First edition, first impression, of Orwell's warning against corruption and totalitarianism under any political regime. His allegorical fable rapidly made Orwell's name, both in Britain and abroad. It has since appeared in every major language and has never been out of print.
Orwell explained in a 1946 essay entitled "Why I Write" that "Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole". The imprint of the first impression reads "May 1945", though publication was delayed until August due to wartime paper shortages.
Octavo. Original green cloth, spine lettered in white. With dust jacket.
Spine slightly cocked and sunned at ends, a couple of superficial splits to inner hinges; unclipped jacket rubbed, tiny chips to extremities: a very good copy in very good jacket.
Connolly 93; Fenwick A.10a.