"You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me."
— C. S. Lewis
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
Airline Detective. The Fight Against International Air Crime. Introduced by Ian Fleming (2 copies).
London: Fontana Books, 1962. FIRST PAPERBACK EDITION. Two variant copies, the home market issue priced at 3/6 together with the unpriced export copy. Octavos, pp.189; [2], ads; [1], blank. Publisher's softcovers with stills from the recent television adaptation entitled 'Zero One'. Illustrated with black and white photos within. Very good..... More
Airline Detective. The Fight Against International Air Crime. Introduced by Ian Fleming.
London: Collins, 1962. [True crime] UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY of the FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[10]; 11-224. Publisher's red wrappers with printed label to upper. Some copy-editing in pencil throughout. A very good, lightly used example of a scarce proof, with an entirely different page setting to the published..... More
Airline Detective. The Fight Against International Air Crime. Introduced by Ian Fleming.
London: Collins, 1962. [True crime] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.xx; 7-197; [1], blank. Publisher's smooth cloth-effect paper over boards, with red titles to the spine, top edge tinted orange, in pictorial dust-wrapper. Ink incription to endpaper, jacket with a few small nicks, chipped at crown, price clipped. Airline..... More
The Lawless Skies. With a Foreword by Ian Fleming.
New York: Putnam, 1962. FIRST U.S. EDITION. Pp.224, with photographic plates. Publisher's black cloth blocked in blue, pictorial dust-jacket designed by Arthur Hawkins priced at $3.95. An abridged version of Fleming's foreword also fills the rear panel. A clean, fine copy of the book in a very good jacket with..... More
The Lawless Skies. With a Foreword by Ian Fleming.
New York: Putnam, 1962. [Fleming] FIRST US EDITION, Presentation copy. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.224, with photographic plates. Publisher's black cloth blocked in blue, pictorial dust-jacket designed by Arthur Hawkins. An abridged version of Fleming's foreword also fills the rear panel. Tucked in is a card printed 'with the compliments..... More
'Diamonds Are Forever' reviews contained within 'Now and Then' magazine, Number 97, Summer 1956.
London: Jonathan Cape. [1956]. [Journal] Pp.16. Price sixpence. Magazine format, illustrated. A fine copy. Publisher Jonathan Cape's literary magazine for the publishing industry, booksellers and the public alike. Contains two quotes from reviews of the latest James Bond novel 'Diamonds are Forever' (p.13), from the Birmingham Post and the Sunday..... More
'From Russia With Love' announcement contained within 'Now & Then' magazine, Winter 1956-7.
London: Jonathan Cape. [1956]. [Journal] (25 x 17 cm) pp.24. Price sixpence. Magazine format, illustrated. With folio colour advertisement for 'Books and Bookmen' tucked in. Near fine. Publisher Jonathan Cape's literary magazine for the publishing industry, booksellers and the public alike. Contains a paragraph in the 'News' section (p.21) which..... More
'Moonraker' review contained within 'Now and Then' magazine, Number 94, Spring 1955.
London: Jonathan Cape. [1955]. [Journal] Pp.24. Price sixpence. Magazine format, illustrated. Fine. Publisher Jonathan Cape's literary magazine for the publishing industry, booksellers and the public alike. Contains Charles Fortescue's review of the latest James Bond novel 'Moonraker' (p.5). There is also an advertisement for the forthcoming book printed on the..... More
'Operation Thunderball' contained within 'Now and Then' magazine, Number 107 Spring, 1961.
London: Jonathan Cape Ltd., 1961. [Fleming] Pp.24. Price ninepence. Magazine format, illustrated. Publisher Jonathan Cape's literary magazine for the publishing industry, booksellers and the public alike. Contains the first separate appearance of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.'s ransom letter sent to the Prime Minister, extracted from the novel 'Thunderball' (Chapter 1 'Fasten your lap-strap'..... More
'Operation Thunderball' contained within 'Now and Then' magazine, Number 107 Spring, 1961.
