First Edition Bernard Shaw PLAYS: PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT volume 2 only, 1898
“Plays: Pleasant and Unpleasant” is a collection of plays by George Bernard Shaw, typically published in two volumes, one containing the “unpleasant” plays and the other the “pleasant” ones. The “unpleasant” plays, such as “Widowers’ Houses,” “The Philanderer,” and “Mrs. Warren’s Profession, ” tackle controversial social issues like slum landlordism, sexual morality, and the economic realities of prostitution. The “pleasant” plays, like “Arms and the Man” and “You Never Can Tell,” are generally considered more comedic and romantic, though they still often engage with social themes.