Nineteen Eighty-Four: A 1984 Novel [British First Edition] by Orwell, George - 1949

7 John Street, Bloomsbury, London : Martin Secker & Warburg, Limited , 1949. Stated at copyright: "First published 1949." Pallid green full cloth boards, sharp red impressed spine titles, moderate shelf wear, bump, sunning, discoloration. Pages near fine; clean and bright. Large, flourishing pencilled signature at front endpaper: "Audrey Bouverie." Stylish signature makes distinct impression for few pages. Bind fine, moderate cant; hinges intact. Preserved in facsimile of the original first state deep red dust wrapper; protected in new clear sleeve. Rare near very good first edition with near fine interior in fine facsimile wrapper with a very unique association. Audrey Playdell-Bouverie was a socialite, vibrant individual, and the surmised granddaughter of King Edward VII of Great Britain. She was brought up as Audrey Evelyn James, the youngest daughter of the Anglo-American lumber and steel millionaire William Dodge James and grew up at West Dean in Sussex where she was a sibling of poet and Surrealist mystic, Edward James (whose godfather was King Edward VII). After being widowed at 25, Audrey married the fabulously wealthy American department store heir, Marshall Field III. The union was unhappy and ended with their only love in common of dogs and horses. In 1940, Audrey married the Hon. Peter Pleydell-Bouverie, youngest son of the Earl of Radnor. She acquired Julians Park, a manor house in Hertfordshire, England and smartly redecorated. It was at Julians Park that Audrey developed a library of rare and collectible volumes including this British first edition of Orwell's classic. The library was impressive and with many examples of her own bookbinding. She was an extravagant and renowned beauty and was graced by many high profile friends, such as Winston Churchill, Coco Chanel, Fred Astaire, and Nancy Mitford. Being a sparkling hostess of the Edwardian period, her antics brought her into the Bohemian free spirits given the moniker of the Bright Young Things. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 - 21 January 1950) pseudonymously George Orwell, composed this narrative message in 1948 and juxtaposed the numbers to 1984 as its time and place. The novel was first published in 1949 and he would pass the following January of 1950 at the age of 46. 1984 is the year in which it happened! The world is divided into three great powers, Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, each perpetually at war. Britain is part of Oceania and is known as Airstrip 1. Throughout Oceania, The Party rules through four ministries, whose power is absolute. The Ministry of Peace deals with war, the Ministry of Love, seat of the dreaded Thought Police, handles 'law and order,' the Ministry of Plenty deals in scarcities, and the Ministry of Truth doles out the propaganda. 'New-speak' is the 'modern' perversion of language ordained by the Party. It has installed such remarkable words as double-think (duplicitousness), thought-crime, and sex-crime or 'love' in standard English. In every room, a tele-screen is installed, which can never be switched off, and where 'authorities' spy on every action, word, gesture, and thought. On every hoarding a huge face is displayed - the face of Big Brother! Set within this nightmare is the drama of Winston Smith, possibly the last man alive to rebel against the Party's rule and doctrine, clinging to the belief in the individual and in those precious human feelings and values. With flawless craftsmanship, ingenuity and narrative power Mr. Orwell lays out a terrifying potential future. The love of Winston for the amorous and independent Julia, and the fate that befalls them, stirs the reader's emotions as the cautionary tale paces to a tremendous climax. When Mr. Orwell's 'Animal Farm' was published three years prior, critics hailed him as a new Jonathan Swift. The satirical passages in '1984' justify the critics' verdict. But, presented here is much more than satire. Bertrand Russell writes in summary at front flap: "...1984 depicts with great power the horrors of a totalitarian regime. It is important the western world is aware of these dangers, and not only in the narrow form of (Communist) Russia. Mr. Orwell contributes to this important purpose with skill and a force of imagination. I hope it will be widely read." Printed in Great Britain by the Alcuin Press, Welwyn Garden City, and bound by Key & Whiting, Ltd., London. Insured post.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Fine. Illus. by Kennar, Michael (Wrapper Design). 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Book.