King, Queen, Knave (First Edition, inscribed by Nabokov to screenwriter David Shaw) by Nabokov, Vladimir - 1968

New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968. First Edition. First Edition. INSCRIBED on the half-title page in black ink by Nabokov: "For David Shaw / from Vladimir Nabokov / [butterfly drawing] / Montreux / June 5, 1969." Copy belonging to screenwriter David Shaw, with his ownership name to the right of Nabokov's inscription, and his extensive annotations in preparation for writing the screenplay throughout. The annotations, on nearly every page, provide unique insight into the process of adapting a Nabokov novel to the screen. The film was ultimately co-written with David Seltzer, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, and starred David Niven and Gina Lollobrigida. "King, Queen, Knave" premiered at Cannes in 1972. Skolimowski would receive a nomination for the Palme d'Or. It was not released in the US until 1978. Born in Brooklyn in 1916 and the younger brother of the novelist Irwin Shaw. Shaw was a writer for film, television, and theatre. One of his first original stories to be adapted for the screen was "A Foreign Affair," directed by Billy Wilder in 1948. Shaw went on to become one of the major writers for television during its golden age, composing several teleplays for the Actor's Studio, "Studio One," "Playhouse 90," and "The Philco Television Playhouse." He also worked on Broadway, co-writing with Herbert Fields, Dorothy Fields, and Sidney Sheldon the 1959 Tony Award-winning musical Redhead, as well as the 1963 Tony Award-winning musical Tovarich. Shaw would continue writing for film and television until his retirement in the late 1980s. He died in 2007. Very Good in a Very Good dust jacket, having obviously been read thoroughly by Shaw. Moderate lean to the binding, tide mark along the top edge of the jacket, and several tiny nicks along the top and bottom edge of same.