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Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1955.

Price: US$120.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: 319pp. This Edition of Lolita is Published by Special Arrangement with The Olympia Press. Grey patterned hardcover with black spine cloth and gilt spine title. Minor edge-wear, pages slightly yellowed, 1/8 inch scuff partway up the spine. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. BC

Seller: Voyageur Book Shop, Milwaukee, WI, U.S.A.

Restif de La Bretonne. Pleasures and Follies of a Good-Natured Libertine. The Olympia Press, 1955.

Price: US$175.00 + shipping

Condition: Fine

Description: Pleasures and Follies of a Good Natured Libertine 1955 Olympia Press 1st Paperback La Bretonne Title: Pleasures and Follies of a Good-Natured Libertine By: Restif de La Bretonne Published by: The Olympia Press Year: February 1955 printed in France by Imprimerie Mazarine Paperback with paper wrapper, 1st edition of this erotic tale. Bio of Writer: “Written by Nicolas-Edme Restif, byname Restif De La Bretonne, (born Oct. 23, 1734, Sacy, near Auxerre, France—died Feb. 3, 1806, Paris), French novelist whose works provide lively, detailed accounts of the sordid aspects of French life and society in the 18th century.” “Olympia Press was a Paris-based publisher, launched in 1953 by Maurice Girodias as a rebranded version of the Obelisk Press he inherited from his father Jack Kahane. It published a mix of erotic fiction and avant-garde literary fiction, and is best known for the first print of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. It specialized in books which could not be published (without legal action) in the English-speaking world, and correctly assumed that the French, who were unable to read the books, and were more sexually tolerant, would leave them alone. They were books to buy if your travels took you through Paris.” If you have any questions or if you need additional images, please feel free to email me.

Seller: Sturgis Antiques, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir. LOLITA. Custom Collector's 'Sculpted' Clamshell Case. Olympia Press, Paris, [1955, Book Date], 1955.

Price: US$180.00 + shipping

Description: 1st Edition Clamshell Collecor's Case. No Binding. First Edition Clamshell Case. Custom Fitted Modern Collector's Clamshell Bookcase [Not A Book] HAND-CRAFTED by our conservation team, each box is gilt-stamped on an inset brick red title piece. The case is finished inside & out in green and burgundy cloth with a 'sculpted pattern design on the side. TBCL Web Site photo/link available for OVER 100 generally in-stock titles. Custom Craft available.

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

Vladimir Nabokov. Lolita: A Novel (Includes "Lolita Turns Thirty" booklet by Erica Jong). G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1955.

Price: US$225.00 + shipping

Condition: Good

Description: No additional printings. First state dust jacket without "Complete Unexpurgated Edition" to front cover. 6 x 8 3/4 Book; binding sound with moderate rubbing and small material loss to top spine, boards have minor bow to rear with tape residue to top and bottom each board; text with red top stain and red end papers has several pages with mild soiling and creases to top corners, paste downs have thin lengthy tape residue with book store stamp to front paste down and free end page, date and two line inscription in ink pen to front free end page with thin lengthy toning band to half title page and second to last page. Dust jacket ($5.00) has mild soiling to mostly bottom spine with small paper loss to bottom spine, mild waviness to bottom covers with tape remnants along flap edges, 1/4" closed tear to top front flap. Color sharp. Under archival quality mylar cover. Photos upon request. Packed well and shipped in a sturdy box.

Seller: Twinwillow Books, Los Alamitos, CA, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir. LOLITA. Custom Collector's Clamshell Case. Olympia Press, Paris, [1955, Book Date], 1955.

Price: US$235.00 + shipping

Description: 1st Edition Clamshell Collecor's Case. No Binding. First Edition Clamshell Case. Custom Fitted Leather Modern Collector's Clamshell Bookcase [Not A Book] HAND-CRAFTED by our conservation team, each box is gilt-stamped to the spine.The case is finished in dark green leather over hand-made TBCL Lolita green marbled papers; the interior lined in soft black velour. An exquisite collector's case for this important title. TBCL Web Site photo/link available for OVER 100 generally in-stock titles. Custom Craft available.

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

Nabokov (Vladimir). Lolita. Steimatzky's Agency for Olympia Press, Jerusalem, 1955.

Price: US$389.86 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: Israeli edition. 8vo. Original wrappers. An early one-volume issue of Nabokov's controversial title. Wrappers a little rubbed at extremities, spine slightly creased and browned.

