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softstarrynights's review against another edition
2.0
Decline of the English Murder is a short collection of eight essays by George Orwell. The design of this book, as part of the Penguin Great Ideas series, is gorgeous as it mimics a newspaper down to the ghostly outline of the back of the sheet. I say this not only to draw your attention to it but also because it is my favourite thing about the book. The contents were somewhat lacking. The essays chosen for this particular collection had very little in common, which made the collection as a whole feel disjointed. Being short, I find that having some commonality is all the more important. Why did the editor choose these essays in particular? Orwell was a prolific essay writer so there would have been plenty to choose from. As with any collections, there were some that I liked more than others, but I did find there to be this overarching sense of a man with privilege. Even in the essays which dealt with what could be considered as lower-class topics, such as 'Clink' and 'Hop-Picking Diary' is seemed obvious that Orwell's experiences were coming from a privileged position. This seemed to be contrary to what Orwell was trying to achieve, and resulting in dissatisfaction on both ends. Ultimately the lack of cohesion between these essays kills this as a collection.
ebenelephant's review
4.25
I was just looking for a small, accessible introduction to Orwell's essays and his politics, and now I'm crying.
livvmooree's review against another edition
3.75
a very interesting set of essays. they were all very different so i got an insight into many different topics.
wrengaia's review against another edition
3.0
the essays in this little collection were certainly fascinating, as anything Orwell writes generally is, but far from his best work (in my opinion). I particularly enjoyed the exploration of 'low' culture and its ideological implications (explored in 'boys weeklies' especially); I'd be intrigued to hold this essay up alongside Mythologies by Roland Barthes!
rixx's review
4.0
[A hanging](http://george-orwell.org/a_hanging/0.html) is a very short essay by *George Orwell*, describing in very matter-of-fact detail the morning of a prison hanging. It's as terrible and at the same time as common as it sounds.