George Orwell

75th Anniversary Edition—Includes a New Introduction by Téa Obreht

George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel—a scathing satire of a downtrodden society’s blind march towards totalitarianism.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned—a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.

When Animal Farm was first published, Stalinist Russia was seen as its target. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell’s masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.

With a foreword by Ann Patchett

George Orwell's classic masterpiece on the dangers of tyranny and oppression came out during a time when socialism and communism were on the rise overseas. When the farm animals decide that the oppression of men over them is too much to bear, they rise to arms with slogans and propaganda to rival any country of men. Orwell's brilliant satire chronicles their rise from idealism to tyranny to totalitarianism. Originally directed against communist Russia, Orwell's piece has evolved into a timeless lesson for all places where freedom is attacked. 140 pages, softcover.

Animal Farm is the most famous by far of all twentieth-century political allegories, and its account of a group of barnyard animals who revolt against their vicious human master and then submit to a tyranny erected by their own kind can fairly be said to have become a universal drama for our time. Taking as his starting point the betrayed promise of the Russian Revolutioni, Orwell lays out a vision which, in its bitter wisdom, gives us the clearest understanding we possess of the possoble consequences of our social and political acts.

In his story of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality, Orwell gave us one of the most scathing satiric fables ever written. As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, Animal Farm is a parable about would-be liberators everywhere. As we witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals through the lens of our own history, we see the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organizations; and in our charasmatic leaders, the souls of our cruelest oppressors.

One of the most celebrated classics of the twentieth century, Orwell’s cautionary tale of a man trapped under the gaze of an authoritarian state feels more relevant now than ever before.

Winston Smith, a member of the outer Party, spends his days rewriting history to fit the narrative that his government wants citizens to believe. But as the gap between the propaganda he writes and the reality he lives proves too much for Winston to swallow, he begins to seek some form of escape. His desperate struggle to free himself from an all-encompassing, tyrannical state illuminates the tendencies apparent in every modern society, and makes vivid the universal predicament of the individual. 

Written 75 years ago, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, his dystopian vision of a government that will do anything to control the narrative is timelier than ever...

This 75th Anniversary Edition includes:
• A New Introduction by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Take My Hand, winner of the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Fiction
• A Foreword by Thomas Pynchon
• A New Afterword by Sandra Newman, author of Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell’s 1984


"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party that seeks power for its own sake and persecutes those who dare to commit thoughtcrimes. But as he starts to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the fact that Big Brother is always watching...

A startling and haunting vision of the world, 1984 is so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the influence of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions—a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.

•Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read•

A few pre-reading activities are included to gauge a student's familiarity with the context of the novel. Once the student has began reading the novel, vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, review and comprehension questions, quizzes, a final test, puzzles, project and essay ideas, and a line-listed answer key are included. Exercises help students focus on literary and character analysis, as well as critical thinking and comprehension skills.

Including a number of teacher's helps, exercises, discussion questions, assessment tools, graphic organizers, writing and art ideas, critical thinking challenges, extension activities, glossary and more, this is a convenient guide to facilitating discussion. Background information includes a summary of the book, information about the author and ideas for initiating activity; the discussion questions follow the chapters in the book.

A few pre-reading activities are included to gauge a student's familiarity with the context of the novel. Once the student has began reading the novel, vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, review and comprehension questions, quizzes, a final test, puzzles, project and essay ideas, and a line-listed answer key are included. Exercises help students focus on literary and character analysis, as well as critical thinking and comprehension skills.

Including a number of teacher's helps, exercises, discussion questions, assessment tools, graphic organizers, writing and art ideas, critical thinking challenges, extension activities, glossary and more, this book is a convenient guide to facilitating discussion. Background information includes a summary, information about the author, and ideas for initiating activity; the discussion questions follow the chapters in the book.