George Orwell's '1984' leaps to top of Amazon bestseller list

Sean Rossman | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Sales of George Orwell's '1984' book soars after Trump claims At 68-years-old, George Orwell's novel '1984' has shot to Amazon's number one spot this week. Angeli Kakade (@angelikakade) has the story.

George Orwell's tale of a sad, grim future, the book 1984, has experienced a recent resurgence, climbing to the top of Amazon.com's bestseller list of books.

The book, written in 1949, required reading for many in high school and college, was No. 1 on the list on Wednesday morning.

It's in such demand that publisher Penguin has ordered a 75,000-book reprint, CNN reported.

"That is a substantial reprint and larger than our typical reprint for '1984,'" a Penguin spokesman told CNN. Nielsen BookScan, CNN reported, said the book sold 47,000 copies since President Donald Trump's Nov. 8 election, which is up from last year.

The book's plot, as Penguin puts it, features the omniscient Big Brother, mind-erasing, a new language and thought process in a post-nuclear-war world. The publisher said Orwell's "vision of an omni-present and ultra-repressive state is rooted in the ominous world events."

The Washington Post reported the book has earned popularity in recent years. It's not the first time the book has seen a boost in sales. In 2013, Amazon sales of the book jumped nearly 6,000% after former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked details of a U.S. surveillance program to news outlets.

Many, including those on Twitter, are tying the book's recent uptick in sales to Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway's statement that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer used "alternative facts" in countering reports Trump's inauguration crowd was smaller than former President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009.

Well at least people are reading more #1984 #orwell1984 #alternativefacts — Bear (@Bearzmoke) January 25, 2017

George Orwell's 1984 is a guide to governance, not a cautionary tale. #Spicerfacts #alternativefacts — Kevin Griffith (@AssumeNormality) January 25, 2017

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