Books

7 John Street, Bloomsbury, London : Martin Secker & Warburg, Limited , 1949. Rare near very good first edition, first printing. Stated at copyright: "First published 1949". Green full cloth boards, crisp red spine titles, moderate shelf wear, toning, discoloration. Pages very good, clean, and without fox. Light red top-stain. Small antiquarian stamp behind front flap: "Norman G. Berger, 8th March, 1961"; small penned name adjacent: "Walden W. Elisson." Bind good, moderate cant; hinges intact. Unique facsimile of wrapper with chips, wear, etc. A facsimile or copy of the original dark green dust wrapper that had some edge wear and chip; unclipped 10s net, protected in fine clear sleeve. Code W.469 at front flap. Rare near very good first edition protected in facsimile of original first edition wrapper. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 - 21 January 1950) pseudonymously George Orwell, composed this narrative message in 1948 and juxtaposed the numbers to 1984 as its…

"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.