Books

London: Secker & Warburg, 1949. First edition. Very Good+/Very Good. First edition, first printing. 312 pp. Bound in publisher's pale green cloth with spine lettered in red, pink topstain. Very Good+ with slight lean, fading to spine and edges with two small stains to top edge, bookseller's tickets to front paste down and light toning to contents. In a Very Good price-clipped dust jacket with sunned spine panel, chipping at spine ends and top of back panel, light foxing to verso. An attractive copy of the British first of Orwell's final novel, the dystopian classic.

"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.