Books

London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, first impression, third issue; British colonial/export copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.221; [3], blank. Publisher's dark brown cloth-effect paper over boards with bronze lettering to the spine, patterned green endpapers, pictorial dust-jacket illustrated by Richard Chopping. Some light spotting to top edge else a fine, fresh copy in similar jacket. Until the bibliography was released, this was an unrecorded issue, with the half title reset as noted in the publisher's book production ledger. "This rather elusive issue was produced exclusively for export to Canada... invariably found with price-clipped jackets (as here)" -Gilbert, page 420. The third issue accounts for just 3000 copies of the 82,000-strong first impression. Uncommon.

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.