Thursday, June 26, 2008

1984 in 1954

Check out these front and back book covers for 1984 on Amazon, posted by David Rolfe.


They are from the 1954 Signet (#S798) paperback edition, and are quite unlike the covers for any other editions that I've seen for Orwell's most well-known novel, which tend toward minimalism, with the numerical title almost always taking up the majority of the space.



In case you can't read the over-the-top text on the back cover (which manages to not mention Winston Smith, Julia, O'Brien, Room 101, Ingsoc, or Oceania), here's what it says:

Which One Will YOU Be In the Year 1984?

There won't be much choice, of course, if this book's predictions turn out to be true. But you'll probably become one of the following four types:

Proletarian--Considered inferior and kept in total ignorance, you'll be fed lies from the Ministry of Truth, eliminated upon signs of promse of ability!

Police Guard--Chosen for lack of intelligence but superior brawn, you'll be suspicious of everyone and be ready to give your life for Big Brother, the leader you've never even seen!

Party Member: Male--Face-less, mind-less, a flesh-and-blood robot with a push-button brain, you're denied love by law, taught hate by the flick of a switch!

Party Member: Female--A member of the Anti-Sex League from birth, your duty will be to smother all human emotion, and your children might not be your husband's!

Unbelievable? You'll feel differently after you've read this best-selling book of forbidden love and terror in a world many of us may live to see!

P. S. -- Note the button on the girl's shirt: 'AntiSex League.' Heh!

Source: Jason

4 comments:

mad angles said...

Hey! First time reading your blog.. I must confess I've never read 1984. It's been lying on my bookshelf for a bit but ok this is it. tonight I start!

RahulG said...

Good! You'll like it, I suppose. Let me know when you finish.

Jasmine said...

"anti-sex league"

pleasantly reminded of the gem that '84 is.
Have you read anything else by Orwell?
Burmese Days perhaps?

RahulG said...

@Jasmine
Thanks for dropping by.

Yeah, I've read his Animal Farm and a bunch of essays and articles. I love his writing.

Haven't read Burmese Days yet.