Books

London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [Spy novel] FIRST EDITION, scarce second issue with WHITE ENDPAPERS instead of the usual green. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.221. Publisher's cloth-effect paper over boards with bronze lettering to spine, plain covers, white endpapers, original illustrated jacket by Richard Chopping priced at 18s. Edges very lightly toned else a fine copy of the book, in a crisp bright wrapper. A fresh-looking copy of an increasingly elusive variant; just 3204 copies of this issue, from the total first print run of 82,000 copies. This copy comes from the comprehensive bibliographical archive assembled by Jon Gilbert (bookplate and pencilled note within). His encyclopaedic guide to the works of Ian Fleming (2012) won the 16th Breslauer Prize for bibliography. Gilbert, Jon. Ian Fleming: The Bibliography, A13a (1.6).

The Man with the Golden Gun is the twelfth novel (and thirteenth book) of Ian Fleming's James Bond series. It was first published by Jonathan Cape in the UK on 1 April 1965, eight months after the author's death. The novel was not as detailed or polished as the others in the series, leading to poor but polite reviews. Despite that, the book was a best-seller. The story centers on the fictional British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond, who had been thought dead, only to return to the Secret Service alive and well. In the novel, Bond is sent to assassinate Francisco 'Pistols' Scaramanga, a notorious hitman, who is believed to be responsible for the disappearance of several British intelligence operatives.