New into the Collection: Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov. Olympia Press 1955 (First edition)

Something of a triumph this, purchased on eBay at a very good price and a much better copy than many listed on book sites a twice the price and more. An interesting point with this two volume set, is the second state status, it has because of the price increase stickers, which are actually easily removed, but I rather like them, and have never seen a copy with the stickers on before, presumably because book-dealers tend to remove them. The over price sticker only indicates that the books were not sold until after 1961, when the Franc was revalued. Also the stickers are a much preferable effect than the alternative which is either a  ink stamped over price, or even the price being completely obliterated.


As a New into the Collection title, these books are not available for sale or trade.


Bibliographical description courtesy of Patrick Kearney, The Paris Olympia Press, Liverpool University Press 2007.


1.13.1 LOLITA Vladimir Nabokov, 1955

lolita Olympia Press 1st Ed 1955_0004

VLADIMIR NABOKOV | LOLITA | THE OLYMPIA PRESS | 8, Rue de Nesle, Paris 6e Collation: two volumes. 192, 224 pp. Vol. 1: 1*-6*16. Vol. 2: 1**-7**16. 17.0 x 10.7 cm., all edges trimmed. Printed on white wove paper.
Contents: Vol. 1: pp. [i,ii] blank. p. [1] LOLITA, reverse blank. p. [3] title, as above. p. [4] All rights reserved in all countries. | Copyright 1955 by V. Nabokov and The Olympia Press . p. [5], PART ONE, reverse blank. pp. 7-10, Foreword by John Ray, Jr. Ph.D. [numeration skips pp. 11-12.] pp. 13-188, text. p. [189] blank. p. [190] PRINTED IN FRANCE | [rule] |Printed in August 1955 by S.I.P., Montreuil, France | Dépôt légal : 3e 1955 .

lolita Olympia Press 1st Ed 1955_0008

Vol. 2: pp. [1,2] blank. p. [3] LOLITA, reverse blank. p. [5] title, as above. p. [6] All rights reserved in all countries. | Copyright 1955 by V. Nabokov and The Olympia Press . p.[7], PART TWO, reverse blank. pp. 9-223, text. p. [224] PRINTED IN FRANCE | [rule] | Printed in August 1955 by S.I.P., Montreuil, France | Dépôt légal : 3e trimestre 1955 .

lolita Olympia Press 1st Ed 1955_0001

Binding: Green wrappers, printed in black. Front cover framed within two borders, the outer consisting of fine linked chain of type device in black, and the inner a thin band of white edged in black. Front cover: VLADIMIR NABOKOV | LOLITA |Volume One | THE | OLYMPIA | PRESS.

lolita Olympia Press 1st Ed 1955_0005

Binding: Green wrappers, printed in black. Front cover framed within two borders, the outer consisting of fine linked chain of type device in black, and the inner a thin band of white edged in black. Front cover: VLADIMIR NABOKOV | LOLITA |Volume  Two]| THE | OLYMPIA | PRESS

lolita Olympia Press 1st Ed 1955_0002

Spine: [printed up spine, within a white panel edged in black:] *  LOLITA.

lolita Olympia Press 1st Ed 1955_0006

Spine: [printed up spine, within a white panel edged in black:] ** LOLITA.

lolita Olympia Press 1st Ed 1955_0003

Back cover: [at bottom right:] Francs : 900. (Over price Sticker FRANCS 1200)

lolita Olympia Press 1st Ed 1955_0007

Back cover: [at bottom right:] Francs : 900. (Over price Sticker FRANCS 1200)

Notes: (1) Suppressed on December 10th, 1956 under the decree of May 1939 (article 14 of the law of July 29th 1881 sur la liberté de la presse), designed to combat politically and morally offensive périodiques et ouvrages de provenance étrangère. (2) Prosecuted on July 11th. 1958 under article 14 of a law passed on 16th July 1949 concerning the manner in which books, periodicals, &c. of an erotic character, could be sold, displayed and advertised. (3) This is the true first edition. It appeared in the distinctive green wrappers of the Traveller’s Companion Series, but not numbered and lacks any indication of being part of a series. Hence it is treated here as a general Olympia Press publication and not part of the TCS. See 7.66. (4) A handsome facsimile reprint of the first edition of Lolita was published in 1983 by the First Edition Library, Shelton, Connecticut, by arrangement with Alfred Knopf. It was issued in clamshell box covered in undressed buckram, with green leather labels blocked in gilt. The reprint was one of three that were done of scandalous modern works, the others being Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer and James Joyce’s Ulysses.


See Also LINKS

Books Wanted: Springtime in Paris,

Books for Trade: List. Traveller’s Companion Series duplicates (Part 9)

New into The Collection: Olympia Press 1959 (Catalogue)

Another boost to my ceaseless pursuit of any and all Paris Olympia Press ephemera, such items are always welcome and although not for Trade or Sale, I will list them in full on the site and a PDF copy will be available to anyone who asks, free of charge.


The bibliographical description is courtesy of Patrick Kearney, The Paris Olympia Press. Liverpool University Press 2007, the index number is the actual location of the description in the bibliography. The images are from the actual item which is part of my collection.


Any Questions please leave a comment


14.11.1 1959.  Olympia Press 1959.

Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Front Cover

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18.6 x 9.4 cm. pp. 28, incl. coloured wrappers illustrated with reproductions of Traveller’s Companion volumes against red and black backgrounds, and, on the front wrapper, a detail of a nude woman from a painting.

Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Open Covers

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 1 and 2

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 3 and 4

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 5 and 6

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 7 and 8

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 9 and 10

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 11 and 12

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 13 and 14

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 15 and 16

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 17 and 18

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 19 and 20

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 21 and 22

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 23 and 24

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 25 and 26

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Olympia Press catalogue 1959 Pages 27 and 28

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Interior Illustrated with photos of Lawrence Durrell,William Burroughs, Vladimir Nabokov, Roger Casement & native entourage, judges in Casement trial, Aubrey Beardsley, and Henry Miller, together with reproductions of Olympia Press book covers, sculpture and art by Monet. Contains brief extracts or write-ups of The Black Book, Zazie or The Sex of Angels [sic], The Naked Lunch, Lolita, The Black Diaries, Under the Hill, The Gaudy Image, Our Lady of the Flowers, The White Paper, Teleny, Classical Hindu Erotology, Melting, My Life and Loves, The Fetish Crowd, Deva-Dasi, Juliette, 120 Days of Sodom, Sodom, Story of O, Sexus, Plexus and Nexus, Quiet Days in Clichy, The World of Sex, I Hear Voices, Houses of Joy, the Beckett trilogy, Watcher and the Watched, Pleasures and Follies, Two Novels by Guillaume Apollinaire and the Vicarion collections of beady songs and limericks. Notes: (1) Nexus was never published by the Olympia Press. (2) Zazie or The Sex of Angels was eventually issued under its original French title, Zazie dans le Metro.


PDF copy available on request, just leave a comment and I will email you a copy FREE

SEE ALSO (LINKS)

Ophelia Catalogue 1959

Olympia catalogue 1957

Olympia Catalogue 1956

Olympia Press Pamphlet 1966