Nabokov dismisses The Van - the one written by the author (4)

I believe the answer is:

book

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'author' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't see how they can define each other.

I don't understand the remainder of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for book that I've seen before include "Bound volume" , "Reserve; tome" , "One's bound" , "Show yellow card" , "Reserve - volume" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times (Crosaire) and the Irish Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.