The Ministry of Reshelving Needs You!
Cue theme music.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to join the Ministry of Reshelving in its campaign to reshelve all copies of George Orwell's 1984 at bookstores across Oceania The United States. In particular, you are to remove these novels from the fiction and literature sections of your local bookstore and relocate them to their appropriate places in the non-fiction, current events and/or politics sections. You must also place a "Ministry of Reshelving" calling card on the bookshelf to indicate that 1984 has been relocated to its rightful place.
More information can be found at prankster Jane McGonigal's place Avant Game. If you actually do this let me know. I love pranks. I plan on executing more in the near future.
During my lunch hour today I reshelved 1984 at a bookstore in Costa Mesa, CA. The novels are now located in the "New Non-Fiction" section and in the "Politics" section to the right of Bill O'Reilly's books:
If Orwell were alive today I think he'd like the idea. More pics at Flickr: The Ministry of Reshelving.
Thanks to Blondesense for the tip.
reshelving ministry of reshelving 1984 george orwell reshelving
Should we mark out 1984 and write in 2005? I think I'll try this at our local Books-a-Million, the one with the religion section that's full of Tim LaHaye books and the politics section full of Ann Coulter.
Posted by: Kathy | August 29, 2005 at 03:09 PM
This is a great idea -- reminds me of the time I was working as a temp in some awful corporate hole, and I decided to place a copy of Das Kapital on the office bookshelf, right next to The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
Posted by: dhn | August 29, 2005 at 03:27 PM
This post made me feel warm on my insides. Just thought you would like to know that.
I worked at a bookstore once. Shelving books is the devil, goddammit. You know why? Because they never fit. Then you have to take some off this shelf and put these over there, all while keeping them in order...no thanks, bitches! I'll stick to photocopying the part where O'Brien gives him the book, stacking the stapled packets in the middle of the Centennial Walk at my school, and allowing the wind to flutter them about for all to enjoy. They would litter the campus quite nicely.
If only that weren't so expensive.
Posted by: somewaterytart | August 29, 2005 at 06:03 PM
Ah, a little subversion.
Posted by: The Heretik | August 29, 2005 at 06:42 PM
oh, this is brilliant. I love it.
Can we next file a biography of Dubya or an Ann Coulter book under sci-fi/fantasy?
Posted by: Matt | August 29, 2005 at 07:33 PM
This is highly amusing. I'm trundling off to check out the Flickr pics.
Posted by: Wordlackey | August 29, 2005 at 08:24 PM
Here (click on Posted by: Achan Back) is a geometrically correct image of USA cast into shadow producing -yes- 1984.
To produce it in 'real life' would require:
large block letters;
three strong lights angled just so;
a backdrop upon which to cast the shadow.
AG
Posted by: Achan Back | August 30, 2005 at 01:18 AM
If I could figure out how the hell Borders organizes its books, I'd be on this immediatement.
Posted by: watertiger | August 30, 2005 at 03:15 AM
It's just too beautiful.
Minister, I'll get right on this!
Posted by: Kate | August 30, 2005 at 04:48 AM
I'm thinking this is doubleplusgood, keep up the good work.
Posted by: Citizen #19834 | August 30, 2005 at 06:20 AM
GREAT IDEA.
We'll move 1984 at once to the bush hatred section in my bookshop. (We actually have a prominent display of anti-bushery as you enter the shop).
As a matter of store policy, we've always put Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly books in the horror section. We once built a Halloween window display around the idea.
Just one thing, may I request, as a compulsive bookie, that if you do move Orwell about, please leave a couple of copies in fiction so that those folks actually looking for it can find it.
Posted by: handdrummer | August 30, 2005 at 10:52 AM
Good thinking! Love it!
Posted by: Chuck | August 30, 2005 at 04:39 PM
Man, I hate to be a pendejo about this, but I don't think anybody's going to get it.
Sounds like fun, though.
I also think that Handdrummer must run the coolest bookshop ever.
Posted by: Marie Antoinette (C.b.) | August 30, 2005 at 05:37 PM
This is a brilliant prank and I hope it catches on. You made me laugh, that's for sure.
Posted by: David | August 30, 2005 at 10:05 PM
I own a bookstore, I'll go move it myself, save you guys a trip. Also, I refuse to carry anything by Ann Coulter. My store, my choice.
Posted by: bookaffair | August 31, 2005 at 05:50 AM
Might I suggest the policy be expanded to incluse other works, a little something by Huxley perhaps, or Mergeret Atwood's opus, the Handmaid's tale?
Posted by: The Alchemist | August 31, 2005 at 10:30 AM
I inflitrated Downtown Disney (or the happiest mall on earth) today with the express job of reshelving... They dared to carry not a single title by Orwell in the the Compass Bookseller... but in a twist of irony, all their Science Fiction was under a section clearly titled "Non Fiction".
Clearly Disney does not need our help.
Posted by: PurpleSage | August 31, 2005 at 11:34 AM
I read this this morning via the onegoodmove link, immediately designed a simple, formal-looking card and took it to my university's Barnes and Noble. I checked back later. Someone bought it from the current affairs section. Either that or they hid it. It definately was not RE-reshelved since the Ministry of Reshelving card was still intact.
Posted by: Ryan | August 31, 2005 at 07:01 PM