Bloom, Harold, Ed. George Orwell’s Animal Farm. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.

This collection of essays, edited by revered literary critic Harold Bloom, considers Orwell’s novella from a range of critical perspectives.

Davison, Peter. George Orwell: A Literary Life. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996.

This biography focuses on the experiences and events which shaped Orwell’s writing. Particular attention is paid to Orwell’s experience of Communist persecution during the Spanish Civil War.

Fowler, Roger. The Language Of George Orwell. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996.

Leading linguistic critic Roger Fowler examines Orwell’s prose style in depth.

Gross, Miriam, Ed. The World Of George Orwell. London: Weidenfeld And Nicolson, 1971.

This collection of critical essays examines Orwell’s writing in its social and political context.

Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Bantam Books, 1991.

The Communist Manifesto is the book that inspired the Soviet Revolution (and Old Major’s speech in Animal Farm).

Meyers, Jeffrey, Ed. George Orwell: The Critical Heritage Series. London: Routledge, 1997.

These essays provide an overview of the way responses to Orwell’s writing have developed over the decades.

O’Neill, Terry. Readings On Animal Farm. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1998.

O’Neill collects a range of texts which shed light on Animal Farm, including contemporary reviews and extracts from the novels which influenced Orwell.

Pipes, Richard, And Peter Dimock. A Concise History Of The Russian Revolution. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.

This volume offers an overview of the events in the Soviet Union which inspired Orwell’s allegory.

Williams, Raymond. Orwell. London: Fontana Press, 1991.

Renowned Marxist literary critic Raymond Williams offers a reading of Orwell’s work as a whole.