The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism by Bernard Shaw (Constable, 1st edition1928) dustwrapper by Eric Kennington
The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism
Bernard Shaw
London: Constable and Company Ltd, 1st edition 1928
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), playwright, critic, and political activist and commentator. This work a political treatise written in response to his sister-in-law’s question: “…Mary Stewart Cholmondeley*, the wife of Brigadier-General Sir Hugh Cecil Cholmondeley, had asked him to write a few notes to enable her to explain Socialism to the local Women’s Institute. She got much more than she had asked for […] 470 closely printed pages containing nearly a quarter million words. What the Women’s Institute made of it has never transpired.” Bernard Shaw: His Life Work and Friends by St. John Ervine (Constable, 1956) p.506.
Although not credited, the dustwrapper art was by sculptor, illustrator and war artist Eric Kennington (1888-1960) whose work included illustrations for Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence, and was the author and illustrator of Tanks and Tank Folk (Country Life, 1943)†.
Hardback. Publisher’s pale-green cloth with title and decoration in green and gilt; gilt to top edge of page-block; green endpapers. In a dustwrapper with art to front panel and other works to rear panel; priced 15/- to front flap. pp xxxvi, 1-470, index 471-[495]. Size: 9.25 x 6.25 inches approx. (236mm x 160mm).
Dustwrapper rubbed and worn; short tears and creasing, especially to top edge; wear to spine ends and corner tips with small loss; vertical creasing to spine; torn and creased to lower corner of rear panel/flap, some dampstaining apparent; dusty and spotted, especially to verso. Cloth a little dusty and faded in places but generally clean and bright; cloth marked and punctured to rear hinge (production fault maybe?); light dampstain to lower corner of rear board which has also seeped on to rear pastedown. Endpaper pastedowns foxed/mottled with loss of colour; occasional corner crease and dustiness but generally pages very clean throughout; edges of page-block spotted with some encroachment on to margins, top edge bumped and scratched to gilt.
Overall, showing some wear but otherwise a nice, clean copy and uncommon to find with its dustwrapper – quite lovely.
[SOLD]
*ref. Mary Stewart Cholmondeley [née Payne-Townshend], sister of Charlotte Frances Payne-Townshend (married to GBS 1898) The Peerage
†ref. The Dictionary of 20th Century British Book Illustrators by Alan Horne (Antique Collectors’ Club, 1994) & The Face of Courage: Eric Kennington, Portraiture and the Second World War by Jonathan Black (Philip Wilson Publishers, 2011) p.17
