VN : The Life and Art of Vladimir Nabokov – Andrew Field
NF/NF

For sale: a rare third edition, first printing hardcover copy of VN : The Life and Art of Vladimir Nabokov by Andrew Field. Third  Edition stated, 2019 Knopf. First Printing with full number line reversed, 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.

The exterior of the book is in Near Fine condition with spotless boards, strong title ink on a straight spine, clean page blocks, tight binding, mild spine tilt, lightly rolled spine ends, no edge wear, and strong corners. The interior of the book is in Near Fine condition with the ghost of an erased price on the first free end paper. 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.

The dust jacket is in Near Fine condition with heavy surface wear, mild edge wear, and the price on the front flap. Looks great in a new Brodart archival wrap.

Relying heavily on his own Nabokov: his life in art and Nabokov: his life in part, Field has produced the first critical biography of that writer. He describes in leisurely detail Nabokov’s by-now familiar life: idyllic youth in pre-Bolshevik Russia, followed by six decades of exile and growing fame in the West. Field fixes Nabokov’s oeuvre firmly in this personal and historical context (the kind of approach Nabokov loathed, of course) and sets The Gift , Lolita , and Pale Fire at “the summit of his art.”