Written on the brink of World War II, Coming Up For Air is thick with a nostalgia for England's past at a time when conflict draws inexorably closer... After winning money on the horses, portly insurance salesman George Bowling decides to take a holiday in a bid to escape his dissatisfying life. He returns to the village of his youth, wishing to rekindle childhood memories and take refuge in the peace of rural life. And yet on his return he finds the problems he was escaping from slowly bleeding through.Coming Up For Air is a funny, satirical and quietly profound novel. In true Orwellian style, this work questions notions of progress and capitalism, and provides stark insight into the culture of interwar Britain - a world that is about to change forever.ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Essential Orwell presents George Orwell's most acclaimed fiction and non-fiction titles with striking contemporary cover-designs. These unique paperback editions are wonderful collectibles which celebrate one of the most important voices of the 20th century.