Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited

By Aldous Huxley

Book Overview

Now more than ever: Aldous Huxley's enduring "masterpiece ... one of the most prophetic dystopian works of the 20th century" (Wall Street Journal) must be read and understood by anyone concerned with preserving the human spirit in the face of our "brave new world"

Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature and timeless work of science fiction, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order--all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. "A genius who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine" (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history's keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece of dystopian fiction, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as a thought-provoking, satisfying work of philosophical fiction. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New World likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.

"Aldous Huxley is the greatest 20th century writer in English." --Chicago Tribune

This book also includes the full text of Brave New World Revisited, Huxley's 1958 nonfiction followup to Brave New World.

This definitive edition explores the foundations and consequences of the World State:

Classic Dystopian Literature: Explore the World State, where citizens are genetically engineered and conditioned to passively accept a world without freedom, art, or love.Social Engineering: Discover a society built on conformity, where hypnop dia (sleep-teaching) and pharmaceuticals ensure stability at the cost of the human spirit.Authoritarian Control: Witness an unyielding ruling order where happiness is manufactured, dissent is impossible, and the price of stability is the soul itself.Fiction and Provocative Nonfiction: This edition pairs the classic novel with its nonfiction companion, Brave New World Revisited, where Huxley examines the novel's themes and predictions decades later.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060776099
• ISBN13: 9780060776091
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

One of the best books ever written

Seriously one of the best books ever written. Huxley was such an intelligent man who really understood society and it's amazing how life if very similar to this now.

Best In-Print Edition of Huxley's Controversial Classic!

Huxley's classic tale of future dystopia seems to become more relevant with the passing of time. At its' original time of publication, some of the novel's social commentary was safety masked inside science fiction. Today's readers may relate more to Huxley's vision of over medicated, over-sexed consumerism. With topics like genetics, DNA testing and stem-cell research constantly in the news... perhaps the yuppies of today aren't so far off from the Alpha's of the future. The edition includes the novel, Brave New World, with the non-fiction work, Brave New World Revisted. This content is prefaced by a truly interesting foreword that offers some insights into Huxley's life and experiences. This edition also benefits from a psotscript section which includes interviews, commentary and a letter Huxley wrote to George Orwell (author of 1984).

Better than 1984!

This was a novel that I had wanted to read for years and years, but could never seem to get around to it. I was not disappointed. This is a brilliant satire of a world where population control and social programming are taken to the extreme. All of the citizens are happy. The pursuit of pleasure and conformity are the goals in life. Mindless consumption is encouraged and people never age. If you have any troubles, don't worry, just take some soma. How could there be anything wrong with a society where happiness, sex and drugs are in overwhelming abundance? There is a loss of individualism, caring, passion, creativity and history among other things. George Orwell's 1984 was a great dystopian novel, but this novel written more than 70 years ago is, in my opinion, a greater warning. I am sure that Huxley would look at society today with complete disgust as we move closer and closer to his nightmare.

They don't get much better than this!

You *MUST* read this book!Huxley wrote a masterpiece of a book in "Brave New World". "Brave New World Revisited" is a fantastic critical analysis of "BNW", how it differs with Orwell's "1984", and the world as Huxley saw it some 30 after the book debuted. His commentary and social criticism cut deep, and this cautionary tale is perhaps more applicable today than it has ever been (as evidenced in George W. Bush's reference to "BNW" in his speech concerning government funding of stem cell research).This surely is an important book. The amazing thing is, though, that even as such, it is a thrill to read. The dialogue is snappy, the narration rich, and the scenarios hilarious and frightening -- often at the same time. This is SF at its best. This is SF as literature.I cannot sing the praises of "BNW" highly enough. I will waste no more of your time talking about it -- use it to read this book instead!Recommended for: Everyone (even those who don't normally read SF)

Magnificent

And prophetic, are the words that best describe Huxley's work in "A Brave New World". When you read the explanation to all psychological, economical, philosophical and social factors that lead to the creation of this book, in "Brave New World Revisited" you'll not only learn about all those subjects in great extent, but you'll realize how close to truth his fiction is. I am amazed at the genius of such creation in the first half of the twentieth century. Huxley's scientifical background is perfectly well constructed and perfectly well explained, A must read for anyone who calls himself literate.

A gramme is better than a damn, Aldous

It's not as pessimistic as "1984" nor as cleverly metaphorical as "Animal Farm", but I hold both "Brave New World" and its cousin, the non-fiction analysis of Huxley's text ("Brave New World Revisited") higher in my esteem than either.Huxley himself was a brilliant man (what else can u expect, descending from Darwin's Bulldog himself?), and BNW is a brilliant novel. It's my favourite kind of book, just bursting at the seams with ideas and thoughts and theories, and told craftily through the eyes of a cast of intriguing characters.Because, aside from being a brilliant novel, such fantastic three-dimensional creations as Bernard Marx, Helmholtz Watson, Lenina Crowne and John the Savage will win you over forever. That's what makes this prophetic combination of BNW and BNWR so effective; the first shows you a startling vision of the future, and how it affects a wonderful cast you'll come to love; the second is a thought-provoking analysis written some years later, considering just how far the world has progressed towards achieving that 'utopia'. All kids should read this book at some stage. After all, we're the future (apparently), and this is a memorable example of what we do NOT want it to become.