5 box); D. Financial Records, 1885-1950 (.33 box); E. Legal Documents, 1907-1950 (.33 box); and F. Lists and Notes, 1879-1949 (.33 box).
The Agreements, Notes, and Translations for Works by Shaw subseries contains memoranda of agreement with publishers, translators, and other concerned parties for specific plays, including Arms and the Man, Candida, and The Devil's Disciple. Also included here are translations in French and Italian of several of Shaw's plays, notes by Shaw about translations, rough drafts of agreements, and a few financial arrangements for specific plays.
The remaining subseries contain completed applications and pre-printed forms for a variety of organizations. Additionally, day books, notebooks, and three scrapbooks for the Serenade Club are present, as are receipts forroyalty payments, canceled checks and records and correspondence regarding the leasing of Shaw's apartments between 1940 and 1949. Copies of Shaw's last will and testament and general licensing and publishing agreements between 1907 and 1950 are included as well as fragments and lists pertaining to a wide variety of topics.
Series IV. Charlotte Shaw Personal Papers and Household Records, 1883-1943
The Charlotte Shaw Series is composed of works, letters, and records of Charlotte Frances Payne-Townshend Shaw primarily from her years as Shaw's wife. This series is arranged into four subseries: A. Works, Notes, and Lists, 1890-1938 (.5 box); B. Correspondence, 1883-1943 (3.5 boxes); C. Financial Records, 1885-1942 (1 box); and D. Legal Documents, 1901-1935 (1 folder).
The Works, Notes and Lists subseries contains a few items by Charlotte Shaw, including an essay on servants and a two volume summary of Tertium organum by Ouspensky. Items in this subseries are listed in the Index of Works by other Authors.
The Correspondence subseries is divided into two sections: Outgoing, 1899-1943, and Incoming, 1883-1943. Outgoing includes a small amount of personal correspondence with T.E. Lawrence, Margaret Mackworth, and Dorothy Walker, as well as others. Incoming Correspondence is made up of a great deal of business correspondence with utility companies, contractors, and publishers regarding bills, payments, and statements. There are also a few personal letters from friends and fellow Fabians. Personal letters to Charlotte have been included in the Index of Correspondents at the end of this finding aid.
The Financial Records Subseries contains canceled checks, receipts for payment and meticulous household expense books for 1885-1939, including wages paid to servants and the price of groceries.
Legal Records is a small subseries containing a draft of Charlotte Shaw's will, two passports, and agreements regarding the rights of some of Shaw's literary works.
Series V. Works by other Authors, 1757-1960
The Third-Party Works, Legal Documents, and Financial Records Series contains 12 boxes of materials written by other authors. Some items have notes or comments by Shaw on them. In addition to creative manuscripts, there are also early legal documents written by members of the Townshend family. The most extensive materials in this series are the manuscripts for Stephen Winsten's biography of Shaw, Jesting Apostle: The Life of Bernard Shaw,followed by the notes and manuscripts of R.F. Rattray's Bernard Shaw: A Chronicle, as well as two reviews of Shaw's works and philosophy. Also included are works by Augustin Hamon, Tullah Hanley, Archibald Henderson, Hesketh Pearson, and others. Individual authors and titles can be identified in the Index of Works by other Authors at the end of this finding aid.

Related Material 3 matches


Other materials associated with Shaw may be found in the following collections at the Ransom Center:
  • Archer, William
  • Baring, Maurice, Hon.
  • Bax, Clifford
  • Beerbohm, Max, Sir
  • Belloc, Hilaire
  • Coburn, Al/Gernsheim
  • Cockerell, Sydney Carlyle, Sir
  • Conkle, E.P./TA
  • Conrad, Joseph
  • Contempo
  • Craig, Edward Gordon
  • Croft-Cooke, R.
  • Downing, Robert/TA
  • Ervine, St. John Greer
  • Garnett, Edward
  • Garvin, J.L.
  • Gernsheim, Helmut
  • Graham, R.B.C.
  • Granville-Barker, Harley
  • Granville
  • Grassner, John
  • Greene, Graham
  • Harris, Frank
  • Jonathan Cape
  • Joyce, James
  • Knopf, Alfred A.
  • Lawrence, Frieda
  • Lawrence, Thomas Edward
  • Lehmann, John
  • Lowndes, Marie Adelaide Belloc
  • Lucas, Edward Verrall
  • Mackenzie, Compton, Sir
  • MacNamara, Brinsley
  • Marriott, Raymond B.
  • Masefield, John
  • Moeller P.
  • Morley, Christopher Darlinton
  • Morrell, Ottoline Violet Anne Cavendish Bentinck, Lady
  • O'Casey, Sean
  • Owen, Peter
  • Palmer, Herbert Edward
  • Patmore, Derek
  • PEN
  • Priestley, John Boynton
  • Richards, Grant
  • Roché, HP/Lake
  • Rodgers, William Robert
  • Russell, Bertrand Russell
  • Scott-James, Rolfe Arnold
  • Sitwell, Osbert, Sir
  • Smith, Ernest Bramah
  • Story Family (Stark Library)
  • Tarkington, Booth
  • Terry, Ellen, Dame
  • Tomlinson, Henry Major
  • Traubel, Horace (Stark Library)
  • Trevelyan, George Macaulay
  • Wells, Herbert George
  • Wilde, Oscar
  • Winsten, Clare--Art Collection
  • Wise, Thomas James
  • Yeats, William Butler

