Memento mori's buckram backside

I looked at the time-dulled "classics" near my feet. Dead, all dead.
Carlyle and Ruskin and Meredith and Orwell -- all are dead, God rot
them. I glanced over their faded titles. Collected Essays, Journalism
and Letters of George Orwell. Ha, ha! That's good. Collected Essays,
Journalism and Letters of George Orwell! Its top edge was black with
dust. Dust thou art, to dust returnest. I kicked Orwell's buckram
backside. Art there, old false-penny? You're cold meat, if ever
Englishman was.
B.
(& K.T.A.F.)