Seller: Lycanthia Rare Books, Newark, NOTTS, United Kingdom

Nabokov (Vladimir). Lolita.. Olympia Press but 1958, 1955.

Price: US$552.31 + shipping

Description: FIRST ISRAELI EDITION, 892 OF AROUND 2,000 COPIES (the copy number stamped to inside rear-cover), tiny spot at foot of title-page, pp. 223, foolscap 8vo, original wrappers, some very light creasing, the backstrip browned with some light rubbing to joints, very good. An important early edition, the first in a single volume, of the author's controversial masterpiece; the style of the numbering, thought to have been insisted upon as a means of tracking sales, makes the precise limitation uncertain - but numbers as high as 1,808 have been seen, with around half the limitation believed to have been in wrappers (as here) and the remainder in boards. (Juliar A28.1b)

Seller: Blackwell's Rare Books ABA ILAB BA, Oxford, United Kingdom

Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. Olympia, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$825.00 + shipping

Condition: Good

Description: Light creasing to spine and corners, appearance like the original Olympia Press edition except "printed in Israel", FIRST ISRAELI EDITION IN ENGLISH FROM THE PERIOD WHEN THE BOOK WAS BANNED IN THE UK AND US.

Seller: Halper's Books, Tel Aviv, Israel

NABOKOV, Vladimir. Lolita (Volume One). The Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$850.00 + shipping

Condition: Good

Description: First edition. Volume One only. Printed wrappers with "Francs 900" on the rear panel. Dampstains on pages, textblock and rear wrap rippled, a couple of tiny chips at the bottom of wraps, good only. The true first edition of one of the highspots of modern literature. Nabokov wrote the screenplay for the 1962 Stanley Kubrick film with James Mason, Shelley Winters, Peter Sellers, and Sue Lyon in the title role. Remade by Adrian Lyne in 1997 with Jeremy Irons.

Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.

[NABOKOV Vladimir] & SMITH Clayton. Photographie originale représentant Vladimir Nabokov de profil. S.n., 1955.

Price: US$1024.62 + shipping

Description: - S.n., s.l. s.d. (circa 1955), 5x8cm, une photographie. - Photographie originale en noir et blanc représentant Vladimir Nabokov. Tirage argentique d'époque. Mention manuscrite postérieure au stylo bille au dos du cliché : "photo Clayton-Smith mention obligatoire". La photographie servit d'illustration au catalogue de l'année 1959 d'Olympia Press, éditeur de Nabokov, dans le cadre de la réédition de Lolita. Beau portrait de profil de l'un des écrivains les plus sulfureux du XXème siècle. [ENGLISH TRANSLATION FOLLOWS] Original black and white photograph representing Vladimir Nabokov n. p. [ca 1955] | 5 x 8 cm |one photograph Contemporary silver print. Handwritten note in ballpoint pen at the back of the photograph: "Photo Clayton-Smith mention obligatoire". The photograph was used as an illustration for the Olympia Press catalog 1959, Nabokov's publisher, in the context of the re-edition of Lolita. Beautiful side-view portrait of one of the most sulphurous writers of the 20th century.

Seller: Librairie Le Feu Follet, Paris, France

NABOKOV, Vladimir. Lolita. Printed in Israel for The Olympia Press by Steimatzky's Agency, (Jerusalem, 1955.

Price: US$2000.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: First Israeli edition, and the first hardcover edition (there was also a wrappered issue of the Israeli edition). Two volumes in one. Original blue leather-textured papercovered boards in dustwrapper. Offsetting to the front and rear endpapers as usual, small and light stain on rear fly leaf, else near fine in a modestly rubbed, very good dustwrapper with some tanning to the white portion of the spine and a few modest chips. The first hardcover edition; the true first edition was published in Paris in two wrappered volumes. Stamped with the number 1442 on the front flap, Nabokov bibliographer Michael Juliar believes all copies of the Israeli edition were numbered, both hardcover and wrappered. A very uncommon issue of a high spot of modern literature. Nabokov wrote the screenplay for the 1962 Stanley Kubrick film with James Mason, Shelley Winters, Peter Sellers, and Sue Lyon in the title role, the film was remade by Adrian Lyne in 1997 with Jeremy Irons.

Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.

