The above photo is a display of the biographies on Orwell that I have read, own, recommend and often refer to on this website. These books basically build on each other and are not repetitive, covering new ground each time. It was from reading the above books that I was able to follow Orwell's footprints through the UK in July 2003 and August 2004 and subsequently write:

HOMAGE TO ORWELL, by Jackie Jura, 2003

PILGRIMAGE TO ORWELL, by Jackie Jura, 2004

The books on the bookcase are displayed in the order that I read them but in the list below I've put them in the order they were published. The ones with an asterick (*) beside them are biographies, the others are specific studies of 1984, Animal Farm and Orwell's BBC broadcasts:

* THE UNKNOWN ORWELL by Peter Stansky & William Abrahams, 1972

* ORWELL: THE TRANSFORMATION by Peter Stansky and William Abrahams, 1979

* GEORGE ORWELL: A LIFE, by Bernard Crick, 1980

   ORWELL: THE LOST WRITINGS, edited by W. J. West, 1985

* ORWELL: THE AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY, by Michael Shelden, 1991

   THE LARGER EVILS, NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR, THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SATIRE, by W. J. West, 1992

   GEORGE ORWELL: BATTLING BIG BROTHER, by Tanya Agathocleous, 2000

* ORWELL: WINTRY CONSCIENCE OF A GENERATION by Jeffrey Meyers, 2001

* INSIDE GEORGE ORWELL, by Gordon Bowker, 2003

The only biography missing from the shelf is Orwell The Transformation which I read as a library book and at the time the photo was taken did not own, but now do.

On the ferry to Jura I read the yellow booklet pictured in the bookcase above, entitled:

JURA AND GEORGE ORWELL, by Gordon Wright, (including the Reminiscences of Mrs Nelson of Ardlussa), 1993

A book I bought on Hay-On-Wye (but not appearing on the shelf above) and that I've written a review on is:

UNWELCOME GUERRILLA, GEORGE ORWELL AND THE NEW STATESMAN, An Anthology, introduction by Bernard Crick, 1980

A subsequently acquired biography about which I've written a review is:

* ORWELL THE LIFE, by D. J. Taylor, 2003

The above photo is of four books I acquired this past Christmas 2004. They are, from left to right on the shelf:

GEORGE ORWELL AT HOME (and among the Anarchists), Essays and Photographs, 1998
(photographs by Vernon Richards and Freedom Press)

GEORGE ORWELL, A PERSONAL MEMOIR, by T. R. Fyvel, 1982

ERIC AND US, A Remembrance of George Orwell, by Jacintha Buddicom, 1974
(The first full account of Orwell's boyhood days - by his close friend of the period)

THE GIRL FROM THE FICTION DEPARTMENT, A Portrait of Sonia Orwell, by Hilary Spurling, 2002

Below are Christmas 2004 books that arrived too late to be included in the above photo:

GEORGE ORWELL, by Laurence Brander, 1954

GEORGE ORWELL, FUGITIVE FROM THE CAMP OF VICTORY, by Richard Rees, 1961

REMEMBERING ORWELL, Conceived and Compiled by Stephen Wadhams, Introduction by George Woodcock for CBC Radio Documentary, Remembering Orwell, 1984 (recollections of more than sixty people who knew Orwell are woven with biographical detail to produce a very human portrait of one of the greatest writers of our time)

On Thanksgiving Weekend (October 2005) I accompanied my husband to a soccer tournament in a nearby city and (in between games) perused their wonderful second-hand bookstore. Here are the books I brought home:

THE CRYSTAL SPIRIT, A STUDY OF GEORGE ORWELL, by George Woodcock, 1966

HOMAGE TO OCEANIA, by Ruthe Ann Lief, 1969

ORWELL, by Raymond Williams, 1971

ORWELL'S MESSAGE, 1984 AND THE PRESENT, by George Woodcock, 1984

ORWELL REMEMBERED, by Audrey Coppard & Bernard Crick, 1984

GEORGE ORWELL, THE POLITICAL PEN, by Keith Ferrell, 1985

GEORGE ORWELL, by Averil Gardner, 1987

Recent additions (2006-2007) to my Orwell library:

THE LOST ORWELL, edited by Peter Davison, 2006

FINDING GEORGE ORWELL IN BURMA, by Emma Larkin, 2004

ORWELL: THE ROAD TO AIRSTRIP ONE, by Ian Slater, 1985

THE OBSERVER YEARS ORWELL, by Guardian Newspaper, 2003

excerpts from ORWELL'S OTHER BOOKS

WHY HITCHENS DOESN'T MATTER (reader asks why Hitchens' "Why Orwell Matters" isn't on my recommended list)

GOOD PHOTOS OF ORWELL (...I bought the book "The Observer Years Orwell" online from a bookstore in the UK and miraculously it arrived in exactly one week. It was such excellent service and delivery that I sent a letter of appreciation to the bookstore.)

FINDING ORWELL IN BURMA (book excerpts by Jackie Jura)

Davison's new biography "The Lost Orwell" (bulging with new discoveries that will enrich readers' lives for generations) & Random House turns "Lost Orwell" down (publishes book on Big Brother's winner instead of Big Brother's creator). Times/Independent, June, 2006

ORWELL'S CRYSTAL SPIRIT POEM

Reader checks up on "1984" commemmorative edition which should have arrived by now

Reader sends notification of his successful search for the book "Remembering Orwell"

"Orwell Remembered" recommended to reader wanting to stage one-man play of Orwell. See PLAYING ORWELL THE MAN

Reader asks about which two or three Orwell biographies to read

Reader is looking for a copy of the book "Remembering Orwell" by Stephen Wadhams