Lolita

5b Vladimir Nabokov. Paris: The Olympia Press, 1955. In two volumes. First Editions.

Notes

Lolita, published in 1955, is a controversial and deeply complex novel narrated by Humbert Humbert, a middle-aged literature professor who becomes obsessed with Dolores Haze, a 12-year-old girl he nicknames “Lolita.” The novel is framed as Humbert’s confessional memoir, written from prison, in which he recounts his manipulation of Lolita and their cross-country travels after he becomes her stepfather. While Humbert tries to present himself as a tragic, tormented romantic, Nabokov’s prose subtly exposes him as a predator and unreliable narrator, revealing the deep psychological and emotional damage inflicted on Lolita.

Far from being an erotic novel, Lolita is a masterwork of unreliable narration, linguistic brilliance, and moral ambiguity. It critiques obsession, the objectification of youth, and the distortion of reality through self-serving narrative. Despite its disturbing subject matter, Nabokov's exquisite prose and psychological depth have cemented Lolita as one of the most important and controversial works of 20th-century literature. It's a novel that demands close, critical reading, not least because of how skillfully it entices the reader to question the truth behind the beauty of the words.

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.

Description

Green Softcover First Edition by Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (1955).  Black lettering to upper covers and spines. 'Lolita', true first edition, first printing published in two volumes by the Olympia Press in France. First issue paperback originals with the 900 Francs price on both volumes as called for. No evidence of any price stickers. Previous owner signature in blue ink “J. Rosenbaum”. Some wear to the spine. Slightly detached from the spine. Some chipping along the spine and along the extremities. Some creasing along the spine. Small cut to the lower board of volume one. The 900 Francs price is NOT crossed out as sometimes encountered; no evidence of price sticker presence. Custom clamshell with tan and green leather to house both volumes.