Separated Material 8 matches


Available elsewhere in the Ransom Center is a collection of 871 photographs in the Literary Files of the Photography Collection. This collection includes portraits of Shaw as well as photographs taken by Shaw and provide an excellent overview of Shaw as both dramatist and man. The photographs are contained in 8 boxes and 4 albums.
There are 315 items located in the Art Collection including prints, sketches, paintings, etchings and sculptures of and by Shaw.
The Ransom Center also holds 285 Vertical File folders of newspaper clippings and other printed matter having to do with Shaw's life and career. Also available are a large number of Scrap Books containing a range of materials including theater programs for Shaw's various plays, newspaper clippings, reviews, journal articles about Shaw and his work, and a collection of information about the actress Ellen O'Malley.
The Center's Personal Effects Collection includes a small number of personal items which belonged to Shaw. These include a letter opener, several items of clothing, a lock of hair, a weather gauge, and a thermometer.
Sound recordings were transferred to the Ransom Center's Sound Recording collection and are described individually in a list at the end of this finding aid and in a searchable database.

Index Terms 2 matches


Correspondents
Achurch, Janet.
Ashwell, Lena, 1871- .
Barnes, Kenneth Ralph, Sir, 1878-1957.
Bennett, Arnold, 1867-1931.
Campbell, Patrick, Mrs., 1865-1940.
Charrington, Charles.
Cherry-Garrard, Apsley, 1886-1959.
Cockerell, Sydney Carlyle, Sir, 1867-1962.
Evans, Frederick Huston.
Farleigh, John.
Fifield, Arthur C.
Forbes-Robertson, Johnston, Sir, 1853-1937.
Granville-Barker, Harley, 1877-1946.
Hamon, Augustin Frederic, 1862-1945.
Hanley, T. Edward.
Harris, Frank, 1855-1931.
Henderson, Archibald, 1877-1963.
Jones, Henry Arthur, 1851-1929.
Limbert, Roy.
Loewenstein, Fritz Erwin, 1901- .
Mackworth, Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, 1883- .
Maxwell, William, 1873-1957.
McCarthy, Lillah, 1875- .
O'Malley, Ellen.
Patch, Blanche Eliza, 1878- .
Pearson, Hesketh, 1887-1964.
Pease, Edward Reynolds, 1857- .
Percy, Esmé, 1887-1957.
Richards, Grant, 1872-1948.
Rattray, R. J.
Rehan, Ada, 1857-1916.
Robins, Elizabeth, 1862-1952.
Salt, Henry Stephens, 1851-1939.
Shaw, Charlotte Frances Payne-Townshend.
Shaw, Lucy Carr, 1853-1926.
Trebitsch, Siegfried, 1869-1956.
Tree, Viola, 1884- .
Vedrenne, John Eugene, 1867-1930.
Webb, Beatrice Potter, 1858-1943.
Webb, Sidney, 1859-1947.
Whelen, Frederick, 1867- .
Winsten, Stephen.

Organizations
Fabian Society (Great Britain).
R. & R. Clark.

Subjects
Authors, Irish--19th century.
Drama--History and criticism.
Dramatists, Irish--19th century.
Dramatists, Irish--20th century.
Fabianism, England.
Novelists, English--20th century.
Social classes--England.
Speech and social status.

Document types
Diaries.
Forgeries.
Galley proofs.
Legal instruments.
Postcards.
Prompt books.
Scrapbooks.
Scripts.

G. B. Shaw Collection--Folder List 44 matching container list entries