Original of Laura, The – Vladimir Nabokov
NF/VG

For sale: a rare first edition, first printing hardcover copy of The Original of Laura by Vladimir Nabokov. First Edition stated, 2009 Knopf. First Printing with no subsequent printing. Striking book and jacket design by Chip Kidd.

The exterior of the book is in Near Fine condition with clean boards designed to look like pencil notes and corrections. Also with, strong title ink on a straight spine, soiled page blocks, tight binding, mild spine tilt, lightly rolled spine ends, moderate  to heavy edge wear, and rubbed corners. The interior of the book is in Near Fine condition with an erased price on the “Also By” page. No other marks, inscriptions, or any other signs of ownership. The end papers and the interior pages are clean and lightly toned, making it an excellent addition to any collection. Appears unread.

The dust jacket is in Very Good condition with stains on the front cover, heavy edge wear, and the price on the front flap. Looks good in a new Brodart archival wrap.

When Vladimir Nabokov died in 1977, he left instructions for his heirs to burn the 138 handwritten index cards that made up the rough draft of his final and unfinished novel, The Original of Laura. But Nabokov’s wife, Vera, could not bear to destroy her husband’s last work, and when she died, the fate of the manuscript fell to her son. Dmitri Nabokov’s decision to allow publication of the fragmented narrative dark yet playful, preoccupied with mortality affords us one last experience of Nabokov’s magnificent creativity, the quintessence of his unparalleled body of work.