Books

London: Cape, 1962. A first edition, first printing published by Cape in 1962. A very good book without inscriptions, stained to the top of the spine and front board. In unclipped wrapper with corresponding staining. Small faded patch to the foot of the spine. INSCRIBED to the front endpaper: "To Claude, who holds the fort. From Ian." Inscribed to Clude Taittinger, head of the Champagne family with whom Fleming was friendly; Taittinger received an advance copy of his next novel and had sponsored the Pinewood celebration to mark the first day's filming of 'From Russia, With Love' 1st April 1963. Following his brother Francois' untimely death in an accident, Claude stepped in to direct business from 1960 to 2005, steering the house to world renown. Based at Chateau de la Marquetterie, a former command post during World War I, the nature of the inscription would confirm this. PROVENANCE: From Fleming's bibliographer, Jon Gilbert's collection.

The Spy Who Loved Me is the tenth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in 1962. Unlike the other Bond novels, this story is told from the perspective of a young Canadian woman named Vivienne Michel, who encounters James Bond after she finds herself in a difficult situation at a motel in the Adirondack Mountains. The narrative explores themes of love, trust, and the dynamics of power.