Use Restrictions

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Letter from George Bernard Shaw to unknown recipient regarding university education, C0425, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Donor is unknown

Processing Information

Processing and finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in February 2024.

Biographical Information

George Bernard Shaw, also known as G. Bernard Shaw or Bernard Shaw, was an Irish dramatist, critic, and social reformer. Shaw was born in Dublin on July 26, 1856 to a lower-middle class family. While his mother was a professional singer and voice teacher, his father was a failed-corn merchant and likely alcoholic. As a child, Shaw attended four schools and was tutored by his uncle, but left formal schooling behind at the age of 15. Not long before Shaw turned 16, his mother left the family and moved to London, with her son following in 1876 to pursue a career as a journalist and creative writer. While in London Shaw also became involved in progressive politics, declaring himself a socialist in 1882 and joining the Fabian Society, a precursor to the modern Labour Party, in 1884. For the next almost 50 years, Shaw would establish himself as a dramatist, insightful critic of music, art, and drama, and a prominent political writer and public speaker. Shaw passed away on November 2, 1950 at the age of 94.

Scope and Content

A typed letter, dated December 13, 1913, written by George Bernard Shaw to an unknown recipient advising the recipient to postpone career questions until "he" has enrolled in and finished university. The letter was written while Shaw was living at 10 Adelphi Terrace in London and the salutation says simply "Dear Sir." The letter does not include a formal written signature, but instead includes a typed signature reading "/S/ G. Bernard Shaw."

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center holds the Robert and Wilva Breen papers, which contains correspondence from Shaw, as well as other collections of correspondence .

The National Library of Ireland , Kent State University's Special Collections and Archives , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Rare Book & Manuscript Library , and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Wilson Special Collections Library all hold collections of George Bernard Shaw correspondence.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Correspondence
• Dramatists, Irish -- 20th century -- Correspondence
• Education, Higher
• Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950
• Socialism