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Nabokov, Vladimir : Lolita

G.P. Putnam's, New York, 1955

Very good copy in very good dust jacket, 8vo, 319 pp., First printing of the first American edition with first issue dust jacket (does not state ""Complete Unexpurgated Edition" and priced at $5.00); top edge stained red, red endpapers. Some overall soiling to dust jacket with a few small edge chips at the top & bottom of the spine; red lettering ( Nabokov) on spine of dust jacket faded.

1st

Nabokov, Vladimir : Lolita

Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1959

8vo. Second impression, in same year as first. Rubbed and bumped, spine ends chipped, titles rubbed, some light dampspotting and some small paint marks to boards, cocked and sprung, closed edges and endpapers tanned and foxed, occasional foxing throughout else text clean and bright. Book Condition: Fair. Binding: Hard. Jacket: No Jacket

First Edition

Nabokov, Vladimir : Lolita

Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1959

DJ in archival cover chip. Fifth impression January 1961., Fine

Nabokov, Vladimir : Lolita

The Olympia Press, Paris, 1959

Traveller's Companion series, No. 66. First Printing thus, thrd printing by this publisher of this title. Soft cover green wraps 223 pages in one volume., Very Good

Nabokov, Vladimir : Lolita

Putnam, New York, 1955

First American Edition. Clipped DJ in archival cover., Fine

1st Edition

NABOKOV**, VLADIMIR: : LOLITA

LONDON.WEINDENFELD & NICOLSON,1959.

ISBN No ISBN.

UK,8vo HB minus dw/dj,1st edn.[Originally written in English,and first published in Paris in September 1955,by Olympia Press,in two-volume paperbacks of a first printing of 5,000 copies,which immediately sold out. The first US edn was issued by G.P. Putnam's Sons in August 1958.This,the first UK publication by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London,in 1959.Later it was translated into Russian by Nabokov himself and published in New York City,1967 by Phaedra Publishers.] VG+.No owner inscrptn.Publisher's original, bright,generally clean,sharp-cornered,plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp, blocked silver gilt lettered spine/ backstrip and randomly foxed/spotted plain white endpapers,hinges without any splits or cracking; with negligible shelf-wear, bumping,creasing to edges and corners – no nicks,tears or splits present.Top edges tinted pink with some minimal fading and with minimal,sporadic and faint foxing/ spotting,fore-edges also with similar sporadic,faint foxing/spotting; contents bright,tight and also with some minimal foxing/spotting mainly to prelims up to pp30/1 and then minimally and intermittently through rest of text's body, otherwise solid and sound – only one dog-ear reading crease to pp243/4 top corners' tips.UK,8vo HB,minus issued dw/dj,1st edn, 5-319pp [paginated] includes a fictitious Foreword by John Ray Jr.,an editor of psychology books,Pts One + Two comprising 33 and 36 chapters respectively,and to the rear,author's afterword on the book genesis,followed by a 9pp Appendix of some international critics' opinions about the novel from Great Britain,USA,France, Germany,Italy,Switzerland,Norway,Finland and Denmark.Plus [unpaginated] foxed half-title+title pages,individual Pts and Appendix separator pages. The novel's flamboyant style is characterized by double entendres,multi-lingual puns,anagrams,and such as nymphet,a word that has since had a life of its own and can be found in most dictionaries,and the lesser-used faunlet. Visually the exterior appearance is more than acceptable for a book of it's age and nature,i.e. without the protection of a dw/dj,and even internally,the book is also in an acceptable condition/state of preservation and presentation.It is only the faults described that prevent a higher grading.A very acceptable stop-gap item for completists or collector,favourably priced compared to other expensive complete 1st edns listed elsewhere. He also makes cameo appearances in some of his novels,such as the character "Vivian Darkbloom" (anagram of Vladimir Nabokov), who appears in both 'Lolita.' and 'Ada,or Ardor.',and the character Blavdak Vinomori (another anagram of Nabokov's name) in 'King, Queen, Knave.' - see my book ID rja28438. Nabokov intended to publish it pseudonymously using the novel's anagrammatic character Vivian Darkbloom. Initially,it was turned down by various UK and US publishers,amongst them,Viking,Simon & Schuster,New Directions,Farrar Straus,and Doubleday.After these refusals and warnings,he opted for publication in France.Via his translator Doussia Ergaz,it reached Maurice Girodias of Olympia Press, "three-quarters of [whose] list was pornographic trash." Underinformed about Olympia,Nabokov signed a contract with Olympia Press for publication,to come out under his own name.Towards the end of 1955, Graham Greene**,in the London Sunday Times, called it one of the three best books of 1955.This provoked a response from the London Sunday Express editor John Gordon who ststed it was "the filthiest book I have ever read" and "sheer unrestrained pornography." British Customs officers were then instructed by the Home Office to seize all copies entering the United Kingdom. France followed suit in December 1956,and banned it,the ban lasting for two years.Its eventual first British publication was by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in London,in 1959 was controversial enough to contribute to the end of the political career of the Member of Parliament Nigel Nicolson,one of the publishing company's partners.The novel then appeared in Danish and Dutch translations.Two editions of a Swedish translation were withdrawn at the author's request.Despite initial trepidation,there was no official response in the U.S.,and the first American edition was issued by G. P. Putnam's Sons in August 1958.The book was into a third printing within days and became the first since 'Gone With The Wind.' to sell 100,000 copies in the first three weeks. The novel was adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick in 1962,and another film by Adrian Lyne in 1997.It has also been adapted several times (4) for the stage and has been the subject of two operas,two ballets,and an acclaimed,but commercially unsuccessful,Broadway musical. It has been included in several lists of best books,such as Times list of the Best 100 Novels,Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century,Bookclubben World Library,4th in Modern Library's 100 Best Novels,and The Big Read. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch, especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** This item offered P+p included.Offer available UK only,unless indicated otherwise. ** ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.

UK,8vo HB minus dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

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