Lolita.
$6,810 · Offered by Biblio
First edition
Paris: The Olympia Press,, 1955. The book of passions, bestial or angelic, par excellence First edition. Unable to find an American publisher to accept Lolita, Nabokov turned to Paris, where the Olympia Press printed 5,000 copies. British Customs officials received instructions to seize copies at the border, and a year later the work was banned in France. Despite censorship, the novel remained popular and sold 100,000 copies in America in 1958. The novel achieved immediate cult status in the UK on its publication in London in 1959. "Few books published in this country since the King James Bible can have set up more eager expectation than Lolita, nor, on the other hand, can any work have been much better known in advance to its potential audience" (Amis). Volume 1 is here in Juliar's issue "B", the rear wrapper with a label increasing the price from 900 to 1,200 francs due to a sudden currency fluctuation at the time of publication. It was later sold at 2,400 francs. 2 vols, octavo. Original green and white wrappers printed in black. Spines partially toned and with gentle creasing, extremities lightly rubbed, contents fresh. A very good copy. Juliar A28.1; Kearney 24. Kingsley Amis, The Spectator, 6 Nov. 1959.
- Year: 1955
- Edition: First Edition
- Binding: unknown
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