Down and Out in Paris and London (MCL)

Down and Out in Paris and London was George Orwell`s first published book. It is at once a very personal account, and a vivid expose of hard lives weighed down by poverty in France and England between the wars. 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, George Orwell`s few remaining funds are stolen and he quickly falls into a life of severe poverty. Living hand to mouth, he shares squalid lodgings with Russian-born Boris and finds tedious and back-breaking work washing up in the bowels of Paris restaurant kitchens. On his return to England, he lives as a tramp, finding occasional shelter in often dangerous doss houses.