SHAW, George Bernard. Original Press Photograph of H. G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw. Chicago Herald. Dated 20/08/1960.

145mm x 175mm. Partial loss to top left-hand corner of photo. In fine condition.
Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells are among the best-known and most controversial literary figures of the twentieth century. Both were rebelliously critical of the social and political, familial and sexual conventions and structures of their time. They shared broadly similar interests, but their lifestyles differed sharply - as did their views on many subjects, including those discussed in their correspondence: religion, socialism, science, war and world history, the theatre, the profession of authorship, and more. The letters are always forthright, often abusive and quarrelsome, sometimes suggesting that the relationship cannot last. They are also often warm, good-natured, playful, and generous - reflecting a fundamental mutual respect and similarity of outlook, however contrasting the temperament and style. The great majority of the two writers  correspondence is published here for the first time.
In his 1901 book, “Anticipations,” H.G. Wells offered his predictions for the future and his belief that only an elite group of enlightened scientists and technicians could save humanity. The book caught the attention of London’s Fabian Society, a small group of accomplished men and women whose aim was to bring about socialism peacefully through the “permeation” of socialist ideas into universities and government. Some members thought that having Wells in their midst would make Fabianism interesting again, and in 1903 George Bernard Shaw, chair of their executive committee, led a group that put Wells for membership. The two authors were extremely close. In 1995 J. Percy Smith edited the Selected Correspondence of Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells in five volumes.