The Nabokov Collection

An incredible project! Many of them are simply lovely but there is something catastrophically perfect about Paul Sahre's "The Luzhin Defense".

What's especially wonderful about these covers is how tactile they appear to be. I want to just reach in and touch the specimens.

Outstanding.
When are these going to be on display at AIGA...

What, no Lolita?????

Simply beautiful John. What a great idea and execution of it.

There seems to be one glaring omission...

More to come...

Just breathtaking. All of them are so well thought out and executed. Bravo to the concept and everyone involved in filling those little specimen boxes with visual delight.

Those are fantastic -- it's a brilliant project, and the individual responses are amazing, too.

Which of the designers actually read the book in question?

@Catherine Lolita was 'covered' here with intriguing results: http://venusfebriculosa.com/?p=261

The Enchanter is sort of a Lolita as it was the story on which Lolita was based.

I love the Pnin cover!!

Which of the designers actually read the book in question?

I bet they all did. I had already read Speak, Memory so I was happy that was the cover I was given.

There seems to be one glaring omission...

I would have hated to have been assigned Lolita. Too much pressure.

Deliciously apt. What a treat for the eyes and the mind. Bravo, John.

And don't book jacket designers love to read, hence their vocation?

Interesting that Lolita is not included! It seems that once again, Lolita, will not have the same overall aesthetic as the rest of the Nabokov Vintage paperbacks.

I quite like these, though my favorite Nabokov novel, Ada or Ardor, is not as lovely to me as I had hoped it'd be.

My favorite: Invitation to a Beheading.
That little chair in front of the invite is hauntingly suggestive ...

What's especially wonderful about these covers is how tactile they appear to be. I want to just reach in and touch the specimens.

This series is just stunning...

What a relief! The previous Vintage covers were truly unfortunate. What I love about these is how they echo the structural elements of each novel, rather than simple subject matter. For VN, structure WAS the subject. A great example here is the cover for Despair. In the novel, Hermann believes he has found his double, though this mirroring is really all in his head. The beautifully simple cover art here enacts the same illusion: we think the colored lines mirror each other, but when we look closer we see that the shades are all different (VN was always very careful to treat each shade as an independent color). Moreover, unlike a true mirror, the colors don't meet; instead, we are given a great black void between them, and this is where Herman's "Despair" originates. Beautiful work.

Nice book cover. Very modern design for classic author

Wonderful! I especially like how "Look at the Harlequins!" so explicitly mirrors one of my other favorite works of literature: http://rm7guy.co.uk/5054.ClueBook04.jpg It is about doubles, after all!

John these designs are wonderful! This is a very smart assignment.
The collection reminds me of the work of Joseph Cornell, although many of Cornell’s assemblages are interactive. One of my professors once told a story of how he was working as a curator at a museum and was surprised to learn that he was in put in charge of unpacking and setting up one of Cornell’s works. There were no directions or photographs — the work and composition were to be handled by the audience.

Now how do we design an interactive The Nabokov Collection? It is the perfect format for our iPhones and you could take advantage of the new “Movement-based interfaces” that Apple just patented.

Thank you for this post!

Simply beautiful John. What a great idea and execution of it.

Nabokov was a syesthete with color hearing. Did that come into play in any of the designs?

Unbelievably exquisite, every one of them! My favorite design would have to be the one for Glory. Simply delectable.

When will the books be out and where can we order them? :)

Glory is amazing looking.... it's a very creative way to solve this challenge. Transparent Things is my favorite though. It's so beautiful, I wish I could climb inside and explore.

Will these be the covers for retail books? When do they go on sale?

Most of these are on sale now.

These are gorgeoous, but the one for Pale Fire is all wrong. The title comes from Shakespeare (Timon of Athens, if I remember correctly), and refers to the moon reflecting sunlight (those who have read the book will know exactly how this applies). An extinguished match makes no sense whatsoever.

'Speak Memory' is simply perfect.

You must have been so pleased to have been given such a fantastic project to work on. It's just so inspiring!

Nice post! This really helps me to find the answers to my question. Hoping that you will continue posting an article having a useful information. Thanks a lot!
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This is a very inspired idea with intriguing results. I count "Pale Fire" and "Speak, Memory" as the strongest solutions.

Wow, those are awesome, and sooooo much better than the new Cormac McCarthy covers.

beautiful.

John this project looks awesome. Nabokov, light of the page, fire of my brain. My sin, my soul. Na-bo-kov: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Na. Bo. Kov. Thanks John from Timeshare Pages team.

I truly love all Nabokov essays! They are truly perfect. So, I've been all the time in search for some interesting new editions.

Nabokov collections of the EYE, THE INVITATION TO A BEHEADING ARE GREAT BOOKS. I did the invitation to a beheading.

This is a very smart assignment.
The collection reminds me of the work of Joseph Cornell, although many of Cornell’s assemblages are interactive. One of my professors once told a story of how he was working as a curator at a museum and was surprised to learn that he was in put in charge of unpacking and setting up one of Cornell’s works (otimização de sites, desentupidora, grafica, cabos eletricos, acompanhantes, transportadora, relogio de ponto, dentista). There were no directions or photographs — the work and composition were to be handled by the audience.

Stunning and inspired. I've never read any of Nabokov's books (though I know of them), but now I want to buy the entire collection for the covers alone (and the added benefit of finally being able to read them ;). Job(s) very well done. The sort of work I aspire to.

I like it.

This is a very smart assignment.
The collection reminds me of the work of Joseph Cornell, although many of Cornell’s assemblages are interactive. One of my professors once told a story of how he was working as a curator at a museum and was surprised to learn that he was in put in charge of unpacking and setting up one of Cornell’s works. There were no directions or photographs.

I'm dreaming of creating a wonderful site like this one...My wife told me something nice about The Nabokov Collection, and I want to purchase this collection.