SHAW: THE PAPERS OF BERNARD SHAW (1856-1950)
from the British Library, London

Part 1: Plays, Poems, Novels & Short Stories

"This project provides rich coverage of some of Shaw's most important work." 
Professor Leonard Conolly
Consultant Editor
Department of English, Trent University

Shaw transformed the theatre in his life time.  He championed social realism, and introduced his audiences to a new drama of ideas and debates, sparkling with wit. Plays such as Man and Superman, Major Barbara, Misalliance, Pygmalion, Heartbreak House, Saint Joan, Arms and the Man, and Caesar and Cleopatra were immensely popular when they first appeared and continue in the repertory today.  

Shaw's plays earned him the unique distinction of winning a Nobel Prize for Literature and an Academy Award.  His writings provoke thought and argument, and many of them continue to be set texts for students today.

Part 1 of this project provides a full range of original source materials concerning the plays, enabling a thorough investigation of any of them.  We include:

• Drafts and synopses
• Original manuscripts of the plays with deleted scenes
• Marked up prompt copies and rehearsal notes
• Typescripts and film scripts                   

This will be an invaluable source for anyone studying modern drama or attempting to produce one of Shaw's plays.  The plays are also an ideal starting point for discussions of class and gender, imperialism and morality.