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Vladimir Nabokov. Laughter in the Dark. Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1938.

Price: US$85.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1938. 1st USA edition, VG+/. No jacket. Book has some wear to spine ends, light bump to upper front corner, slight slant. Variant binding ":B", (brown). Nice copy, 292 pp. BP

Seller: Blue Skye Books, Novato, CA, U.S.A.

Vladimir Nabokov. Laughter in the Dark. Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1938.

Price: US$185.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1938. 1st USA, NF/. Book has light wear to spine ends and corners, gilt lettering and design on spine is dulled (still legible, but publisher name is dulled also), light edge wear. First book of his to be published in the United States; previously published in the UK in 1932 and titled "Camera Obscura". Nice copy, 292 pp. BP

Seller: Blue Skye Books, Novato, CA, U.S.A.

(Nabokov) Nabokoff, Vladimir. Laughter in the Dark. Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$200.00 + shipping

Description: The first book of Nabokov's to appear in the U.S., and the first publication of his own translation. Original orange cloth. Slight spine lean, else fine. Juliar A14.2, binding variant b.

Seller: Thomas A. Goldwasser Rare Books (ABAA), CHESTER, CT, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir. LAUGHTER IN THE DARK. Bobbs-Merrill (1938), Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$200.00 + shipping

Description: First edition. Published in England under the title, "Camera Obscura." The first book by Vladimir Nabokov to be printed in the United States. Variant binding in orange cloth stamped in black--one of three variant bindings. Very good with lightly soiled cover, small mark to bottom of text block, spine ends lightly bumped and rubbed, and slight tear in cloth along the upper edge. Lacking original dust jacket but with facsimile provided.

Seller: Quill & Brush, member ABAA, Middletown, MD, U.S.A.

Vladimir Nabokov [Nabokoff]. Laughter in the Dark. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1938.

Price: US$250.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: First American edition, first printing. First state green cloth binding. Clean, bright, unmarked, and firmly bound.

Seller: Open Boat Booksellers, Amherst, MA, U.S.A.

Nabokoff (Nabokov), Vladimir. Laughter in the Dark. The Bobbs Merrill Company, 1938.

Price: US$300.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: First Edition stated of Nabokov's first novel to be published in the US which he retranslated himself after being dissatisfied with the first translation published in England under the title Camera Obscura in 1932. In apparent first state binding of green cloth with black title panel to spine with gilt to type and design motif. A few small marks to front board and some fading to spine. Deckle edge with uneven tears to front edges of several pages towards rear where they seemed to have been uncut when purchased. A few small marks to top page ends. Binding solid and interior clean. In brand new high quality facsimile jacket. 1st Printing

Seller: Lost Paddle Books, IOBA, Albany, CA, U.S.A.

Nabokoff [Nabokov], Vladimir. Laughter in the Dark [First Edition]. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Publishers, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$300.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: The First American Edition. Brown cloth. General modest age wear else a solid Very Good example in a somewhat edge chipped and dusty jacket. Looks pretty good in mylar!

Seller: Gerry Kleier Rare Books, Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Vladimir Nabokoff, Vladimir Nabokov. Laughter in the Dark. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$450.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: (1938). 8vo. First American edition of author's first book in English. Variant brown binding. Previous owner's notes pencilled to free endpapers. Lean to spine with slight bowing to boards. Finger soiling to leaves throughout text block. Soiling to pages 28-29. Bumping to spine ends. Light fraying to spine ends and forecorners with board exposure to tail fore-edge. Rippling to boards. Heavy wear, creasing, tearing and chipping to soiled dust jacket. Previous owner's mylar jacket folded over original d.j. Discoloration to soiled custom slipcase with mild wear to corners. Peeling to leather title on spine of slipcase. VG/Fair in VG slipcase. 1st American edition, variant brown binding.

Seller: Strand Book Store, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.

Vladimir Nabokov. Vladimir Nabokoff. Laughter In The Dark. Bobbs Merrill Company, 1938.

Price: US$496.52 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: first printing of the first American edition; 292 pp., original green cloth (hardcover), fine in a good dust jacket; the jacket is edge-rubbed and has two pieces of clear tape to the top and bottom inside & outside surfaces of the spine panel. - If you are reading this, this item is actually (physically) in our stock and ready for shipment once ordered. We are not bookjackers. Buyer is responsible for any additional duties, taxes, or fees required by recipient's country. Photos available upon request.

Seller: Zubal-Books, Since 1961, Cleveland, OH, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir ( Nabokoff, Vladimir ). Laughter in the Dark. Bobbs Merrill, 1938.

Price: US$1000.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: The first edition, published by Bobbs-Merrill in 1938. Bound in brown cloth. A very good copy of the book with some toning to the end sheets and a bump to one corner. Prior owners names ( two ) written to the pastedown, under the jacket flap. A very good example of the dust jacket with some wear and light chipping at the edges. There is a small loss-of-paper to the jacket's spine base three quarters of an inch at its deepest point.

Seller: The Reluctant Bookseller, Albany, NY, U.S.A.

