Books

First edition, first impression, in the red jacket. Warning against totalitarianism in any guise, Orwell's final book has exerted a monumental impact on political consciousness and on the English language, coining terms such as "double think" and "Big Brother". "No novel of the past century has had more influence than George Orwell's 1984. The title, the adjectival form of the author's last name, the vocabulary of the all-powerful party... It's almost impossible to talk about propaganda, surveillance, authoritarian politics, or pervasions of truth without dropping a reference to 1984" (Packer). The first impression was also issued in green jackets simultaneously; judging from surviving examples, this was done in proportions of about two green to one red. This copy was previously in Venezuela: the bookseller's ticket of Libreria Suma, Caracas, is on the front free endpaper. Several commentators have suggested parallels between Orwell's Oceana and the modern Venezuelan government, most notoriously in the posters of Chávez's face displayed in its cities. Octavo. Original light green cloth, spine lettered in red, top edge red. With red dust jacket. Spine faded, as usual, a couple of damp stains to covers, spot of wear to fore edge of front cover, foxing to edges and outer leaves; rubbing to unclipped jacket, spine sunned, small chips to spine ends and upper edges, 4 cm tear to foot of flap folds, one with insect-related loss, verso faintly damp-stained: a very good copy in good jacket. Fenwick A12a. George Packer, "Doublethink Is Stronger Than Orwell Imagined", The Atlantic, July 2019.

"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.