Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays

First US edition. 8vo. Pp. [viii], 200. Charcoal grey cloth, stamped and lined in silver to spine; top edge stained blue. Typographic dustwrapper, printed in black, white, and blue. 1/4,000 copies printed.

Hint of toning to fore- and bottom edges, small bookseller ticket to f.f.e.p., tiny closed tears to price-clipped dustwrapper, lightly tanned to spine, gently rubbed to edges, else Near Fine.

Posthumously printed collection of essays never before published in book form, but written over a number of years as contributions to periodicals or reviews, including Horizon, The Adelphi, New, Polemic, Partisan Review and The Tribune.

The titular essay, about the killing of an escaped elephant by the author in front of an expectant crowd 'solely to avoid looking a fool,' was originally published in 1936 in vol. 2 of New Writing, edited by John Lehmann. By turns, masterful storytelling and incisive social commentary, the essay delves into ubiquitous themes such as language, imperialism, and the complexities of the human condition. "George Orwell was the conscience of his generation." –V. S. Pritchett, New York Times Book Review

[Fenwick D.3b]