NABOKOV [NABOKOFF], Vladimir. Laughter in the Dark. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$1108.62 + shipping

Condition: Fine

Description: Indianapolis, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1938 (first thus). Octavo, 292 pages. Orange cloth lettered and decorated in black on the spine; tiny bump to the front top and rear bottom edge of the boards; leading edge uncut; endpapers a little offset; essentially a fine copy with the unclipped dustwrapper a little worn, with slight loss to the ends of the spine. Three variant bindings exist - green, orange and brown - apparently in that order of issue. The author's first book to be published in the USA; 'A different version of this novel has been published in England under the title "Camera Obscura" (verso of the title page). The story behind this turn of events is intriguing. 'At the age of thirty-one, living as a penniless exile in Berlin, Vladimir Nabokov composed, in Russian, a novel called "Camera Obscura," which he published serially in an émigré journal in 1930. Five years later, the book was translated into English by a woman named Winifred Roy, for the British publisher John Long. But Nabokov claimed that Roy's translation was "sloppy" and "full of blunders" and, when approached by a publisher about an American edition in 1938, he chose to retranslate the novel himself. The new version (Nabokov's first English literary production), which he retitled "Laughter in the Dark," is a masterful short novel about an older man's obsession with a young girl, and is today considered an important precursor to "Lolita"' (John Colapinto in 'The New Yorker', 4 December 2014). The article compares the two editions, based on the author's extensively annotated copy of the earlier one; 'he had revised virtually every page of Roy's version in a storm of handwritten additions, crabbed interlineations, carat-sprinkled paragraphs, and bursts of inspiration'. Colapinto concludes that 'Camera Obscura' shows that Nabokov 'was indeed capable of writing a second-rate novel. (He knew it, and rewrote it.) . It also exonerates, to a degree, poor forgotten Winifred Roy, whose supposed ineptitude has long been the accepted reason for Nabokov's rewrite. Clearly, there were other motivations behind his decision to retranslate the novel'.

Seller: Michael Treloar Booksellers ANZAAB/ILAB, Adelaide, SA, Australia

(Nabokov, Vladimir), Vladimir Nabokoff. LAUGHTER IN THE DARK. Bobbs-Merrill Company (1938), Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$1250.00 + shipping

Description: First U.S. edition in first-issue green cloth. Translated from the Russian by Nabokov, who disliked the translation by Winifred Roy for the 1936 UK edition (published under the title CAMERA OBSCURA). Very good with touch of fading to edges, pp.267-270 roughly opened, and old sticker shadow and minor loss to upper rear pastedown; in attractive dust jacket professionally repaired on edges and folds. From the collection of sports writer Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman with his penciled notations about the text on rear endpaper.

Seller: Quill & Brush, member ABAA, Middletown, MD, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir. LAUGHTER IN THE DARK A Novel. Bobbs-Merrill, New York, 1938.

Price: US$1500.00 + shipping

Description: First Edition. Hardcover. Stated first edition, first state of the binding. It is stated on the copyright page that this novel was previously published in Britain under the title CAMERA OBSCURA. This is therefore the first American edition with this title of book published by John Long in 1935. 8vo light green cloth. The author's name is spelled "Nabokoff". A stunning copy in an expertly restored, price-clipped dj. PLEASE NOTE that all our First Editions are also First Printings, unless we specifically note otherwise. All our dust jackets are protected in clear mylar covers. The book itself is tight and nearly fine, showing almost no wear. The jacket has been expertly restored, a fact that is evident from examining the verso, but both jacket panels and the spine are all very true and bright in color so that externally it almost appears at first to be new. The price has been clipped from the lower inner front flap.

Seller: Bert Babcock - Bookseller, LLC, DERRY, NH, U.S.A.

Nabokoff, Vladimir (Nabokov). Laughter in the Dark. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$1500.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: First Edition, First Printing with the words "FIRST EDITION" printed on the copyright page. An attractive dustjacket that is rich in color with light wear to the panels. The book is in excellent condition with minor wear to the edges. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A collectable copy of this TRUE FIRST EDITION in the publisher's green cloth.

Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir. LAUGHTER IN THE DARK. Bobbs, Merrill, Indianapolis, Ind, 1938.

Price: US$1850.00 + shipping

Description: 1st Edition. Hardcover. 8vo., 292pp. First Edition. First US Edition [The first book by Vladimir Nabokov to be printed in the United States]. First This Title. Published in England by John Long as: CAMERA OBSCURA, [The original title of the 1932 Russian edition]. A fine copy in the second state orange cloth in a bright dust wrapper showing light rubbing and nicks, housed in a protected mylar.

Seller: TBCL The Book Collector's Library, Montreal, QC, Canada

Vladimir Nabokov. Laughter in the Dark. Bobbs-Merrill, 1938.

Price: US$1999.99 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: Stated First Edition, First Printing. Not price-clipped ($2.50 price intact). Published by Bobbs-Merrill, 1938. Octavo. Light green cloth boards with black spine label stamped in gold. Book is very good with a very slight spine lean. Binding tight and pages crisp. Has some light rubbing to board edges. Small private library stamp on rear pastedown, but typical library tape or obtrusive stamps. Dust jacket is very good with some light shelf/edgewear and a few small nicks. Jacket is still bright with no fading. A very good copy of this classic Nabokov novel translated himself after his noted dislike of the 1936 UK edition. 292 pages. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions or if you would like a photo. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Southampton, New York.

