Books

Third impression of the first edition, issued the same month (January 1933) as the original impression. 8vo. 288pp. Black cloth with somewhat faded yellow lettering to the spine. Top edge dust marked, with some occasional marking to the cloth, and the corner tips and backstrip ends a little rubbed and chafed. Contemporary ("July 1934") former owner name and date pencilled to the front free endpaper. Some light occasional, mostly marginal, spotting and soiling. Partial date inkstamp to the rear pastedown, alongside the remnants of a label. About a good copy of the author's elusive first book. No dust wrapper. The original impression was issued in early January 1933 and consisted of 1,500 copies. A second impression of 500 further copies was issued shortly thereafter, followed by a final third impression consisting of a further 1,000 copies also in January 1933, after which the type was dispersed and the book was not published again in the UK until the Penguin paperback edition of 1940. See Fenwick A.1c.

George Orwell’s 'Down and Out in Paris and London' is a gritty memoir splitting its narrative between the two cities named, exploring the underbelly of society and the life of the author's own experiences living in poverty. The book dives into themes of class, society, and the struggle for survival in an indifferent world.