It begins

'A TELEVISISION'

Graffiti hand-painted onto the wall of a derelict bulding. I photographed this image 25 years ago in London's East End (somewhere around Hessel Street).

Peering beyond the sheets of corrugated metal - let's return to this space, to stare at the eerie pitch-black channel frozen in time on this surrealistic television set......

It was a bright cold day in April

and the clocks were striking thirteen.

One of the most well known opening lines in literature. It's quite appropriate that this last day of April 2013 is indeed bright and cold (just like it was for Winston Smith in 1984).

So why not take this opportunity to present from my bookshelf, a selection of various ancient and intriguing paperback covers of George Orwell's classic novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.



Germany, 1964. Cover by Herbert Pothorn



Germany, 1950. Designer Kurt Hilscher

USA, Signet Books. 1950.

France, 1964. Le Livre de Poche. Designer, Michel Simeon

Back cover of the '64 edition





UK, 1961 Penguin Books. Designer Germano Facetti