Fine Lines

This collection explains to the layman just why Nabokov's scientific work was so successful and important. The drawings are absolutely stunning-even to someone without a scientific background they are arresting. Lepidopterists will surely want to own it, but more importantly, this will be a treasure for Nabokov fans. -Eric Naiman, author of Nabokov, Perversely -- Eric Naiman This is a very valuable contribution to understanding one of the great novelists of the Twentieth Century. It is a superb example of how a creative mind can combine art and science in ways that make them both greater than they would have otherwise been. A landmark book. -Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Mason University -- Thomas E. Lovejoy What makes this volume special is not so much its attempt to merge Nabokov's philosophy and science, but its ability to include all the relevant authors on the subject of Nabokov's dual nature. -Nina Khrushcheva, author of Imagining Nabokov: Russia Between Art and Politics -- Nina Khrushcheva After a period of separation during the 20th century, the convergent territories of science and art are once again providing a fertile ground for understanding the complexities of the world we live in. Fine Lines presents a welcome and rare insight into Nabokov's obsessive attention to detail so prominent in his writing. The rich collection of his illustrations, reveal an unintended artistry born out of meticulous observation. Drawings of wing cells appear like working diagrams for Art Deco rugs and the ambiguous surreal forms of the reproductive organs of butterflies reveal a synchronous synergy with the drawings of Miro and David Smith. -Rob Kesseler, co-author of Pollen: The Hidden Sexuality of Flowers -- Rob Kesseler The wonderful drawings and remarkable essays in this book allow us to trace Nabokov's steps in many ways and on many pages. The result is a long close-up of an ideal form of curiosity. -Michael Wood, Princeton University -- Michael Wood