NABOKOV, VLADIMIR.;.RAY, JOHN JR. FOREWORD.. LOLITA (VOLUME ONE vol 1 I). OLYMPIA PRESS 1955 verso, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$2500.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: First edition, first issue, with the original price ("Francs: 900") printed on lower cover of each volume 1 AND AN ORIGINAL 1X2" WHITE STICKER TO BACK OF VOL 2."NEW PRICE FRANCS 1.200 PER VOLUME.OLYMPIA PRESS" small 1/8" corner chip to that paper notice, else complete. VERY GOOD Condition, clean, solid copies. Vol 1 shows small bit of that label was removed in past) else both volumes are close to new. PAGES 11 AND 12 OF VOL.I ABSENT FROM PAGINATION, AS ISSUED.Covers state "THE OLYMPIA PRESS" on 3 Individual lines,.centered.not on 2 lines . Title page has "THE OLYMPIA PRESS--- 8,Rue de Nesle, Paris 6 e" on 2 lines. WHITE SPINE STRIP HAS SINGLE asterisk * BOTTOM SPINE of VOLUME 2 HAS 2 ASTERISKS (**); Volume One has white endpaper with *1.That page is followed by 3 sheets and text begins with page numbered 7. Volume Two has **1 and is followed by 3 sheets and text begins on page 9. Dark Green covershave narrow black decorative border with narrow white inner border.and cover text in black as central text. ; 188+223pg pages; book1 Back cover has "France : 900"."Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. "

Seller: WONDERFUL BOOKS BY MAIL, Durham-CA, CA, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$3000.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: A very good first edition, two volumes, with the first issue 900 franc price on the back covers. Half inch corner triangle missing from top right corner of front cover. Rear cover of second volume partially separating at the spine. Housed in a custom-made collector's clamshell case.

Seller: Bookbid, Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.

NABOKOV, Vladimir. Lolita. The Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$3750.00 + shipping

Description: Full Description: NABOKOV, Vladimir. Lolita. Paris: The Olympia Press, [1955]. First edition. Two small octavo volumes (7 x 4 3/8 inches; 177 x 110 mm). [2, blank except for signature mark], [6], 7-10, 13-188, [1, blank], [1, printer's imprint], [2, blank]; [2, blank except for signature mark], [6], 9-223, [1, printer's imprint] pp. Original green printed wrappers. With "Francs: 900" on back covers of each volumes, however evidence of sticker removal over the "Francs: 900" on Volume I. No evidence of anything removed from Volume II. Wrappers printed in black and white. Spines a bit wrinkled. A bit of very minor flaking to heads and tails of spines. Some minot rubbing along spines. Volume I with front outer corners a bit creased and flaking. Volume II with a small chip along bottom of front wrapper. Some pencil marking to back wrappers of each volume. Otherwise an about fine copy of this high spot of twentieth-century literature. Housed in a custom quarter green morocco clamshell. "[Lolita]presents a quest for eternal innocence, albeit in satirical terms. Its popular appeal as an erotic story thrust Nabokov into notoriety. It was banned from France and parts of the U.S., and its merits were debated in the British Parliament. Nabokov defended it as a moral rather than an obscene book. It combines parody, fanciful imaginative flights, literary puzzles, and a brilliant satirical overview of American culture." (Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia, 610). HBS 68794. $3,750.

Seller: Heritage Book Shop, ABAA, Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. The Olympia Press (S.I.P. Montreuil),, 1955.

