A note on monetary values

For the majority of his professional career, Orwell was not at all well-paid. At certain points in the 1930s, his income dipped to as low as £250 a year ($1,250). The modern equivalent would be £16,000 to £17,000, or $21,000 to $22,000. In 1949, Orwell’s advance against royalties for Nineteen Eighty-Four from his UK publisher was £300 ($1,200)—£10,000 to £11,000 ($13,000 to $14,500) today. For purposes of comparison, this was the annual salary of a middle-ranking London clerical worker.