5 Nabokov Vintage Paperbacks

Product Description

 Five Vladimir Nabokov Vintage Paperbacks. 

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) wrote Pale Fire (Бледный огонь) in 1962. It is a poem in a novel by the fictional poet John Shade, with a foreword and lengthy commentary written by Shade's neighbor and academic colleague, Charles Kinbote. Though considered a somewhat difficult read, it has been ranked 53rd on the list of the Modern Library 100 Best Novels. The book is full of references to culture, nature, and literature.

Pnin is Vladimir Nabokov's 13th novel and his fourth written in English; it was published in 1957. The success of Pnin in the United States launched Nabokov's career into literary prominence. Contrary to popular belief, it was not Lolita that made Nabokov well-know in the US, it was Pnin, which was published a year earlier. Although it did not become a mainstream novel it garnered many favorable reviews.

King, Queen, Knave is a novel by Nabokov originally written in Russian and using his pen name V. Sirin in 1928. It was translated into English by the author's son Dmitri Nabokov (with significant changes made by V. Nabokov) in 1968, forty years after its Russian debut. "Story of Dreyer, a wealthy and boisterous proprietor of a men's clothing emporium. Ruddy, self-satisfied, and thoroughly masculine, he is perfectly repugnant to his exquisite but cold middle-class wife, Martha."

Mary (Машенька) is the debut novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first published under pen name V. Sirin in 1926. It is the story of Lev Ganin, a Russian émigré and former White Guard Officer, displaced by the Russian Revolution and now living in a boarding house in Berlin. Ganin discovers that his unappealing neighbor's wife is his long-lost first love, Mary. He is consumed by his memories of his time in Russia with her and contrives to unsuccessfully meet her. The novel was initially well-received in the 1920s for its inventive structure and vivid descriptions of pre-Revolutionary Russia.

1) Pale Fire. Berkley Medallion Book, 1968. 7th printing, 224 pages. In very good condition with mild page tanning. Binding solid, crisp pages and clean text.

2) Pnin. Avon, 1957. 1st printing, 160 pages. In good condition with page tanning, shelf wear, reading crease, slight spine separation at bottom. Overall good.

3) King, Queen, Knave. Fawcett Crest, 1969. 1st printing, 224 pages. Good condition with dampstaining inside first 20 pages at top with lesser migration to bottom pages. Light wear to covers.

4) Pale Fire. Lancer Books, 1963. 1st printing, 224 pages. Marks to front cover, name and address of former owner inside front cover. Overall good.

5) Mary: An Unconventional Love Story. Fawcett Crest, 1971. 1st printing, 160 pages. In very good condition - no major defects.