Now an animated film adaptation produced and directed by Andy Serkis George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution has become an intimate part of our contemporary culture, with its treatment of democratic, fascist, and socialist ideals through an animal fable. The animals of Mr. Jones's Manor Farm are overworked, mistreated, and desperately seeking a reprieve. In their quest to create an idyllic society where justice and equality reign, the animals of Manor Farm revolt against their human rulers, establishing the democratic Animal Farm under the credo, "All Animals Are Created Equal." Out of their cleverness, the pigs--Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball--emerge as leaders of the new community. In a development of insidious familiarity, the pigs begin to assume ever greater amounts of power, while other animals, especially the faithful horse Boxer, assume more of the work. The climax of the story results in a brutal betrayal, when totalitarian rule is reestablished with the bloodstained postscript to the founding slogan: "But Some Animals Are More Equal than Others." This astonishing allegory, one of the most scathing satires in literary history, remains as fresh and relevant as the day it was published. " Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing, both an engaging story and an allegory that actually works." -- "Amazon.com" " Animal Farm ought to resonate because it's about the beguiling lure of messages that tell you they have answers...A very pertinent book for protecting you against making the small concessions towards being cruel or unfair or accepting injustice." -- "Jean Seaton, professor of media history at the University of Westminster and the director of the Orwell Foundation" "A modern day fable, with modern implications in a deceiving simplicity...Orwell's animals exist in their own right, with a narrative as individual as it is apt in political parody." -- "Kirkus Reviews" "A wise, compassionate, and illuminating fable of our times...The steadiness and lucidity of Orwell's merciless wit are reminiscent of Anatole France and even of Swift." -- "New York Times Book Review" "Absolutely first-rate...comparable to Voltaire and Swift." -- "New Yorker" "There is a timeless, even transcendent quality to this little story." -- "Christopher Hitchens, New York Times bestselling author" George Orwell (1903-1950), the pen name of Eric Arthur Blaire, was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and literary critic. He is best known for his works of social criticism and opposition to totalitarianism. He also wrote nonfiction about his experiences in the working class and as a solder. His work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective "Orwellian,"describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices, has become part of the English language. In 2008, the London Times named him the second-greatest British writer since 1945. Geoffrey Howard (a.k.a. Ralph Cosham) (1936-2014) was a British journalist who changed careers to become a narrator and screen and stage actor. He performed in more than one hundred professional theatrical roles. His audiobook narrations were named "Audio Best of the Year" by Publishers Weekly , and he won seven AudioFile Earphones Awards, and in 2013 he won the coveted Audie Award for Best Mystery Narration for his reading of Louise Penny's The Beautiful Mystery .