Three Russian editions and one American, inscribed by VN, none with butterflies, were offered at inconsistent prices at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair this year.

Invitation to a Beheading

Priglashenie na kazn', 1938, cover

Priglashenie na kazn', 1938, inscription

Bernard Quaritch of London had a Приглашение на казнь [Priglashenie na kazn’/Invitation to a Beheading], Paris, 1938, (Juliar A16.1), inscribed by VN in Russian, “To Anna Maksimovna and Semen Il’ich Shtein with a heartfelt hello from V. Nabokov. XI.38” (as translated by the dealer). The only reference I find to a Shtein in Boyd’s biography is in The Russian Years, p. 192, as a family friend, in reference to the day that VN’s father was killed. The book is in fine condition. It has one oddity: a mylar-like page bound into the book (not tipped in) between the front cover and the inscription on the first page. I may be able to learn more about it later from the dealer. Price, £8,000/$12,000.

Glory

Podvig, 1932, cover

Podvig, 1932, inscription

Lame Duck of Cambridge, MA, had a Подвиг [Podvig/Glory], Paris, 1932, (Juliar A13.1), inscribed by VN in Russian, “To my dear Jakov Mysevich Tzwibak with the fond memories of the author, XII.32” (as translated by the dealer). The description continues: “Andrei Sedykh (real name Lev Tzwibak), secretary of Ivan Bunin and editor-in-chief of Novoe Russkoe Slovo (The New Russian Daily) newspaper”. As you can see in the photo, the paper has begun acidifying and the tape residue across the spine and onto the cover are very unappealing. I would describe its overall condition as fair. Price, $27,500. I cannot explain why it is more than twice the price of the one from Quaritch. When in the market, always shop around.

The Real Life of Sebastian Knight

The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, 1941, cover

The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, 1941, inscription

Lame Duck also had The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, New York, 1941 (the day before Pearl Harbor), (Juliar A21.1a), inscribed in Russian and English to Mark Aleksandrovich Aldanov. My ability to decrypt Russian script is minimal. I can make out only to whom the inscription is addressed and the English: “I am too old to change conradically | I.42”. The “Publication Date” stamping, normally indicating an advanced or review copy, is not uncommon for this book. The December 12th date may have been what the publisher anticipated but the U.S. copyright office has a December 6th date. The dust jacket is in woeful shape, missing half the spine and decaying from acidification. The binding is the red burlap-like cloth variant. Price, $27,500.

King, Queen, Knave

Korol' dama valet, 1928, cover

Korol' dama valet, 1928, inscription

Though he has been trying to sell it for more than five years, I want to include here an item from Thomas Goldwasser (San Francisco, CA), Король, дама, валет [Korol’, dama, valet/King, Queen, Knave], Berlin, 1928, (Juliar A9.1), inscribed by VN in Russian, “To most respected Savelii Grigorevich Poliak, in kind memory from the author. X.28 Berlin” (translated by the dealer). It is rebound in cloth, with the front wrapper trimmed and glued to the cover and includes library stamps of the Russian Refugees’ Relief Association, London. Price, $8500.

More

I saw one juicy rarity that I need another posting to describe, in “VN at the NY Book Fair (3): The 1937 John Long Despair”.