Searchlight Books was a series of essays published as hardback books, edited by T. R. Fyvel and George Orwell. The series was published by Secker & Warburg.Costello, David R. (1989). "Searchlight Books and the Quest for a 'People's War', 1941-42", in: JContHist 24, 1989, p. 257. Journal of Contemporary History. Retrieved 18 June 2013.Leab, Daniel J. "George Orwell The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius."
The series was projected for 17 titles, of which ten were published during 1941-42, but bomb damage to Warburg's office and the destruction of his printer's paper stock led to the series being discontinued.
The first in the series, The Lion and the Unicorn, was published on 19 February 1941 with an initial run of 5,000 copies, but the number was raised to 7,500. A second printing of 5,000 copies was ordered in March 1941. It sold over 10,000 copies (and was among the most commercially successful of Orwell's books to that date). The destruction of the stock by bombs ended its sales.
Publications by Searchlight Books included the following
No 1: The Lion and the Unicorn (1941) by George Orwell No 2: Offensive Against Germany (1941) by Sebastian Haffner No 3: The Lesson of London by Ritchie CalderŠtanský, Peter (2007). The First Day of the Blitz: September 7, 1940, p. 190. Yale University Press. Google Books. Retrieved 18 June 2013. No 4: The English at War (1941) by Cassandra and Philip Zec No 5: The End of the Old School Tie by T. C. Worsley - with foreword by George OrwellWatson, George and Ian Roy Willison (1969). The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature, Volume 1. p. 691. CUP Archive. Google Books. Retrieved 18 June 2013.The end of the "old school tie" (Book, 1941) [WorldCat.org]. WorldCat.org. Retrieved 26 May 2016. No 7: Above All Things - Liberty by Michael Foot No 8: The Artist and the New World by Cyril Connolly No 10: Struggle for the Spanish Soul (1941) by Arturo BareaHorizon, p. 219. September 1941 No 11: The Case for African Freedom (1941)Remembering George Orwell: "Foreword". Retrieved 18 June 2013. by Joyce Cary - with foreword by George Orwell No 12: Can Britain and America Unite? by G. E. Catlin No 13: The Streets of Europe by Arthur Koestler No 15: The Moral Blitz: War Propaganda and Christianity by Bernard CaustonThe moral blitz: war propaganda and christianity (Book, 1941). worldcat.org. Retrieved 10 July 2022.Newsinger, J. (1999).Orwell's Politics, pp. 77-86. Springer. Google Books. Retrieved 27 October 2017.Atthill, Robin (1942). The Dublin Review, Volumes 210-213, pp. 87–88. The Dublin Review. Google Books. Retrieved 6 July 2023. No 16: Beyond the "Isms" by Olaf Stapledon No 18: Life and the Poet (1942) by Stephen SpenderSearchlight Books (Secker & Warburg) - Book Series List. worldcat.org. Retrieved 10 July 2022.Wilford, Hugh (2003). The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune?, p. 13. Routledge. Google Books. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
Number of publication not known
Dover Front by Reginald Foster
Included in the initial project but published after the series was cancelled
Parents' Revolt by Richard and Kathleen Titmuss
See also Bibliography of George Orwell
References