If behind every great man there stands a woman, in the case of Vladimir Nabokov the woman was right out there in front of him. In the Gallery of Protective Wives, Vera Nabokov, nee Slonim, deserves a full-length, life-sized statue. From the day of their marriage in 1925 in Berlin, where they were both enduring an emigre life, until Vladimir's death in Switzerland in 1975, she was wife, lover, Scrabble partner, fellow butterfly hunter, typist and "designated driver" to one of the century's greatest literary stylists. It was a remarkable marriage, strong enough to sail tranquilly over the rough waters of more than one affair - on Vladimir's part, that is; Vera seems to have been unwaveringly faithful. Stacy Schiff has written a big, detailed, judicious biography of this fascinating woman, who was by no means the mere shadow of her husband. She had her own life, her own interests, her own mysteries; nevertheless, on the day of Vladimir's death she turned to her son Dmitri and said: "Let's rent an airplane and crash".