120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

🌸 Our Spring Sale is here! Save on Books, Toys, & Puzzles! With overnight NZ-wide delivery 🎉

Keep the Aspidistra Flying

By George Orwell
Series: Orwell: The New Editions
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.89 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 24,605 ratings, 2,051 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell follows the story of Gordon Comstock, an idealistic poet who wages a personal war against the "money god" of capitalism and societal norms. His rejection of materialism leads him into poverty, affecting his relationships and self-worth. Through his struggles and relentless pursuit of meaning, the novel explores the conflict between artistic integrity and economic survival.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Keep the Aspidistra Flying. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate introspective narratives exploring themes of societal expectations, class struggle, and the pursuit of artistic integrity. Its sharp social critique and vivid characterisation offer a compelling look at the tension between personal values and the pressures of modern life. This story may appeal to those interested in thought-provoking fiction that delves into the conflicts faced by individuals against societal norms.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A new and definitive edition of Keep the Aspidistra Flying, introduced and annotated by Orwell's prize-winning biographer. With additional content from Orwell himself.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
A new edition of Orwell's end-of-tether third novel, introduced and annotated by his biographer, D.J. Taylor

First published in 1936, and drawing on Orwell's own experiences of working in a Hampstead bookshop, Keep the Aspidistra Flying tracks the career of Gordon Comstock ('nearly 30 and moth-eaten already'), a struggling poet who tries to rebel against the conventions of middle-class English life, only to be drawn inexorably back into the world that grinds him down.

This new edition includes an introduction and extensive end-notes, and an appendix containing original responses to the novel as well as letters and documents from the period in which it was written.

Series: Orwell: The New Editions

View all
  • Nineteen Eighty-Four
    A new edition of Orwell's timeless dystopian classic, introduced and annotated by his biographer, D.J. Taylor Since its first publication in 1949, Orwell's devastating exposé of the totalitarian mind has established itself as the most influential political satire of the modern age. Winston Smith's doomed rebellion against the all-seeing eye of Big Brother, and a world corrupted by technology and...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • A Clergyman's Daughter
    A new edition of Orwell's starkly realistic second novel, introduced and annotated by his biographer, D. J. Taylor First published in 1935, when Orwell was struggling to establish himself as a writer, A Clergyman's Daughter tells the story of twenty-something Dorothy Hare, whose mundane life in a Suffolk rectory is thrown out of kilter by an amnesiac episode that sets...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Animal Farm
    A new edition of Orwell's savage satire of the Soviet Revolution, introduced and annotated by his biographer, D.J. Taylor First published in 1945, just as the allied forces had begun to parcel up the post-war world, Orwell's satire of the Soviet Revolution was instantly acclaimed as a Cold War classic. Set in the English countryside in the early years of...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Burmese Days
    A new edition of Orwell's debut novel, introduced and annotated by his biographer, D. J. Taylor First published in 1934, and a bitter souvenir of Orwell's time as a servant of the British Raj, Burmese Days follows the slow decline of John Flory, as he tries to steer a path between the bores of the Kyauktada club, the machinations of...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Coming Up For Air
    A new edition of Orwell's elegiac fourth novel, introduced and annotated by his biographer, D.J. Taylor First published in 1939 and dominated by the shadow of the Second World War, Coming Up For Air finds fat, middle-aged and unhappily-married George Bowling trying to revisit the world of his Edwardian childhood in rural Oxfordshire. He attempts to reconnect with the certainties...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Keep the Aspidistra Flying
    A new edition of Orwell's end-of-tether third novel, introduced and annotated by his biographer, D.J. Taylor First published in 1936, and drawing on Orwell's own experiences of working in a Hampstead bookshop, Keep the Aspidistra Flying tracks the career of Gordon Comstock ('nearly 30 and moth-eaten already'), a struggling poet who tries to rebel against the conventions of middle-class English...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472133106

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 June 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Constable

Contributors:

  • Edited by D.J. Taylor
  • Edited by D.J. Taylor

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 212.0mm

Weight: 260g

Pages: 320

Collections

Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Fiction General Fiction George Orwell Literary Fiction Series: Orwell: The New Editions

About the Author

D. J. Taylor is a writer and critic. His collection of short stories, After Bathing at Baxter's was published in 1997 and he is the author of six novels: Great Eastern Land (1986); Real Life (1992); English Settlement (1996); Trespass (1998), a satire of 1970s England; The Comedy Man (2001), the story of one half of a comedy duo; and Kept: A Victorian Mystery (2006). Several of his books are set in his home city of Norwich.

His books of non-fiction include Afer the War: The Novel and England Since 1945 (1993); A Vain Conceit: British fiction in the 1980s (1989), a critical look at the quality of fiction-writing in Britain; and most recently, Bright Young People: The Rise and Fall of a Generation 1918-1940.

He is also well-known for his biographies: Thackeray (1999); and Orwell: The Life, published in 2003 to coincide with the centenary of Orwell's birth. This book won the 2003 Whitbread Biography Award.

