Ian Fleming | First Editions
1908 - 1964
See below for our world-leading stock of Ian Fleming first editions, signed first editions, fine bindings, sets, association copies, letters, and other collectible material relating to Fleming and his famous creation, James Bond.
Ian Lancaster Fleming was born in Mayfair, London on 28th May 1908, the second of four brothers. He was schooled at Eton College and continued his education in Europe, studying languages in Kitzbuhel, Munich and Geneva. In the 1930's Fleming worked as both a merchant banker and a stockbroker, but it was at journalism (initially reporting for Reuters, then freelance) that he excelled. During World War II, with the rank of Commander, he worked as assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence at the Admiralty in London, privy to many secrets. It was his experience in this role and his earlier escapades in Russia that were to inspire many of the plots and characters that would appear within his later novels. After the war Fleming dabbled in travel journalism and began writing instructional articles for his network of 'Mercury [news] Service' agents. In the late '40s he bought a property in Jamaica, where in early 1952 he settled down to write a novel. Casino Royale, the first James Bond adventure, was produced in just two months. The same successful routine was followed every year for the rest of his life, leading to a total of fourteen Bond books.
Ian Fleming
Queen Anne Press
Ian Fleming the Bibliography by Jon Gilbert
The Lilly Library
James Bond First Editions
The Ian Fleming Foundation
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, Binding 'A'. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253 [3]. Publisher's black cloth-effect material over boards, blocked in silver and red metallic foil to spine and upper. With the PROOF-STATE dust-jacket, illustrated by Richard Chopping, priced at 13/6. Pencil name to flyleaf, otherwise contents clean..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, Binding 'B' (Linson cloth), bibliographer's copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253; [3]. Publisher's black cloth-effect material over boards, blocked in silver and red metallic foil to spine and upper. Boots 'Booklovers' Library copy with printed slip inserted, slightly shorter binding, green 'shield' label..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, bibliographer's copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253; [3]. Boots 'Booklovers' Library copy in their russet red bookcloth titled in black to the spine, green 'shield' device blocked to the upper (not a label), with metal eyelet to crown (these were hung on hooks..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, [Printed 1957, released 1958]. [Spy thriller] FIRST PRINTING (sheets subsequently sold to FOYLE'S BOOK CLUB). Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253 [3]. Publisher's pale blue cloth lettered in black to the spine. Contents clean, small scuff to first page where an old price was removed, dust-jacket panel and..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, Binding 'A' (Fabroleen cloth), bibliographer's copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253; [3]. Publisher's black cloth-effect material over boards, blocked in silver and red metallic foil to spine and upper. ADVANCE COPY for Foyles' Library with their ink stamp to endpaper dated on publication..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, Second printing, bibliographer's copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253; [3]. Publisher's black cloth-effect material over boards, blocked in silver and red metallic foil to spine and upper. Edges toned, spine text a little dulled, very good indeed. Provided with a later plain brown..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, [Printed 1957 but released 1958]. [Spy thriller] FIRST PRINTING (sheets subsequently sold to FOYLE'S BOOK CLUB). Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253 [3]. Publisher's pale blue cloth lettered in black to the spine. Minor spotting, discreet ink price '5p' to endpaper, spine toned, some minor wear and soiling;..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, [Printed 1957 but released 1958]. [Spy thriller] FIRST PRINTING (sheets subsequently sold to FOYLE'S BOOK CLUB). Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253 [3]. Publisher's pale blue cloth lettered in black to the spine, dust-wrapper illustrated by Richard Chopping. Minor spotting, some minor discolouration to cloth, jacket is bright..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION. An unusual pre-publication association/presentation copy with signed inscription by Ian Fleming's literary editor William Plomer to A. Franklyn. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253; [3]. Publisher's black cloth-effect material over boards, blocked in silver and red metallic foil to spine and upper. Binding 'A'..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, fourth printing, bibliographer's copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253; [3]. Publisher's black cloth-effect material over boards, blocked in silver and red metallic foil to spine and upper. Discreet London bookseller ticket to pastedown (Claude Gill, Oxford St.). Edges slightly toned, some ghost marks..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, bibliographer's copy. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253; [3], blank. Elegantly hand-bound in black half calf over original foil-stamped cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, original cloth spine bound in at rear. A few very light reading marks within, exterior..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, Binding 'A'. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.253 [3]. Publisher's black cloth-effect material over boards, blocked in silver and red metallic foil to spine and upper. Contents and edges very clean, neat ink ownership to f.e.p., two faint tape marks to same, binding is..... More
From Russia, With Love.
