Books

London: Secker and Warburg, 1938. 8vo., original cloth with supplied dust wrapper; pp. [vi], 313, [i]; boards of book somewhat soiled and rubbed with a light scrape along spine, some nicks to cloth at extremities of spine, wrapper with some loss and wear with front flap detached, otherwise a very good copy. First edition signed by Orwell in full on the front free endpaper (for his friend and correspondent E. George. Barber) and rare thus. Laid-in is a letter from Barber's daughter, explaining that her father was a member of The Left Book Club and expressing her regret that Orwell's side of their correspondence was assumed to be lost, probably during a house move, although one letter is known to have survived and is included in the Collected Letters. Sold by Judy Barber to Edinburgh dealer, William Lytle, thence by private collector to Peter Grogan, bookseller. [Together with]: "Almanaque de la Revolución Española 1937" - an illustrated wall-calendar, presumed published by The Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (Spanish: Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista - P.O.U.M.), with stirring illustrations and bellicose notes for each month. This copy was sent by Orwell to Barber from Barcelona in January 1937 (the exact date of the postmark is illegible and the page for January is absent) and has Barber's address in Woolwich in Orwell's hand on the backing paper. It also has Orwell's additional note "IMPRENTA / IMPRIMÍ " - Orwell always counted the pennies - and a further intriguing note in pencil, possibly in Orwell's hand, possibly Barber's or possibly that of a sympathetic postal worker. This marking is upside-down and somewhat stylised to disguise the message: "VIVA EL POUM". From the dustwrapper blurb: "In December 1936, Orwell enlisted in the P.O.U.M. militia and fought on the Aragon front till April, first in a Spanish company, then with the I.L.P. contingent. On leave in Barcelona during the May fighting, he gives an eye-witness account of what really happened. Then he went back to the front, was wounded, declared medically unfit, and returning through Barcelona to England narrowly escaped arrest as a counter-revolutionary!".

"Homage to Catalonia" by George Orwell is a memoir that recounts Orwell's personal experiences and observations during the Spanish Civil War, specifically his time fighting on the side of the Republicans against General Francisco Franco's Nationalists. Arriving in Barcelona in 1936, Orwell eagerly joins the POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista), a Trotskyist militia group, to fight against the fascist uprising. He witnesses a society undergoing revolutionary transformation, with workers taking control of factories and social order temporarily disrupted. Inspired by the fervor for social justice and the hope for a better future, Orwell embraces the cause. However, as the civil war progresses, Orwell becomes disillusioned by the infighting among the various factions of the left-wing Republicans. He describes the tensions and conflicts between the POUM, other leftist groups, and the Soviet-backed Communists. Orwell becomes deeply critical of the Communist Party, which sought to suppress rival leftist factions, including the POUM, branding them as "fascist." Orwell's disillusionment is further fueled by his personal experiences during the May Days of 1937, when street fighting erupted in Barcelona between various leftist groups. The government, led by the Communist Party, cracked down on anarchist and other revolutionary elements, resulting in a loss of faith in the revolution's initial ideals. Throughout "Homage to Catalonia," Orwell reflects on the chaotic and complicated political landscape, the propaganda, the heroism of the common people, and the corruption within revolutionary ranks. He details the harsh realities of war, the privations faced by the soldiers, and the disheartening betrayal of the revolution's original goals by political maneuvering. Orwell's memoir is a powerful testament to the struggle against fascism, the complexities of ideological conflicts, and the disillusionment that comes with the realities of war and political infighting. "Homage to Catalonia" remains a compelling account of Orwell's personal journey, his ideological awakening, and his condemnation of the betrayal of revolutionary ideals in the face of political expediency.