A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian novel written by the English composer and author Anthony Burgess. It was first published in the UK by William Heinemann on March 17 1962. It wasn't released in America until the following year by W. W. Norton.
In the UK it didn't sell very well and only around 4 thousand copies were sold by the mid-1960s. It did slightly better in America, but recieved very mixed reviews. It wasn't until after the 1971 film adaption that the book became more well known and began selling more copies.