'Back to G.B.S. or A Midsummer Nightmare' by E. M. Barling. Original green cloth, pp.23. First edition, c.1931. 

Back to G.B.S. or, a Midsummer Nightmare was written by Edith M. Barling and originally published in 1931 as part of the Shaw Tercentenary Celebrations. It is a whimsical fantasy play set in the year 2156, exploring a world where George Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare have been mistakenly conflated in the popular imagination. 

     The play premiered at the Malvern Festival in Worcestershire. The festival originally launched in August 1929, founded by theatrical impresario Sir Barry Jackson and theatre manager Roy Limbert, and the event was primarily dedicated to the works of George Bernard Shaw who was the main patron.

     Barling's play premiered at the 1932 Malvern Festival which was structured around the theme "Four Hundred Years of English Drama". Organized under the direction of Sir Barry Jackson, the festival’s lineup featured a chronological survey of English theatrical history, culminating in a major contemporary premiere by Shaw himself, Too True to Be Good. 

     This item is signed by Shaw, Jackson, and Limbert, and we suspect was gifted between festival-goers. See condition notes for further details. 

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