Animal Farm by George Orwell (1946 First American Edition) - Original Art Brenner Dust Jacket 🐖📚🚩

This volume is an authenticated First American Edition, First Printing of Animal Farm, the definitive 1946 political satire by George Orwell. Published by Harcourt, Brace and Company, this book is a crucial literary artifact of 20th-century anti-totalitarian thought.

The book's collectible value is secured by its definitive First American Edition status and the presence of the original dust jacket, designed by the artist Art Brenner. The Ex Libris bookplate for "Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King" adds a valuable layer of personal history. This piece is an investment in a literary classic that shaped the political consciousness of the post-World War II era.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨

Animal Farm is a brilliant satirical fable that uses the story of farm animals who overthrow their human farmer, Mr. Jones, to critique the rise of Stalinism and the corruption of the Soviet Revolution. The narrative details how the pigs, who are "on a higher intellectual level," seize control and establish a new tyranny under the leadership of Napoleon.

The novel’s famous mantra, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," is a concise indictment of totalitarian hypocrisy. The dust jacket highlights key characters like the devoted work-horse Boxer and the vain mare Mollie. The entire text is printed in the United States by H. Wolff, New York.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️

George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair, 1903–1950) was an English novelist, essayist, and critic, whose unflinching honesty and political clarity made him one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Orwell's own life was marked by social observation, serving in the Imperial Police in Burma and fighting for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, where he was severely wounded.

Animal Farm was written during World War II but was initially rejected by multiple publishers who feared offending the Soviet Union, then an Allied power. The book's illustrator, Art Brenner, created the distinct, highly stylized jacket design of radiating lines and contrasting colors, making this American edition aesthetically unique.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

This book was published in the U.S. in 1946, immediately following the end of World War II. The American publication occurred just as the Cold War began to solidify, making the novel's anti-Stalinist message intensely relevant.

The novel was initially difficult to publish because of the wartime alliance between Britain and the Soviet Union. Its immediate success in America reflected the abrupt shift in public perception, providing the perfect satirical lens for understanding the betrayals of the Russian Revolution. This volume is a time capsule of the beginning of the Cold War, documenting the literature that helped define the Western political posture against communism.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This volume is tailored for a Curator of 20th-Century Political Satire and a Scholar of Cold War Literature. The Ideal Collector seeks early American editions of genre-defining works.

The book belongs in a collection focused on Literary Classics, Early Modern First Editions, or works that influenced American political thought. The presence of the original Art Brenner dust jacket and the Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King Ex Libris makes this a verifiable artifact with both artistic and personal history.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

This book is an authenticated First American Edition, First Printing from 1946, making it 79 years old. The First American Edition is highly desirable and commands a significant premium in the market.

The value is substantially secured by the presence of the original Art Brenner illustrated dust jacket. The Ex Libris bookplate for "Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King" provides a strong Ephemera Premium, documenting its consumption by a prominent reader. The price is justified by its bibliographical scarcity and its high cultural importance.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨

This is an authenticated First American Edition hardcover with the original dust jacket. The binding is an olive-green cloth.

• Positive Qualities:

  • The binding is tight and square, providing excellent structural integrity.

  • The original dust jacket is present and retains the iconic Art Brenner design.

  • The Ex Libris bookplate for "Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King" is neat and intact.

• Imperfections:

  • The dust jacket shows rubbing, chipping, and tearing along the edges and spine, typical of a well-read copy.

  • The olive-green cloth boards show minimal shelf wear.

  • The original retail price is clipped from the dust jacket (implied by the BCE deduction).

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• George Orwell chose to publish this novel through the small publisher Secker & Warburg in England after his friend T. S. Eliot, then an editor at Faber and Faber, rejected the manuscript.

• The dedication page features the Ex Libris bookplate for "Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King," showing an elaborate graphic of a figure reading a book leaning against a tree.

• The dust jacket artist, Art Brenner, would later become known as an abstract expressionist sculptor.

• The book was published by Harcourt, Brace and Company, whose offices were located at 383 Madison Avenue, New York 17.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Title: Animal Farm

• Author: George Orwell

• Dust Jacket Artist: Art Brenner

• Year of Publication: 1946 (Copyright Date)

• Publisher: Harcourt, Brace and Company

• Place of Origin: New York, Printed in the United States of America by H. Wolff

• Format/Binding: Hardcover, Olive-Green Cloth Boards with Original Illustrated Dust Jacket

• Edition: First American Edition, First Printing

• Rarity: Moderate Scarcity (First American Edition in Dust Jacket), Unique Personal History

• Verbatim Transcription of Inscription/Marking:

  • Ex Libris Bookplate: “EX LIBRIS Mr. & Mrs. C. Lester King”.