Bernard Shaw and the Webbs

David E. Kemp, a former professor of drama at Queen’s University, is
the author of The Pleasures and Treasures of the United Kingdom.

Barry Jackson (1879–1961) was an English theatre manager and director
who founded the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (widely considered the
finest provincial theatre in the country during his tenure) and the
Malvern Festival. Never afraid to be unconventional, he staged a
production of Shaw’s Back to Methuselah that took four days to
perform. This edition of selected Shaw–Jackson correspondence invites
the general reader to eavesdrop on some of the most witty and urbane
theatre talk one could imagine. As well, the book will be of immense
value to scholars and anyone interested in 20th-century British theatre.


Sidney Webb (1859–1947) and his wife Beatrice (1858–1943) were
English social historians and economists. Sidney played a critical role
in establishing the London School of Economics, where he taught for 15
years. An active member of the Labour Party, he entered Parliament in
1922 and founded the Fabian Society. The selected correspondence between
Shaw and the Webbs covers the period 1883–1946. Over half of the 140
annotated letters have never been published before. This immensely
enjoyable and informative collection extends the general view of Shaw
the dramatist to encompass Shaw the political activist and lifelong
friend of the Webbs.