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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘1984’ publisher orders new printing as sales soar

This undated image shows George Orwell, author of “1984.” Orwells classic dystopian tale of a society in which facts are distorted and suppressed in a cloud of newspeak, first published in 1949, was in the top 5 on Amazon.com as of midday, Tuesday, Jan 24, 2017. (File / Associated Press)
From staff and wire reports

With “alternative facts” the latest catchphrase, George Orwell’s “1984” is No. 1 on Amazon.com and the publisher has ordered an additional 75,000 copies.

The book is also the No. 1 best-selling mass market paperback on the Pacific Northwest Independent Bestseller List this week, according the Auntie’s Bookstore in downtown Spokane.

Signet Classics told the Associated Press in a statement Wednesday that sales have been “remarkably robust” for a book that already is a classroom standard. The publisher noted that books such as Orwell’s tap into “the fears, anxieties, and even hopes” of readers.

The heightened interest in Orwell’s Dystopian classic, in which language itself is held captive, follows assertions by President Donald Trump and some White House aides about the size of his inaugural crowd and whether voter fraud led him to lose the popular vote to Hillary Clinton last fall. Administration adviser Kellyanne Conway has called such assertions “alternate facts.”