THE REAL LIFE OF SEBASTIAN KNIGHT, BEND SINISTER, SPEAK MEMORY: NOVELS AND MEMOIRS 1941-1951 by Nabokov, Vladimir (Author) & Boyd, Brian (Editor) - 1996

New York City, NY: Library Of America, 1996. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. As New/No Dust Jacket, As Issued.. New York City, NY: Library Of America, 1996. Hardcover. As New/None, As Issued. First Edition/First Printing. 720 pages. Retrospective collection of the author's early works. The First Slipcased Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a Slipcased Edition for distribution to libraries and LOA subscribers only. None of the copies was sold to the public. The Slipcased Edition has the same ISBN as the regular trade edition. The Slipcased Edition is now rare. An austerely elegant production: Regular-sized volume format. Text by Vladimir Nabokov edited and annotated by Brian Boyd. Cream hard board slipcase. Printed to the highest standards on acid-free paper, utilizing sewn binding, closely woven rayon cloth boards, satin bound-in ribbon marker, and a page layout that is both readable and elegant. The book is guaranteed to last for several generations of readers and collectors (despite frequent and regular use, the estimated life span of Library of America Editions is 1000 years; un-used, they will last forever) . Without DJ, as issued. Presents, in their definitive form, Vladimir Nabokov's "The Real Life of Sebastian Knight", "Bend Sinister", and "Speak Memory". Prodigious early works, the first volume of the LOA three-volume set. The set is a major literary event: "Marks the first time the Library of America has offered works by a foreign-born author. Though a native of Russia, Nabokov could easily be considered an American by osmosis since he wrote his major works while living on American soil. Contains all his American fiction and nonfiction writings, and incorporates the corrections the author added to his personal editions" (Publisher's blurb) . "The Real Life of Sebastian Knight" is a "tantalizing literary mystery in which a writer's half-brother searches to unravel the enigma of the famous novelist's life". Often described as Kafkaesque (suggesting an influence by Kafka even though Nabokov said that he had not yet heard of much less read the novelist at the time he wrote his book) , "Bend Sinister" is his most explicitly political novel, the "haunting, dream-like story of a quiet philosophy professor caught up in the bureaucratic terror of a totalitarian police state". "Speak, Memory" is the "dazzling memoir of Nabokov's childhood in Imperial Russia and exile in Europe", beautifully illustrated with vintage photographs from the author's personal archive. An absolute "must-have" title for Vladimir Nabokov collectors. <b><i> These titles are great books. This is one of few copies of the First Library of America Slipcased Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: The First Slipcased Edition was distributed to libraries and LOA subscribers only. None of the copies was sold to the public. A rare copy thus. </b></i> One of the greatest writers of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER VLADIMIR NABOKOV LIBRARY OF AMERICA TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 1883011183.