Books

[Kraków?]: Oficyna Literacka, 1985. First edition of the Lebenstein illustrated, Polish "Animal Farm". Samizdat edition. In publisher's burgundy leatherette with gilt title on the front panel.. First edition of the Lebenstein illustrated, Polish "Animal Farm". Samizdat edition. (2), 5-48, (4) p. and 10 plates with mounted offset colored illustrations. Illustrated Polish samizdat edition of Orwell's classic, "The Animal Farm". Jan Lebenstein (1930-1999; born in Poland and lived most of his life in France), was a figurative painter who mixed surrealist style with fantastic and abstract elements. His works could be found in the major collections all over the world, among them in MoMA. He created the illustrations for the Animal Farm in 1974 and it was first published together with the text in this edition, in 1985 as a samizdat. .

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.

Look for the publisher Secker & Warburg on the copyright page, as well as the publication date. Misprints or specific typography might also be indicative of first editions.