Books vs. Cigarettes

"It is difficult to establish any relationship between the price of books and the value one gets out of them." In this funny and irreverent essay from 1946, Orwell compares the cost of books and reading to that of other recreational activities, including smoking. He reaches the conclusion that recreational reading is one of the cheapest forms of leisure activity – costing less than the price of a cinema ticket or his yearly expenditure on beer and cigarettes. Books v. Cigarettes is a brilliant piece of social commentary wrapped in economic logic. Born Eric Arthur Blair, George Orwell (1903-1950) was a British novelist, essayist, and critic famous for his insightful social and political commentary. His personal engagement with real world issues imbues his work with a sense of social conscience that continues to resonate with readers, and his two most famous novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, continue to captivate audiences worldwide.