Several commentators have noted the peculiar typography of the ``Botkin, V.'' index entry in Pale Fire; it stands out because the ``V'' is set in roman, while all of the other index labels are italicized.
By typographical convention, when text is italicized for emphasis, any words that were italicized in the original are put in roman type.
There have been various theories about this ``V'', including the reasonable assumption that it abbreviates ``Vseslav'', the family name of Charles II. But the typographic emphasis remains unexplained.
``V.'', in italics, is a standard abbreviation for verso. This would suggest that Botkin and Kinbote are verso and recto -- two sides of the same leaf, and one and the same person as hinted at several points in the Commentary.
All private editorial communications, without
exception, are
read by both co-editors.