Price: US$3898.02 + shipping

Description: Paris, The Olympia Press (S.I.P. Montreuil), 1955 (August), Edizione originale nell’emissione riprezzata. Esemplari con etichetta di «New Price | Francs 1.200 per volume | The Olympia Press» a coprire l’originario «900 Francs»; etichetta sovrastata dalla nota a matita «I/II Frs. 2400»; i due volumi si presentano freschissimi e puliti, dritti e squadrati, con i dorsi appena bruniti e leggermente segnati lungo i fascicoli, minime e quasi impercettibili spellature agli spigoli delle cerniere, una nota come di segnatura di biblioteca in inchiostro blu al margine basso interno della prima carta di ciascun volume. Il capolavoro di Nabokov era già finito nei primi anni cinquanta ma fu respinto da più editori americani, preoccupati dal contenuto potenzialmente scandaloso del libro. L’autore si rivolse quindi alla casa editrice Olympia di Parigi, che pubblicava in prevalenza libri di stampo erotico (Andrew Field, biografo di Nabokov, sottolinea ironicamente come «Lolita» sia stato probabilmente «the most chaste book ever printed by Olympia»). La casa editrice parigina accettò, e ad agosto il libro era pronto, in «probably 5000 copies» (Juliar). Inizialmente accolto con freddezza, il libro divenne un caso letterario grazie a Graham Greene, che sul numero di Natale del «Sunday Times» nello stesso 1955 lo elencò tra i tre migliori libri usciti nel corso dell’anno. «As notoriety and sales increased through 1956, Maurice Girodias, Olympia Press’ publisher, smelling the extra francs, bumped the price for the two volumes from 900 francs up to 2400 francs, with a repricing done in various ways: a printed rectangular sticker on the back of one or both volumes [.] a round sticker [.] with handwritten price [.] the old price crossed out in ink and the new price of 1200 handwritten in» (Juliar). -- L’edizione originale ci mise tre anni ad esaurirsi, ma ora del 1958 il "caso «Lolita»" era ormai montato a livello mondiale, con edizioni nelle principali lingue (tra le prime, quella italiana per la «Medusa» Mondadori in maggio) e finalmente la nuova edizione in inglese, pubblicata a New York da G.P. Putnam’s Sons, che consentì la correzione dei numerosi refusi che funestavano la prima stampa sul suolo francese. -- Commentando la stesura dell’opera direttamente in inglese (lingua che Nabokov parlava in casa fin da bambino e che padroneggiava con maestria), nella postfazione alla prima edizione americana («On a book entitled "Lolita"») l’autore ebbe a dire: «After Olympia Press, in Paris, published the book, an American critic suggested that "Lolita" was the record of my love affair with the romantic novel. The substitution "English language" for "romantic novel" would make the elegant formula more correct». Juliar, Vladimir Nabokov: A Descriptive Bibliography, n. A28.1 issue b 2 voll., in 16°, brossura verde con stampa in bianco e nero, pp. 188 [2]; 223 [1]. Edizione originale nell’emissione riprezzata. Esemplari con etichetta di «New Price | Francs 1.200 per volume | The Olympia Press» a coprire l’originario «900 Francs»; etichetta sovrastata dalla nota a matita «I/II Frs. 2400»; i due volumi si presentano freschissimi e puliti, dritti e squadrati, con i dorsi appena bruniti e leggermente segnati lungo i fascicoli, minime e quasi impercettibili spellature agli spigoli delle cerniere, una nota come di segnatura di biblioteca in inchiostro blu al margine basso interno della prima carta di ciascun volume. brossura verde con stampa in bianco e nero,

Seller: Libreria Antiquaria Pontremoli SRL, Milano, MI, Italy

NABOKOV Vladimir. Lolita. , 1955.

Price: US$3898.64 + shipping

Description: First edition, first issue. Two volumes. 8vo., original green printed wrappers. Later ownership inscription 'R. Murphy' on Vol. 1 front pastedown. Paris, The Olympia Press. Nabokov?s disturbing novel about a paedophile?s exploitation of his orphaned step daughter, published by the Olympia Press in Paris, ?an imprint specialising in what has been described as a list of pornographic trash?, but who were also responsible for publishing several of the most widely proclaimed novels of the twentieth century. Lolita was initially rejected by all of the American publishers approached by Nabokov, fearing censorship and even imprisonment, fears that were somewhat vindicated by the subsequent prohibition of the book in both France and England. Ironically, it was never actually banned in the United States, appearing in 1958 when these fears had been assuaged somewhat by the passage of time. When the novel was republished, such a hype had been created surrounding it due to the controversy that it became the first book since Margaret Mitchell?s Gone With the Wind to sell more than 100,000 copies in its first three weeks. A review published in the New York Times at the time of the 1958 publication puts this in somewhat bitter terms: ?Certain books achieve a sort of underground reputation before they are published. [?] And if their authors are really lucky some act of official censorship publicizes their work to the masses. ?Lolita? by Vladimir Nabokov is such a book. Mr. Nabokov is particularly lucky because his book was not censored in the United States, but in France of all places.? First issue, with ?Francs: 900? to rear wrappers. A very good set, lightly worn wrappers, rubbing to spine and joints, with a little loss of colour in places, a little creasing to front and back wrappers, and subtle and expert repairs to wrappers of volume one.

Seller: Maggs Bros. Ltd ABA, ILAB, PBFA, BA, London, United Kingdom

NABOKOV, VLADIMIR. Lolita. Olympia Press, 1955.

