The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius.

ORWELL, George.

Item Number: 117357

London: Secker & Warburg, 1941.

Early printing of Orwell’s three-part essay regarding wartime Britain; the first of the Searchlight Books series of essays, published between 1941 and 1942 and edited by Orwell and T. R. Fyvel. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition.

The title of Orwesll's 1941 essay, The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius, alludes to the heraldic supporters appearing in the full royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The first part of the essay, "England Your England", is often considered an essay in itself. With the introductory sentence "As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me.", the content sheds some light on the process which eventually led Orwell to the writing of his famous dystopia, Nineteen Eighty-Four. The second part is entitled "Shopkeepers at War", and the third is "The English Revolution".