Burmese Days.
$55,000 · Offered by Biblio
First edition · Signed
New York: Harper Brothers, 1934. First American edition, preceding the British edition by one year of Orwell's first novel. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author with his given name on the verso of the front free endpaper, "With very best wishes from Eric Blair." As explained in the accompanying typed letter signed by Adrian Fierz, this copy was presented by the author to Mabel Fierz. It was Mabel Fierz who introduced Orwell to Leonard Moore (who would later become his literary agent) after salvaging the manuscript for Down and Out from the writer's discarded papers. After first meeting Orwell in Southwold, Suffolk, Mabel and her husband Francis became close friends with the writer and often invited him to stay at their house in Golders Green. On one such occasion, Orwell gave Mabel the manuscript, which had just been rejected by Faber, telling her to save only the paperclips. Instead, she brought the manuscript to Moore, who in turn took it to the publisher, Gollancz. In gratitude, Orwell presented Mabel with signed copies of all of his published works. Typed letter signed by Mabel's son Adrian Fierz inserted. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Burmese Days was several years in the writing. Orwell was drafting it in Paris during the time he spent there from 1928 to 1929. He was still working on it in 1932 at Southwold while doing up the family home in the summer holidays. By December 1933 he had t
- Publisher: Harper & Brothers
- Year: 1934
- Edition: First Edition
- Binding: hardcover
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