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George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman (1903). This is the first issue, with 20 pages of publisher’s advertisements at the rear, and is from the collection of bookseller William S. Reese, with his book label on the front pastedown. Octavo. Original dark blue cloth, spine lettered and tooled in gilt, front cover lettered in gilt with geometric border in blind, top edge blue. With 20 pp. publisher’s advertisements at rear. Spine cocked, ends lightly bumped with a few nicks, extremities lightly worn and rubbed, small marks and stains to spine and front cover, a touch of foxing to edges and endmatter. A good copy. ¶ Bleiler 1432. £10,000 [158016] 86 NABOKOV, Vladimir. Nikolai Gogol. Norfolk, CT: New Directions, [1944] Intimate presentation copy to his wife First edition, first issue, presentation copy, inscribed in Russian by Nabokov to his wife Véra on the front free endpaper: “My beloved, here’s a little book for you, my life, here’s another little book for you, my love, there will be more little books / B [the letter “V” in English] / 1944”. Nabokov has annotated this copy in nearly 60 instances, from an additional word inscribed in the margin to some 30 instances
of underscored text, indicating where a textual correction might be made, or, in some cases, where he questions his own use of English (this was one of the first books Nabokov wrote in English). These notations occur primarily throughout the first 85 pages, in particular pages 3–5, and also include check marks and crosses. First editions of Nikolai Gogol are exceptionally scarce inscribed or annotated by Nabokov and particularly uncommon with such a personal inscription. Only two copies thus are recorded as having appeared at auction: the first, a presentation copy inscribed to his cousin by marriage, Anna Feigin (Christie’s, 2011), and the second, to an unnamed recipient (Swann, 1982). The present copy, inscribed to Véra, is arguably the most intimate association copy to appear in commerce. This is the fifth in the New Directions “Makers of Modern Literature” series, the previous monographs having been Harry Levin on James Joyce, David Daiches on Virginia Woolf, Lionel Trilling on E. M. Forster, and Edwin Honig on Federico García Lorca. There were ten further studies in the series. Octavo. Original tan cloth, spine lettered in black. With dust jacket. Housed in a custom black half morocco slipcase. Photographic portrait frontispiece of Gogol. Annotated throughout by Nabokov in pencil. Very minor wear to dust jacket extremities and a few light creases on rear panel, tiny chip to top edge of half-title, else a bright, fresh copy. ¶ Juliar A22. £32,500 [123847]
All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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