Books

FIRST UK EDITION, FIRST IMPRESSION. Cloth-bound, hardcover, octavo, pp. 92. English text. Bound in publisher's original green cloth, white spine titles, half title. Condition: VERY GOOD. Binding tight, secure, and square. Covers and contents very well-preserved. Without previous ownership markings. Lacking the rare dust jacket. Notes: First edition, first impression, of one of the greatest satires in the English language, written as a warning against political corruption and totalitarianism. Orwell's allegorical fable instantly made him famous, both in Britain and abroad, and has never been out of print. In this work, Orwell employed for the first time the literary technique which has so underpinned his enduring cultural relevance: "Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole" ("Why I Write", 1946). The imprint of the first impression reads "May 1945", though publication was delayed until August due to wartime paper shortages. An attractive copy lacking the dust jacket. Connolly 93; Fenwick A.10a.

Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who revolt against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where animals can be equal, free, and just. However, the revolution is hijacked by the pigs, who become just as oppressive as the humans. Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Soviet Union.