Seller: Southampton Books, Southampton, NY, U.S.A.

NABOKOFF, Vladimir [NABOKOV]. Laughter in the Dark. Bobbs Merrill Company, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$2000.00 + shipping

Description: First American Edition, brown cloth issue. Important debut novel by the Russian author of Lolita. Near Fine in attractive Very Good plus dustjacket, spine ends and flap corners with rubbing and nicks.

Seller: Babylon Revisited Rare Books, Northampton, MA, U.S.A.

[Nabokov] Nabokoff, Vladimir. Laughter in the Dark. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis and New York, 1938.

Price: US$2400.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: First American edition, first printing in publisher's original second state brown cloth binding. Light bumping to edges of covers, and pages toned, else Fine, in a Near Fine unclipped dust jacket with the affects of unnecessary tape repairs made to the verso.

Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.

[Nabokov] Nabokoff, Vladimir. Laughter in the Dark. Bobbs Merrill, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$2750.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: A Near Fine copy of the book in like dust jacket. Book with the spine a bit rolled and a discreet previous owner's name on the half-title. Jacket with just a bit of wear at the extremities, but generally in excellent condition. Nabokov's novel about passion, betrayal, and ambition predated his infamous Lolita by 23 years. Laughter in the Dark allowed the author to develop themes connected to a middle-aged man's passion for a younger woman, and to explore how a parasitic relationship based on lust could lead to mutual downfall. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket.

Seller: Whitmore Rare Books, Inc. -- ABAA, ILAB, Pasadena, CA, U.S.A.

Nabokoff, Vladimir (Nabokov). Laughter in the Dark. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$2750.00 + shipping

Condition: Fine

Description: First Edition, First Printing bound in the publisher's ORIGINAL green cloth with the words "FIRST EDITION" printed on the copyright page. A wonderful copy. This First Issue dustjacket has the publisher's $2.50 printed price present on the front flap with minor wear to the edges. The book is in great shape. The binding is tight with minor wear to the boards. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A lovely copy housed in a custom clamshell slipcase for preservation.

Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.

Nabokoff [Nabokov], Vladimir. LAUGHTER IN THE DARK. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis & New York, 1938.

Price: US$3500.00 + shipping

Description: Octavo (21.5cm); in the first issue green cloth binding, titled, blocked, and decorated in gilt and navy blue on spine; dustjacket; [6],7-292pp. Trivial wear to spine ends, some offsetting to pastedowns, else a fresh, very Near Fine copy. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced $2.50), with a hint of sunning to spine, a single, tiny tear at lower edge of rear panel, and some pinpoint rubs to spine ends and corners; very Near Fine. The author's first book published in the U.S., and the first appearance of own translation of the novel into English - the story of a blind man betrayed by his wife and her lover. Originally translated by Winifred Roy and published in London in 1936 under the title Camera Obscura, Nabokov was so displeased with the translation's quality that he undertook the effort himself. A lovely copy, unrestored, and without the usual heavy wear typically seen on the dustjacket. Juliar A14.2.

Seller: Captain Ahab's Rare Books, ABAA, Stephenson, VA, U.S.A.

NABOKOV, VLADIMIR. Laughter In The Dark. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$3850.00 + shipping

Condition: Fine

Description: Bound in original green cloth with a complete and fine example of the dust jacket. The book was issued in three variant bindings and the consensus now is that the green binding takes precedence, followed by orange, and brown. The author's name is spelled Nabokoff with this title but as that is not commonly known I listed this title with the more conventional Western spelling. The first Engish translation from 1936 was titled Camera Obscura with a translation by Winifred Roy. Nabokov was so disturbed by this effort that he decided to do his own translation, and thank goodness for that. Nabokov famously disliked pictoral depictions on dust jackets and was able with only a few exceptions to have his way with text only examples. Though this might seem limiting, the brilliant production of this novel dispels any argument to the contrary. It is possible to have text only and to present it in a very compelling fashion. One of my favorite dust jackets of all time. This is a superb copy of a brilliant novel. Now housed in a strong and attractive custom built drop-back box. A14.2. Fine / Fine.

Seller: First Place Books - ABAA, ILAB, Walkersville, MD, U.S.A.

Nabokoff, Vladimir (Nabokov). Bookseller Image Laughter in the Dark. Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, 1938.

Price: US$6000.00 + shipping

Condition: Fine

Description: First Edition, First Printing in the ORIGINAL publisher's green cloth. Later editions publish in brown and orange cloth. A beautiful copy. This First Issue dustjacket is vibrant in color with NO chips or pieces missing. The book is in excellent condition and appears UNREAD. The binding is tight, with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp with minor wear. The pages are exceptionally clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. Overall, a fabulous copy in collector's condition. We buy Nabokov First Editions.

Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.