ORWELL (George).

The War Broadcasts. [with:] The War Commentaries.

Edited by W.J. West. First editions. Two volumes. 8vo. Original black cloth with title in gilt on spine, dust jackets. London, Duckworth, 1985.

£75.00

Material rescued from the archives of the BBC. As West writes in the preface to “The War Broadcasts”: “The sudden discovery in 1984 of a large number of unknown writings by George Orwell is a happy coincidence, coming as it does in the year that Orwell was to make his own. That these writings bear directly on the genesis of ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ confirms that the event is one of major literary significance. The quantity of material discovered is large, but it falls readily into two categories: first Orwell’s literary and other talks, with the letters and scripts relating to them, most of which he actually broadcast himself and which are published in this volume; and secondly the weekly war commentaries written by Orwell, but mostly broadcast by others, which will be published in a second volume”. Fenwick D17 & D18.

A near-fine set, with minimal wear to dust jacket’s spine panels at the head and tail.

Stock No.
256020