Down and Out in Paris and London

Orwell s first published book, Down and Out in Paris and London, is at once a very personal account, an exposé of poverty-stricken lives between the wars, and a call for social and economic reform. Part of the Macmillan Collector s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is introduced by writer Lara Feigel. Towards the end of the 1920s, whilst living in Paris, Orwell s few remaining funds are stolen and he falls into a life of severe poverty. Living hand to mouth, with barely a centime to his name, he shares squalid lodgings with Russian-born Boris and, for a while, finds tedious and back-breaking work as a plongeur washing up in the bowels of Paris restaurants. Back in England he lives as a tramp, finding occasional shelter in dangerous and filthy doss houses.