Books

London - Toronto : Secker & Warburg - S. J. Saunders & Co. Ltd. , 1949. Stated at copyright page: "first Canadian edition." Tan full cloth boards, bold red cover and spine titles, light shelf wear, bump. Pages near fine, clean; no writing Bind fine; hinges intact. Original first edition dust wrapper, light shelf wear; unclipped 3.00, protected in new clear sleeve. Classic mid-twentieth century wrapper in bright blue with bold black titles. Caricature of Orwell at back panel by George Holland. Rare near fine first edition in same original wrapper. 1984 is the year in which it happened! The world is divided into three great powers, Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, each perpetually at war. Britain is part of Oceania and is known as Airstrip 1. Throughout Oceania, The Party rules through four ministries, whose power is absolute. The Ministry of Peace deals with war, the Ministry of Love, seat of the dreaded Thought Police, handles 'law and order,' the Ministry of…

"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.