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First edition, trade issue. Original wrappers, rare as such. General modest wear to covers, wrapper spine strengthened at lower front joint, small stain on front free endpaper, pages browned per usual, overall a bright Very Good copy. Sartre's first novel, a cornerstone of modern existentialist literature. It follows the student, Roquentin, as he navigates a struggle to make meaning of his life. "For Sartre, every individual has total freedom over life, the ability to choose different paths at different moments. The ultimate choice is to choose being – that is, existence – over nothingness. It is a choice that is common to all, and by determining on creating a redemptive piece of art at the close of Nausea, Roquentin asserts his choice for existence over nothingness. It appears almost a non-choice on first examination, but it is in fact the largest of choices and the one that binds all humans together in a shared complicity to exist, to repress the nausea."(Selwyn) Ref: Review:…

Nausea is a philosophical novel by the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, published in 1938. It is Sartre's first novel and, in his opinion, one of his best works. The novel takes place in 'Bouville' (literally, 'Mud town') a town similar to Le Havre, and it concerns a dejected historian, who becomes convinced that inanimate objects and situations encroach on his ability to define himself, on his intellectual and social freedom, and on his ability to understand and control his life.

To determine if a copy of 'Nausea' is a first edition, one should look for the publishing details that match the first printing by Gallimard in 1938. This information is usually found within the first few pages of the book, often on the back of the title page.