Books

First edition, first impression, in the scarcer red dust jacket. The first impression was issued in green and red dust jackets simultaneously; judging from surviving examples, this was done in proportions of about two green to one red. Warning against totalitarianism in any guise, Orwell's final book has exerted a monumental impact on the English language, coining terms such as "double think" and "Big Brother". "No novel of the past century has had more influence than George Orwell's 1984. The title, the adjectival form of the author's last name, the vocabulary of the all-powerful party... It's almost impossible to talk about propaganda, surveillance, authoritarian politics, or perversions of truth without dropping a reference to 1984" (Packer). Octavo. Original light green cloth, spine lettered in red, top edge red. With red dust jacket. Spine and edges sunned, extremities slightly bumped, trace of label removal to front pastedown, contents clean; jacket a little rubbed and price-clipped, spine sunned, extremities lightly chipped and worn with minor loss to foot of spine, a couple of short splits to flap folds: a very good copy in a very good jacket. Fenwick A12a. George Packer, "Doublethink Is Stronger Than Orwell Imagined", The Atlantic, July 2019.

"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.