’The Doctor’s Dilemma’, ‘Getting Married’, and ‘The Showing-up of Blanco Posnet’ : Scarce With The Wrapper

The First UK printing published by Constable & Company Ltd, London in 1911. The BOOK is in Very Good++ or better condition. Light pushing to the spine ends. Light darkening to the edges with a few slight age related markings to the covers. The gilt titling to the spine remains bright. Light toning to the text-block with a little light toning to the page edges. Free from inscriptions. Mild offsetting to the blank end-papers. The scarce WRAPPER is complete and is in Very Good+ condition. Some loss to the spine ends but not involving any lettering. Slight loss to the upper corners with toning to the spine, folds and edges. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. The first collective edition of the texts in English, preceded by earlier German publication of the constituent plays. 7500 copies were printed. Shaw stated that he wrote 'The Doctor's Dilemma' to meet a challenge from his friend William Archer, a theatre critic, who claimed that Shaw could only be regarded as a supreme dramatist when he had written a play about death. The resultant work, a satire on the British medical profession in the early 20th century, remains widely regarded as a key work in Shaw's canon and in the fictional literature on medical ethics. The other two plays in the collection were first performed in 1908 and 1909 respectively and are here also published for the first time (Laurence A108). Collectible. Ashton Rare Books welcomes direct contact.