Price: US$4500.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: 2 volumes. With provenance. 8vo, Publisher's green, white, and black printed wrappers, joints and spine tips rubbed. Vol. 1 with tape mend at top corner of front wrapper on recto and verso and lacking front flyleaf. Vol. 2 rear wrapper with hard crease and small abrasion. Ownership signature on Vol. 2 front flyleaf by noted American poet and critic, Lloyd Frankenberg, recipient of the 1938 Spenser award, a 1940 Guggenheim Foundation fellow, a 1942 Carnegie grant, the 1947 Academy Arts and Letters award, a 1942 Rockefeller Foundation fellow, and a member the poetry jury for the National Book Award. Both volumes are First Edition, First Issue, with unobscured printed price of 900 Francs on the rear of each volume. Kearney 16; Juliar A28.1.1. In archival sleeve.

Seller: J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints IOBA, Garrison, NY, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir.. Lolita.. Paris, The Olympia Press, August 1955., 1955.

Price: US$5011.74 + shipping

Description: Small 8vo. 2 vols. (2), 188, (2) pp. 223, (1) pp. Pages 11 and 12 of vol. 1 absent from pagination, as issued. Original green and white wrappers, lettering in black to spine and upper cover. First edition, first issue, with the original price ("Francs: 900") printed on lower cover of each volume. - Nabokov's still-controversial masterpiece was initially rejected by several American and British publishers before being accepted by Maurice Girodias and his Paris-based Olympia Press. Upon publication, Nabokov defended his "serious work of art" to friends and publishers: "I know Lolita is my best book so far." The British Home Office ordered all copies entering the UK to be seized, and lobbied the French government so that, surprisingly, "Lolita" was also banned in France for nearly two years. "Lolita" was not published in the U.S. and the U.K. until 1959. The book is ranked fourth on the Modern Library's list of 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century. - Light wear to spines and extremities of jackets with upper cover of vol. 2 gently creased; white section of the spine of both volumes a little yellowed; page 63/64 shows minor loss to lower corner from imperfect opening. Still a very good set. - Field 793. Juliar A28.1.1, issue a. Kearney, The Paris Olympia Press, 24.

Seller: Antiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH, Vienna, A, Austria

Vladimir Nabokov. Lolita. Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$5198.18 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: The true first edition, first printing, of Nabokov s masterpiece, and an icon of 20th century literature. Published in two volumes by Paris Olympia Press in 1955. This includes the original price of 900 francs (a sudden fluctuation in the value of the currency forced the publisher to update this 1200 for later printings). A Near Fine copy, with just some wear to the spines but otherwise clean and bright.

Seller: CASSIUS&Co., London, United Kingdom

Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita.. The Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$5500.00 + shipping

Description: First edition of Nabokov's masterpiece, published in Paris by the Olympia Press in 1955. First issue with the price of 900 francs on the rear panel of each volume. Octavo, 2 volumes, original green wrappers. In very good condition with light rubbing, some toning to the extremities. Ownership names and newspaper clipping tipped in. "Brilliant One of the funniest and one of the saddest books that will be published this year" (New York Times). "Lolita blazes with a perversity of a most original kind, for Mr. Nabokov has distilled from his shocking material hundred-proof intellectual farce. Lolita seems an assertion of the power of the comic spirit to wrest delight and truth from the most outlandish materials. It is one of the funniest serious novels I have ever read; and the vision of its abominable hero, who never deludes or excuses himself, brings into grotesque relief the cant, the vulgarity, and the hypocritical conventions that pervade the human comedy" (Atlantic Monthly). The novel became the basis for the 1962 Stanley Kubrick film starring James Mason and Peter Sellers.

Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.

Vladimir Nabokov. Lolita (first edition first issue). The Olympia Press, 1955.

Price: US$5500.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. Paris, The Olympia Press, 1955 First edition, first issue with "Francs: 900" on rear panels. 2 vols. 188, (2); 223, (1) pp. Sm-8°. Very good set, or. green wrps. (Spines a bit browned, corner of pp. 73/74 unfortunately torn off w. some loss of text). Rejected by all American publishers, the work was published in France in 1955. One of the most important literary works of the 20th century

Seller: Neverland Books, waalre, Netherlands

NABOKOV, Vladimir.. Lolita.. Paris The Olympia Press, 1955.

