Lolita

Paris: Olympia Press, 1959 Two volumes. First edition, fourth printing. Publisher's original green wrappers, printed in black and white. Near fine set, with light wear to edges of Vol. II wrappers including a small closed tear to right edge of front wrapper, a light scratch to rear wrapper of Vol. II, and "New Price" stamp to rear wrapper of Vol. I and a couple of other faint stamp marks to wrappers of both volumes. Overall, an attractive set, with very clean pages. A controversial novel due to its racy subject matter, Lolita tells the story of Humbert Humbert, a professor of literature with a penchant for pre-teen "nymphets." Specifically, Nabokov chronicles (truncated) the unstable narrator's romantic interest in Dolores Haze, the daughter of his landlord and wife, whom he privately nicknames "Lolita." Lolita was first published in 1955 as part of Olympia Press' Traveller's Companion series, which included other literary classics like Henry Miller's Quiet Days in Clichy (1956) and William S. Burroughs' The Naked Lunch (1959). The Olympia Press was well known for its liberal selection of literature; many English-speaking authors published their books with Olympia in Paris after being rejected by other publishing houses. Notably, in 1962, Lolita was adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick starring Sue Lyon and James Mason.. First edition, Fourth Printing. Soft Cover. Near Fine. (Inventory #: VN037)