(CNN) Books are dangerous. When they speak against the status quo, they are banned, burned, and now, in a San Francisco bookstore, brandished.

It started last week when someone purchased 50 copies of George Orwell's "1984" from Booksmith, a bookstore in the Haight-Ashbury district, and left them with a sign that said "Read up! Fight back! A mystery benefactor has bought these copies of 1984 for you if you need one."

Orwell's book tells of a future dystopia plagued by a manipulative government that thrives on propaganda, "Newspeak," and thought police. Published in 1949, the book has seen a surge in sales since the election

The store would not say who bought the books, just that he or she was a regular customer.

The copies were gone the same day.

Read More