Spoken Word: Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells Rare historic radio recordings published for the first time

The surviving BBC radio broadcasts of two of the most celebrated writers of the early 20th century, George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells, are published for the first time by the British Library today as part of a new series of historic literary CDs.

Bernard Shaw was a very prominent figure in the early years of radio in Britain and he made regular broadcasts over a period of almost 25 years. Despite a sometimes tense relationship with the BBC, fuelled by his determination to use the new medium to promote some of his more controversial views, Shaw frequently appeared at or near the top of the lists of listener polls and surveys as one of their most popular speakers.

The surviving recordings address a characteristically wide range of topics, from social equality and the evils of capitalism to the nature of drama. All of Shaw's surviving BBC radio broadcasts from his first to his final recording at 91 years old, with the exception of his 1930 speech on Albert Einstein (which was released last year on the British Library's 'Albert Einstein - Historic Recordings' CD) are collected here for the first time.

For the first time all the surviving BBC radio broadcasts of H.G. Wells are published on CD. The earliest dates from 1931, by which time Wells was already in his sixties and a renowned public figure, recognised not only for his novels, but also his astute commentary on social and political affairs.

The 11 recordings on this CD include his talk in the celebrated series 'Whither Britain?', a 1939 broadcast on 'The Future of Europe' and his post-war vision for what he termed a 'New World'. Whether discussing the day-to-day impact of the motor car or the destiny of the entire human race, Wells lives up to his reputation as a man of uncommon foresight.

Richard Fairman Service Development Officer at the British Library Sound Archive and compiler of the CD, said: "Controversial, surprising and sometimes wilfully extreme - these extraordinary historic broadcasts bring to life two of the leading writers of the 20th century and show us today just how right or wrong they were as prophets of an uncertain future."

The recordings are distributed under licence from the BBC.

For further information, contact Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office: 020 7412 7112 or ruth.howlett@bl.uk

Notes to Editors

The Spoken Word - Bernard Shaw, ISBN 0-7123-0531-9 2CD set £15.95 inc. vat and The Spoken Word - H.G Wells ISBN 0-7123-0532-7 CD £9.95 inc. vat. Published by the British Library. The CD sets will be on sale at the British Library Shop. The CDs can also be purchased online at http://www.bl.uk/services/publications/onlineshop.html

'Albert Einstein - Historic Recordings 1930-1947' The second and third tracks of the CD feature Bernard Shaw and Einstein speaking at a fund-raising dinner on behalf of Jewish charities at the Savoy Hotel, London, in 1930. The survival of this live 35-minute recording, almost in its entirety, is itself a rare event, given its date so early in the history of radio.
Price £9.95 inc VAT. ISBN 0-7123-0521 1. Published by the British Library and on sale through the British Library Bookshop, through UK bookshops, or online at: http://www.bl.uk/services/publications/onlineshop.html

The British Library Sound Archive is one of the largest sound archives in the world. It holds over a million discs, 200,000 tapes, and many other sound and video recordings. The collections come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound from music, drama and literature, to oral history and wildlife sounds.

Collection material comes in every conceivable format, from wax cylinder and wire recordings to CD and DVD, and from a wide variety of private, commercial and broadcast sources. The British Library Sound Archive also has a wide-ranging recording programme of its own.

Full track listings follow

Bernard Shaw

Disc 1

1. A Message to America
   Date of broadcast: 11.10.1931
   Duration: 9.21
2. Rungs of the Ladder No.10 [extract]
   Date of broadcast: 11.07.1932
   Duration: 6.22
3. Address at British Drama League Conference, Edinburgh [extracts]
   Date of broadcast: 28.10.1933
   Duration: 8.15
4. Whither Britain?
   Date of broadcast: 06.02.1934
   Duration: 32.26

Disc 2

1. Talks for Sixth Forms: Modern Education
   Date of broadcast: 11.06.1937
   Duration: 16.12
2. As I see it
   Date of broadcast: 02.11.1937
   Duration: 15.00
3. National Theatre – handing over deeds of site
   Date of broadcast: 22.04.1938
   Duration: 3.00
4. Dark Lady of the Sonnets - introduction
   Date of broadcast: 22.04.1938
   Duration: 8.51 [including intoduction]
5. Greetings to visitors on his 88th birthday, 26.7.44
   Date of broadcast: 26.07.1944
   Duration: 0.47
6. A televised talk on his 90 th birthday
   Date of recording: 24.07.1946
   Date of broadcast: 26.07.1946
   Duration: 9.56
7. On receiving the freedom of the borough of St.Pancras
   Date of broadcast: 09.10.1946
   Duration: 19.54
   Dubbed: 17.01.06
8. Dialogue between Bernard Shaw, C.B. Cochran for 'London Theatre'
   Date of recording: 05.11.1947
   Date of broadcast: 12.11.1947
   Duration: 9.20

H G Wells Track Listing

1. Russia in the melting pot
   Date of broadcast: 13.07.1931
   Duration: 2.47
2. Modern Conditions
   Date of recording: 14.05.1932
   Duration: 1.27
3. Talk on communications
   Date of recording: 19.11.1932
   Duration: 2.48
4. Whither Britain
   Date of broadcast: 09.01.1934
   Duration: 8.21
5. I knew a man
   Date of recording: 04.10.1935
   Duration: 4.44
6. As I see it
   Date of recording: 21.12.1937
   Duration: 13.25
7. The Future of Europe. Speech at Foyle's Literary Luncheon
   Date of recording: 23.11.1939
   Duration: 9.00
8. The World goes by
   Date of recording: 24.01.1940
   Duration: 7.10
9. Reshaping Man's Heritage
   Date of recording: 15.01.1943
   Duration: 12.05
10. Science and the citizen
    Date of recording: 21.03.1943
    Duration: 9.40