Also by George Orwell

View all
  • 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
    In the drab and oppressive world of 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell introduces us to Winston Smith, a man haunted by the omnipresent surveillance and control exercised by the Party and its enigmatic leader, Big Brother. Winston works diligently at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to alter historical records to fit the ever-changing narrative dictated by the...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $1299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • 1984
    1984 by George Orwell is a gripping tale set in a dystopian future where the world is embroiled in perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, and incessant public manipulation. The story unfolds in Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, a province of the superstate Oceania. Here, the Party, led by the enigmatic and omniscient Big Brother, exerts absolute power over...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    19% off
    Animal Farm
    A landmark in modern literature, Animal Farm by George Orwell is a timeless fable about the dangers of power and corruption. The story begins with Mr Jones, the negligent and frequently intoxicated owner of Manor Farm, who fails to care for his animals. Incited by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, the animals revolt, oust Mr Jones, and seize control of...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • 1984
    In the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to appease the needs of the Party. Inwardly, he rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the watchful eye of Big Brother. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $1500
    Elsewhere:
    $1599
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • 1984 & Animal Farm
    George Orwell's novels about the dangers of tyranny, the corruption of the state and the enslavement of the individual are essential reading. In an era of doublespeak, they remain chillingly prophetic. Introductions by Charlotte Wood, 1984 and Don Watson, Animal Farm.
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Animal Farm
    Animal Farm by George Orwell is an incisive and iconic novella that delves into the intricacies of power, corruption, and betrayal. Set on Manor Farm, the story begins with the neglectful farmer, Mr. Jones, whose heavy drinking leaves the animals underfed and overworked. Fed up with their dire conditions, the animals, led by the pigs, stage a rebellion, ousting Mr....
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $1500
    Elsewhere:
    $1599
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • 1984
    Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth in what remains of a Britain ravaged by revolution. His every move is monitored by the Thought Police, who are responsible for detecting dissent against the Party and its leader, Big Brother—and eliminating it. When he meets Julia, Winston thinks he might have found love, and a fellow loather of the Party....
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $1599
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    18% off
    Animal Farm and 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
    Two modern classics in one volume. George Orwell is one of the finest and most influential writers of the twentieth century. Here in one volume, are two of his best-known works of electrifying political fiction, 1984 and Animal Farm.Winston Smith rewrites history. It’s his job. Hidden away in the Ministry of Truth, he helps the Party and the omnipresent Big...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $1800
    Usually:
    $2199
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    22% off
    Animal Farm
    Twenty new titles in the much-loved and hugely successful Penguin English Library series. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master, Mr Jones, and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually, a cunning,...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $1400
    Usually:
    $1799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Animal Farm
    Orwell's peerless satire, in Penguin Clothbound Classics for the first time. When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master, Mr Jones, and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless elite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take...
    By George Orwell
    Hardback
    $3300
    Elsewhere:
    $3700
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Greatest Works of George Orwell Box Set
    The Greatest Works of George Orwell Box Set
    The "Greatest Works of George Orwell 9 Books Set" provides readers with an extensive collection of the notable literary works of George Orwell, a prolific English writer and journalist. Here's a general overview of the key titles that are included in the set: Titles in this Set: Down and Out in Paris and London Homage to Catalonia, The Road to...
    By George Orwell
    Book
    $9000
    Elsewhere:
    $12000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Notes on Nationalism
    Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. 'The general uncertainty as to what is really happening makes it easier to cling to lunatic beliefs.' Biting and timeless reflections on patriotism, prejudice, and power, from the man who wrote about his nation better than...
    By George Orwell
    Paperback
    $699
    In Stock
    Ships today

More from General Fiction

View all
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    By Alison Espach
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Fourth Wing
    THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NUMBER ONE GLOBAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON! DON'T MISS OUT ON THE SERIES THAT EVERYONE CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT: 'This book contains an addictive, drug-like essence that will make you relinquish all responsibility until the very last word. Do not say I didn't warn you' Glamour 'I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, and when I finished, I...
    By Rebecca Yarros
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Iron Flame
    The instant number one Sunday Times bestseller and thrilling sequel to the global phenomenon, Fourth Wing! DON'T BE THE LAST TO DISCOVER THE SERIES THAT EVERYONE CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT: 'Yarros is the true inheritor of Harry Potter and inspires Hunger Games levels of devotion' Guardian 'Fear not, levels of fighting, rebelliousness and all-round sexiness are still sky-high' Daily Mail...
    By Rebecca Yarros
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Dylan's Pick Dylan's Pick
    Theo of Golden
    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...
    By Allen Levi
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Yesteryear
    A BOLD AND BITING SATIRE. WILL HAVE YOU GASPING TO THE FINAL PAGE — Nita Prose WICKEDLY FUNNY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE — Abigail Dean INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE — Ashley Audrain SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR AND LACED WITH DARKNESS — Clare Mackintosh The Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid's Tale — Hannah Deitch My name was Natalie Heller...
    By Caro Claire Burke
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever...
    By Matt Dinniman
    Hardback
    $4699
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses
    The first instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON and TikTok sensation, from multi-million selling and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan – Time Harry Potter magic, Taylor Swift sass, Fifty Shades-level athleticism – The Sunday Times With bits of Buffy, Game of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook
    Carl and Princess Donut have to team up with other contestants to not just survive, but to solve a deadly puzzle in this third, mind-twisting novel in the addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition! Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The...
    By Matt Dinniman
    Hardback
    $4700
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Dungeon Crawler Carl
    The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman-now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition! You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what's worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction...
    By Matt Dinniman
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    New Release
    Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series—now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline...
    By Matt Dinniman
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • A Court of Silver Flames
    The latest instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan - Time Think Game of Thrones meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a drizzle of E.L. James – Telegraph Spiced with slick plotting and atmospheric world-building...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Kneel Before Me
    New Release
    Kneel Before Me
    Daphne never meant to want him - the monster who could destroy her... and the only one who never would. Now they're both caught between Their duties and their love. Daphne Verus never planned to compete for the prince. Now she's expected to trade the safety of her village for the caves beneath the mountain and be trained by Kronos...
    By Lindsay Straube
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

General Fiction lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all