Lepidoptery and Lolita

“Twang,” ends Vladimir Nabokov’s 1941 novel, Bend Sinister, “A good
night for mothing.” From the age of seven, when he caught his first butterfly,
the author was never separated from his butterfly net for long. In entomological
circles he became known as an expert on a large group of butterflies known as
“Blues”. In Nabokov’s Butterflies, his son Dmitri chronicles his life
as a scientist and writer. A meticulous and beautifully produced, if lengthy,
read. Published by Penguin, £25, ISBN 0713993804.