Price: US$6050.00 + shipping

Description: First edition, second issue; 2 vols, 8vo; publisher's green, white and black printed wrappers, light wear to spine tips and corners, faint finger soiling to rear wrappers, one corner crease, with the stickers (chipped on vol.II) altering the price to '1200 Francs' affixed to the rear covers, a very good set. Nabokov's controversial novel was rejected by American publishers, but was finally accepted by the avant-garde Olympia Press in Paris and published in this two-volume edition. The novel was first brought to a wider English public by Graham Greene who selected it as one of his books of the year in an article in the Sunday Times newspaper. In 1956, John Gordon, editor of the Sunday Express, responded by calling it 'the filthiest book I have ever read. Sheer unrestrained pornography', thus ensuring its enduring notoriety, and a ban in America and Britain until 1958.

Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United Kingdom

NABOKOV, Vladimir.. Lolita.. Paris: The Olympia Press, 1955, 1955.

Price: US$6497.73 + shipping

Description: First edition, first impression, first issue. Lolita was originally published with "Francs : 900" printed on the rear covers, but a sudden currency fluctuation at the time of publication meant that the books had to be re-priced to 1,200 francs. Copies of the first issue appear either without a price change, as here, or with the bookseller's hand-written correction. The second issue appeared with the publisher's overprice sticker on the rear covers. In this copy, the price of the second volume is untouched, and the price of the first volume has been lightly inked over in blank, but with no corrected price added, meaning this is likely to be some later marking, and not any sign of second issue. Nabokov, unable to find an American publisher brave enough to accept Lolita, turned to Paris to find a press. Olympia printed 5,000 copies in 1955; customs officials in the UK were quickly instructed to seize copies of the book at the border, and a year later it was also banned in France. Widespread censorship did little to dampen the book's success; when it was finally published in the USA in 1958 it topped bestseller lists, selling 100,000 copies in the first few weeks. Provenance: with the ownership inscription of Donald Richie (1924-2013), American author and critic of Japanese cinema, to rear inner wrapper of volume II. Richie wrote several books on Japan, and essays on nature of Japanese cinema: a personal friend of Yasujir Ozu and Akira Kurosawa, he prepared the English subtitles for some of Kurosawa's most famous films, including Kagemusha and Dreams. Juliar A28.1; Kearney 24. For Amis, Kirsch, and Prescott, see "Sick, Scandalous, Spectacular: The First Reviews of Lolita", 18 August 2020, Literary Hub, available online. 2 volumes, octavo. Original green and white wrappers printed in black. Housed in a custom green and red cloth flat-back box, red morocco title label on spine. Pencilled ownership inscription of one A. Lurie to front free endpaper, quite possibly the American novelist Alison Lurie (1926-2020). Printed price on rear wrapper of vol. I inked over. Spine of vol. I leaning, joints lightly rubbed and toned but firm, spines and outer corners creased, lettering on front wrapper of vol. I a little smudged, small bump to rear wrapper of vol. I, internally bright and clean. A very nice set.

Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom

NABOKOV, Vladimir. Lolita. Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$7500.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: 2 volumes. 12mo, original printed green wrappers (some minor rubbing and crinkling on spine; professional repairs to rear corners of first volume and cover of second volume). Paris: Olympia Press, (1955). First edition. An clean tight pair, protected in a sculpted green cloth clamshell case with leather spine label. Nabokov's masterpiece. First issue, with the 900 franc price on both volumes.

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

Nabokov, Vladimir. LOLITA. The Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$8500.00 + shipping

Description: Small octavo, two volumes, publisher's white paper wrappers printed in green and black. First edition, first printing, first issue with "Francs : 900" printed on the rear cover of each volume. Nabokov's masterpiece. 5000 copies printed. Some wear to edges of both volumes, mainly along spine folds and spine edges, several rubs to spine panel glue wrinkles, mild tanning to white title panels, light bump at lower spine end of volume two, a very good copy that presents extremely well overall. Enclosed in a custom clamshell box. (#170978)

Seller: Currey, L.W. Inc. ABAA/ILAB, Elizabethtown, NY, U.S.A.

Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. The Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$10000.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: First edition, first printing, first issue with "Francs : 900" printed on the rear cover of each volume. In two volumes. 188 p. (with no pages 11-12 as noted by Juliar); 223 p. Original green wraps. Near Fine with light creasing to wrappers; toned spines, a small stain to rear cover of volume one and first page of volume two. The first appearance of Nabokov's still-controversial novel from Maurice Girodias's pioneering, Paris-based publishers Olympia Press. Housed in a custom levant leather chemise case tooled in gilt with striking marbled covers.

