George Orwell's three greatest novels now together in an affordable but collectible edition.Animal FarmIn what is perhaps the most famous George Orwell book, an army of farm animals plans a revolt against their human owner, with two young pigs-Snowball and Napoleon-as their leaders. They succeed, but it isn't long before corruption sinks its claws into their newfound utopia. Overcome by greed and a desire for power, Napoleon turns on Snowflake to gain absolute control of Manor Farm. Technically a novella, Animal Farm is an allegorical take on the inciting events of the Russian Revolution and an unapologetic statement against Stalinism. 1984 Orwell's famous dystopian novel takes place in Oceania, formerly Great Britain and a super-state ruled by the Party. A totalitarian government led by the mysterious Big Brother, the Party employs a harsh police force that limits individuality, strips people of their most basic freedoms, and prevents political opposition. Winston Smith appears to be a dutiful supporter of the Party, but he secretly hungers for rebellion. Along with his forbidden lover, Winston joins an underground resistance group that sets out to destroy their oppressors-with disastrous consequences. Unsurprisingly, writing 1984 was no picnic. As Europe slowly rose from the ashes of World War II, Orwell was plagued by his own troubles-namely, his wife's death and his own battle with tuberculosis. He tucked himself away on a remote Scottish island, where he worked on the manuscript despite his rapid decline into ill-health. After years of obsessive writing and fine-tuning, 1984 was finally published in 1949-about seven months before Orwell's death. Today, this landmark novel stands as not only the benchmark for all dystopian fiction, but as one of the most important, and prescient, novels of the 20th century. Burmese daysInspired by his days as an imperial police officer in Burma, Orwell wrote this 1934 novel over the course of several years. It focuses on John Flory, a 30-something timber merchant living in British-ruled Southeast Asia . As a white man, he's respected within the community, but he's also gained a respect for the native Burmese culture. Still, he spends much of his time schmoozing at the European Club-a group of other privileged white men with much more narrow-minded beliefs. Over glasses of whisky, the members must decide if they should welcome John's friend, a prominent Indian doctor, into their exclusive circle. Their debate sets the stage for Orwell's criticism of British imperialism, as John waffles between his new friendships and his loyalty to the British empire.
