Extraordinary
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The Annotated Lolita is incredibly helpful. One can read the un-annotated version and rightly think it a masterpiece, but these notes unlock, on every page, allusions and references that provide an entirely new layer of meaning which would be missed by even a very sophisticated reader. I'd read the book several times before and yet I found reading this version to be a completely novel experience. Even on a more practical level, it's very helpful with translating Nabokov's frequent French phrases and mid-century cultural references. The only complaint I have is that one can become quite distracted flipping from the text of the novel to the notes in the back, but this is only because one wonders what joke or allusion one is missing and feels compelled to look it up. The notes are very easy to use, well-written, and immensely helpful. I highly recommend this book to anyone, whether they intend to read it for pleasure or for academic purposes. Years of research went into these notes, and you will miss a lot without them.
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