Lolita (2 vols.) by Nabokov, Vladimir - 1955

Paris: The Olympia Press, 1955. First Edition. Near Fine. True first issue of both volumes with the price of 900 Francs printed on the back of each cover and no overstamp or other price defacement. Both volumes are Near Fine with just very light rubbing to the extremities of the wrappers, but in lovely condition overall.

This controversial novel is frequently on the list of top books from the past century. Originally released in France because American publishers were wary of such "obscene" material, Lolita tangles sexual taboo and violence with incredibly seductive prose. "Shocking is the reaction the author somehow manages to elicit from his readers: empathy. Readers always read, I think, out of a tremendous curiosity about other human beings, we're looking for another soul on the page, and that's what Nabokov has so fearlessly, so complexly, so gorgeously given us. In a lesser writer's hands, we could easily dismiss Mr. Humbert as a monster, but Nabokov denies us that all-too comfortable option. Even if we would never condone his vain and deadly infatuation, we understand it. We're complicit in his sins, and our complicity is seductive and terrifying" (Johnston). Near Fine.