Books

First Printing, one of 20,000 copies. Octavo (21cm); publisher's taupe cloth, with titles stamped in maroon and red on spine and front cover; dustjacket; [iv],[2],3-314,[2]pp. Hint of foxing to lower front cover, lower right corner of front board gently tapped (though still sharp); fresh internally; Near Fine. In the blue variant dustjacket, unclipped (priced $3.00), showing pinpoint wear to spine ends and corner tips, with two tiny tears to upper rear panel, and a faint, tiny stain to front panel; a bright, Near Fine copy. Orwell's towering work of dystopian fiction, the vocabulary of which has become a part of the fabric of our culture. "The title marks the triumph of the totalitarian state. Three superpowers divide the world and conduct sham wars. Newspeak is official, insidious language used to propagate lies. Big Brother polices you through two-way TV in your quarters. Romance is forbidden, sex is a political act. Personal opinion is neutralized by brainwashing. Life is hell. One of the half-dozen most influential novels of the twentieth century" (Barron, Anatomy of Wonder 3-302). Basis for two notable film adaptations: Michael Anderson's 1956 film starring Edmund O'Brien, and Michael Radford's later picture starring John Hurt and Richard Burton. An attractive copy of a notoriously wear-prone title. Fenwick A12b; Connolly 100; Burgess 99.

"1984" is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society ruled by a party led by the enigmatic figure, Big Brother. The story revolves around Winston Smith, a disillusioned man working for the Party whose job involves altering historical records to align with the Party's propaganda. Winston secretly harbors dissenting thoughts against the oppressive regime and begins a forbidden love affair with Julia, a fellow rebel. As they engage in acts of rebellion and attempt to challenge the Party's control, they are drawn into a web of surveillance, manipulation, and betrayal. The novel explores themes of censorship, surveillance, the nature of truth, the dangers of totalitarianism, and the resilience of the human spirit against oppressive regimes.