Title: Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays
Author: George Orwell - Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism. [Courtesy Wikipedia]
Publisher: Secker and Warburg
City: London
Year: 1950
Printing Information: First Edition
Binding Style: Hardcover
Pagination: 212 pages
Width: 5" Height: 7.5"
Book Details: This first edition copy of George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays" is complete with its original dust jacket. Beneath the dust jacket the book is bound by light green cloth covered boards with the title and author's name emblazoned on the spine cover in red ink.

The front flap of the dust jacket describes this title:
"None of the essays in this posthumous volume has previously appeared in book form and, although each as been printed in some periodical or 'Little' review, the majority of them will be new to most readers.

They range in time of composition from 'A Hanging' which appeared in 'The Adelphi' in 1931 to 'Reflections on Gandhi' written for 'Partisan Review' in 1949 and fall into three main groups.

First there are three pieces descriptive of experience: 'Shooting an Elephant,' 'A Hanging' and 'How the Poor Die.' The second and largest group, which includes 'Politics and the English Language,' and a long essay on 'Gulliver's Travels,' can be roughly described as being about literature and politics and the relations between the two. Lastly, there is a selection from the weekly column which George Orwell contributed to 'Tribune' under the title 'I Write as I Please.'"

"Shooting an Elephant" is one of the more noteworthy works by George Orwell. Part narrative essay and part commentary on the nature of imperialism in developing countries, "Shooting an Elephant" challenges readers by laying bare the painful reality of the often violent means by which agents of colonial states maintain power and control. Historians to this day debate how much truth there is to Orwell's tale about a soldier forced to execute an elephant, though the poignant message about the violent nature of imperialist regimes conveyed through this symbolic act remains as palpable and relevant as ever.

Please attend our live sale to view this volume and other interesting works in person.
Condition / Notes: The dust jacket shows some indications of chipping and shelfwear particularly on high points. The boards show some light toning. The binding and hinges are solid and intact. The text itself is clean and clear throughout.

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