Books

London: Secker & Warburg, 1949. First Edition. Near Fine/Near Fine. First British edition, first printing. Bound in publisher's pale green cloth with red lettering to spine. Near Fine with fading to cloth at spine and edges, pages lightly toned and slight evidence of several instances of erased pencil to text. In a Near Fine unclipped dust jacket with fading to the spine, light edge wear with shallow chipping at the spine ends, several small tape repairs to the verso and a short split to the bottom of the front spine joint repaired with mending tissue from the verso as well. A first edition increasingly difficult to find, let alone in nice of condition with no restoration or funny business, and quite rare as such.

"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.