1932 The Adventures of the Black Girl in her Search for God

Description

First Edition, Illustrated

A first edition, first impression of this illustrated edition of this work in the publisher's original pictorial boards. Featuring pictorial endpapers and illustrated vignettes from wood engraver John Farleigh, specially commissioned by the author.

A curious collection of short stories from playwright, polemicist and political activist George Bernard Shaw. The title tale is a satirical allegory relaying the experiences of an African girl newly converted to Christianity. 

The work caused controversy when released due to the religious, sexual and racial themes within the writing, and the wood engravings that compliment these themes. Shaw exacerbated the general furore by proposing intermarriage of the black and white population as a solution to racial problems in South Africa. This was taken as a bad joke in Britain, and as blasphemy in Nazi Germany.

The first impression of this illustrated edition. The book was first published in 1932, as 'Short Stories, Scraps and Shavings'. In December 1932 Constable and Company published this engraved edition, under the new title.