Books

First edition, first impression. Unable to find an American publisher brave enough to accept Lolita, Nabokov turned to Paris, where the Olympia Press printed 5,000 copies. British Customs officials received swift instructions to seize copies at the border, and a year later the work was also banned in France. Despite censorship, the novel remained popular and sold 100,000 copies in America in 1958. This copy is in Juliar's issue "B", re-priced from 900 to 1,200 Francs at the time of publication due to a sudden currency fluctuation. The publisher's price label for 1,200 is mounted over the printed price of 900 Francs on the rear wrapper of Volume One and is loosely inserted in Volume Two; other copies from issue "B" were corrected by hand. Subsequent issues and impressions were sold at 2,400 Francs. 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). Two vols, octavo. Original green wrappers, lettered in black, bordered in black and white. Housed in a custom blue cloth folding box. Wrappers notably bright, minimal rubbing, vol. 1 rear wrapper foot with 5 cm closed tear, partially sealed by the publisher's overprice sticker, occasional small crease to clean contents. A near-fine copy. Juliar A28.1; Kearney 24. Kingsley Amis, The Spectator, 6 Nov. 1959.

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.