Books

Second edition, fifth impression, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To CD from Ian". Sir Charles Denis Hamilton was a decorated veteran of the Second World War, "an outstanding natural newspaperman", a close friend of Fleming, and a fellow board member at the Kemsley News Group. As a columnist, much of Ian Fleming's journalism was published in the Sunday Times when Hamilton was the editor-in-chief. In 1962, the inaugural issue of the ST Magazine featured the James Bond novella The Living Daylights. Hamilton also championed Fleming's Thrilling Cities travel articles, later being the dedicatee of the book edition. The first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, was originally published in 1953. After two reprints, the work was entirely reset in 1957 and featured a dust jacket design by Patricia Marriott (1920-2002). Marriott also designed the dust jackets for two further Cape-published James Bond novels, Diamonds are Forever (1956) and Dr No (1958). Her husband, Michael Howard (1923-1974), was Fleming's literary advisor and a director at Cape. The 1963 impression was the fifth impression of the second edition and is also noted by Gilbert as the "eighth printing". This was, crucially, the final Cape printing of the author's debut novel to be published during his lifetime. This copy is from the library of the Fleming bibliographer Jon Gilbert, with his bookplate and signed catalogue description loosely inserted. Octavo. Original black boards, spine lettered in red, red heart device on the front cover. With a dust jacket. Housed in a custom black morocco-backed folding box. Minor foxing to edges, extremities of the jacket are a little rubbed, unclipped; a fine copy in a near-fine jacket. Gilbert A1a(8); Hobson, Knightley and Russell, The Pearl of Days: An Intimate Memoir of the Sunday Times, 1972.

"Casino Royale," penned by Ian Fleming and published in 1953, introduces readers to James Bond, the iconic British spy known for his charm, wit, and penchant for danger. The story unfolds as Bond is assigned a mission to bankrupt Le Chiffre, a Soviet agent and treasurer for a criminal syndicate, at a high-stakes baccarat game in the Casino Royale in France. Bond navigates a treacherous world of espionage, encountering deceit, betrayal, and violence while trying to outwit Le Chiffre. Along the way, he crosses paths with Vesper Lynd, a complex and enigmatic woman whose involvement complicates his mission. As Bond confronts perilous situations and faces adversaries, he must rely on his cunning and resourcefulness to emerge victorious in this thrilling tale of espionage and intrigue.