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

Nabokoff, Vladimir (Nabokov). Lolita (2 Volume complete set). The Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$11000.00 + shipping

Condition: Fine

Description: First Edition, First Printing with the Francs: 900 present on both back panels of the wrappers. A magnificent copy. Both volumes are vibrant in color and bound in the original publisher's paper wrappers. The bindings are tight with NO chips or teas. The pages are exceptionally clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the books. A stunning copy of this 2 volume set.

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

NABOKOV, Vladimir.. Lolita.. Paris: The Olympia Press, 1955, 1955.

Price: US$11371.03 + shipping

Description: First edition, first impression, first issue. Lolita was originally published with "Francs : 900" printed on the rear covers, but a sudden currency fluctuation at the time of publication meant that the books had to be re-priced to 1,200 francs. Copies of the first issue appear either without a price change, as here, or with the bookseller's hand-written correction. The second issue appeared with the publisher's overprice sticker on the rear covers. Nabokov, unable to find an American publisher brave enough to accept Lolita, turned to Paris to find a press. Olympia printed 5,000 copies in 1955; customs officials in the UK were quickly instructed to seize copies of the book at the border, and a year later it was also banned in France. Widespread censorship did little to dampen the book's success; when it was finally published in the USA in 1958 it topped best-seller lists, selling 100,000 copies in the first few weeks. Juliar A28.1; Kearney 24. For Amis, Kirsch, and Prescott, see "Sick, Scandalous, Spectacular: The First Reviews of Lolita", 18 August 2020, Literary Hub, available online. 2 volumes, octavo. Original green and white wrappers printed in black. Housed in a black cloth flat-back box by the Chelsea Bindery. Spines a little creased, very faint dampstain to front wrappers extending to prelims of vol. 2, fore and lower edges lightly foxed, vol. 2 with tiny bump to foot of spine and slight creases to corners. A bright, fresh, near-fine set.

Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom

Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$12500.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by Vladimir Nabokov on a laid in signature. A fabulous copy of this TRUE FRIST EDITION with the 900 Francs price printed on the rear panels of both volumes that was later changed to 1200 francs on later editions. This two volume set is in excellent shape with minor wear to the spine and edges. Both Vol 1 and Vol 2 are complete with clean pages. There is NO writing, marks or bookplates in either book. A wonderful copy SIGNED by the author.

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

Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. Olympia Press, Paris, 1955.

Price: US$55000.00 + shipping

Description: First edition. 188, [2]; [3]-223, [1] pp. 2 vols. 12mo. The Nabokov Cousins: 'Lolita' Signed. This copy with ownership signatures of composer and cosmopolitan Nicolas Nabokov (1903-1978) on the flyleaf of each volume. With the signature of his first cousin the author on the flyleaf of the first volume: "Vladimir". The cousins got to know each other when the aristocratic Nabokov family arrived in Yalta in the aftermath of the Bolshevik coup, and their paths crossed repeatedly during their new lives in exile. Vladimir invented himself as one of the great literary figures of the twentieth century; Nicolas pursued his musical studies and achieved renown as a composer. Nicolas accepted a position at Wells College in Auburn, N.Y., in 1936; when war broke out in Europe, he was in a position to assist the German composer Hindemith and the Austrian artist and designer Victor Hammer in fleeing the Nazis. He also helped his cousin Vladimir, who sailed from France for America in May 1940. For The Return of Pushkin, first performed in 1948, Vladimir prepared the English text. Lolita gained worldwide notoriety for its author upon publication in 1955. Nicolas later wrote his cousin, "I never told you how much I liked both Pnin and Lolita and how happy I am about the success of the latter. The only thing that troubles me is that due to my vagrant, erotic past, people often think that Humbert Humbert is a portrait of me! I suppose that the way to profit by it is to say it openly and go on a lecture tour through American high schools and girls' colleges under the title 'How I did It' ." (quoted in Giroud p. 313). The cousins met regularly through the 1970s. Juliar A28.1, issue a. Provenance: from the estate of Nicolas Nabokov Green printed wrappers, priced Francs : 900 on back wrappers. Spines toned, lower portion of spine of first volume worn with small loss. Dated 1.X.1955 on the flyleaf of volume I in an unknown hand. Very good. Morocco backed slipcase, cloth chemises 188, [2]; [3]-223, [1] pp. 2 vols. 12mo

Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.