Books

Harcourt Brace, 1949. First American Edition. hardcover. Very Good. 0x0x0. Harcourt, Brace and Company; New York, 1949. Hardcover. First US Edition. A Very Good, grey cloth binding with red lettering on front board and black and red lettering on spine, binding sturdy and intact, bit of crimping to spine edges, mild stress crease to spine, some sunning to spine and board margins, age toning to pages, mild spine lean, couple of small and faint moisture stains to bit dusty top text block edge, very mild scattered foxing to text block edges and pastedowns/endpapers, previous owner ink info top front free endpaper, in a Very Good, some handling/scuff marks to panels, bit of edge/corner wear, few small tears and chips along edges, crease to spine, rubbing along turns, moderate sunning to spine and verso, all four flap corners neatly clipped, faint crease to front panel, Dust wrapper. A nice and overall clean copy. 8vo[octavo or approx. 6 x 9], 314pp. We pack securely and ship daily…

"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.

The first edition can be identified by the publisher Secker & Warburg and the publication date of 8 June 1949, as well as the absence of a dust jacket that later variation contained. The first edition was published in both RED and GREEN jackets at the same time. It is considered that the red jacket is the more collectible as it was seemingly printed in a smaller quantity than the green jacket.