New York, NY: The Macmillan Company, [1966]. [Spy novel] SECOND U.S. EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.191; [1], blank. Publisher's black vinyl-style cloth-covered boards, top edge blue, lettered in gilt to the spine, in pictorial dust-jacket illustrated by Jerome Kuhl, priced at $3.95. Minor toning to edges else a crisp..... More
From Russia, With Love.
New York: Bantam Books, May 1971. [James Bond] First Bantam Paperback edition, first printing. Octavo (16 x 10cm), pp.242; [4]. Softcover, all edges tinted yellow, in publisher's illustrated wrappers, front cover is priced 95c. No ink names or writing. Letter 'P' inked in red to front cover otherwise a fine..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Penguin Classics, 2007. [Spy thriller] Smirnoff Vodka Promotional Edition, not for general circulation. FIRST EDITION thus, with strike-line 10 to 1. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.259; [5]. Publisher's illustrated card covers. A fine copy which appears unread. This uncommon edition uses the Penguin Classics sheets with a reset copyright..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape. 1963. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, seventh impression. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.253. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards blocked in silver and red metallic foils, dust-jacket illustrated by Richard Chopping, priced at 16s. No inscriptions, contents clean, edges spotted/browned, bright dust-wrapper is lightly rubbed and soiled, toned to..... More
From Russia, With Love.
London: Jonathan Cape. 1963. [Thriller] FIRST EDITION, fourth impression. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.253. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards blocked in silver and red metallic foils, dust-jacket illustrated by Richard Chopping, priced at 15s. via publisher's label. Pencil ownership of Bibliographer Jon Gilbert to front free endpaper. No ink..... More
From Russia, With Love.
New York: The Macmillan Company. 1957. [Spy novel] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.253; [3], blank. Publisher's beige/grey cloth lettered in black, in the original pictorial dust-wrapper with illustration by Richard Chopping, priced at $3.50. The book is near fine with slight toning to edges of text block..... More
From Russia, With Love.
USA: Penguin Ink, 2010. [James Bond novel] Bibliographer's copy. First Edition thus, with strike-line 10 to 1. Pp.259; [3]. Publisher's illustrated card covers with internal flaps, fore-edge untrimmed. Absolutely fine. Penguin's 'Ink' edition, celebrating 75 years of paperbacks. This copy is from the comprehensive archive assembled by Jon Gilbert (pencil..... More
Goldfinger [two copies in varying bindings].
London: Jonathan Cape, 1959. [Spy thriller] FIRST EDITIONS. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.318. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards with 'skull' design stamped to upper, lettered in GILT to the spine, together with another copy lettered in SILVER to the spine, without jackets. Contents clean in both books, edges very..... More
Goldfinger.
London: Pan Books, 1959. The FIRST Pan paperback edition. 'Great Pan' series G455. Octavo (16 x 10cm), pp.223; [1], advertisement. Publisher's illustrated softcovers priced at 2s 6d. Pages tanned as usual, covers with a few marks and soft creases, rubbed to joints with small surface chip to corner, front cover..... More
Goldfinger.
London: Queen Anne Press, in association with Adrian Harrington, [2022]. [Spy thriller] CLASSIC READERS EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.336. Publisher's graphite hardcovers stamped in gilt, decorated with author's initials in gilt to cover, plain black endpapers. Absolutely fine/as new. One of a selection of titles by Ian Fleming, uniformly..... More
Goldfinger.
London: Foyle [The Book Club], [1960]. [Spy thriller] FOYLES BOOK CLUB EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14 x 26cm). Publisher's pale yellow hardcovers in illustrated dust-wrapper. Ink ownership to flyleaf. Very good in jacket with sizeable chips to spine ends. The first UK book club edition, which followed a year after..... More
Goldfinger.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. [Espionage novel] Vintage hardcover. Octavo (18x 12cm), pp.318. 'Askew' style library binding with glazed boards. Fifth printing. Ex-library copy with expected institutional markings, remnants of library card pocket to pastedown, tear to joint at crown. The majority of Cape's James Bond hardcover reprints were taken into..... More
Goldfinger.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [Espionage novel] Vintage hardcover. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.318. Askew branded library binding with glazed boards. Sixth printing. Binders' label to rear states 'Lancastria binding by Askew of Preston in ICI Melinex'. Ex-library copy with expected institutional markings, declassification stamp, remnants of library card pocket to..... More