Screenshot of the Amazon.com home page, showing George Orwell's novel, 1984, as the Number One best selling book, on 27 January 2017. Graphic: Amazon

By Bryan Menegus
26 January 2017 (Gizmodo) – George Orwell’s dystopian classic, 1984, occupied the number one spot on Amazon’s best-selling books list yesterday, where it remains today. A cautionary tale about a brutal, amoral dictator has evidently felt relevant to people lately. But as of today, Amazon—the world’s largest bookseller—is unable to keep up with demand. Currently 1984 is printed by Signet Classics, and both the hardcover and softcover versions are listed as “temporarily out of stock.” As CNN reported yesterday, Penguin (the parent company of the New American Library, Signet’s parent company) is racing to print more copies of Orwell’s novel. Under the Trump administration, quotes like, “The object of torture is torture” and, “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever” must be resonating with people. Go figure. [more]

Amazon Sells Out of 1984 as America Decides to Read a Goddamn Book for Once