London: Jonathan Cape Ltd., 1961. [Journal] Pp.24. Price ninepence. Magazine format, illustrated. Publisher Jonathan Cape's literary magazine for the publishing industry, booksellers and the public alike. Contains the first separate appearance of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.'s ransom letter sent to the Prime Minister, extracted from the novel 'Thunderball' (Chapter 1 'Fasten your lap-strap'..... More
Casino Royale.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1953. [Spy thriller] FIRST IMPRESSION, EXPORT COPY. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.218; [2], blank. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards with red titles and 'Heart' design to upper, tail edge untrimmed. Housed in a bespoke leather-spine clamshell box. Contents clean, edges toned, endpapers with identity marks of..... More
Introduces Jamaica. Edited by Morris Cargill.
New York: Hawthorn Books 1965 [actually published early 1966]. [Travel book] FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, printed at the same time as the British sheets and sharing the same pagination. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.240, illustrated throughout with colour plates, cartographic endpapers printed in colour. Publisher's russet cloth hardcover, gilt titles, top..... More
Introduces Jamaica. Edited by Morris Cargill.
London: Andre Deutsch, 1965. [Travel book] FIRST EDITION, FIRST STATE of the dust-jacket as described in the bibliography. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.240, illustrated throughout with colour plates, cartographic endpapers printed in colour. Publisher's russet cloth hardcover, gilt titles, top edge ochre, in photographic dust-jacket priced at 42s. A particularly..... More
The Diamond Smugglers.
London: Ian Fleming Publications Limited, 2009. [True Crime] FIRST EDITION THUS, SIGNED COPY. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.116. Autographed by Fergus Fleming in black ink to the title page, in our presence. Publisher's green cloth with silver titles to spine. With the pictorial dust-jacket, priced at £15. A fine /..... More
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Illustrated by Thomas Gilbert.
London: Ian Fleming Publications Limited, 2024. [Adventure story] Sixtieth Anniversary Edition. FIRST EDITION THUS, with strike line number '001'. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.[8]; 170. Publisher's 'soft feel' pictorial paperback covers priced at £7.99. Fine / as new. Fleming's only book for children was published in 1964. This celebration edition..... More
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Illustrated by John Burningham.
London: Ian Fleming Publications Limited, 2025. [Adventure story] Sixtieth Anniversary Edition. FIRST EDITION THUS, with strike line number '001'. Octavo (25 x 18cm), pp.48 [2] 48 [2] 48. Three volumes bound in one, with green 'car' endpapers separating each part. Publisher's illustrated hardcovers in glossy dust-wrapper priced at £30. As..... More
Collection of material relating to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
London and New York, 1960s-2000s. [Adventure story] Various items (mostly FIRST EDITIONS thus) comprising UK film tie-in paperback (Pan Books, 1968), US film tie-in paperback (Signet, 1968), Scholastic reprint of same, Scholastic reprint of same with new cover art (1972), Illustrated story of the film (Golden Press, 1968), 'double format'..... More
![Item #71025 [Collection] The Diamond Smugglers. Complete Pan Paperback printings. Ian FLEMING](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/71025.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1738431728)
[Collection] The Diamond Smugglers. Complete Pan Paperback printings.
London: Pan Books, 1960-1965. [True Crime] Group of eleven volumes, bibliographer's copies. The FIRST Pan paperback edition and FIRST export edition, together with second to seventh impressions including variants. Series No G328 Octavos (18 x 11cm). Each with central section of black and white stills. Publisher's softcovers illustrated by Tayler..... More
![Item #70687 The Diamond Smugglers [together with] Thrilling Cities. Ian FLEMING](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/70687.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1736270591)
The Diamond Smugglers [together with] Thrilling Cities.
London: Ian Fleming Publications Limited, 2009. [Documentaries] Two volumes, FIRST EDITIONS THUS. Octavos (21 x 14cm). Publisher's green cloth with silver titles to spines, pictorial dust-jacket, priced at £15. Fine / as new. Featuring new forewords by Fergus Fleming and Jan Morris. Fleming's only two non-fiction books, published in-house by..... More
The Diamond Smugglers.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [True Crime] FIRST EDITION, second impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.160. Illustrated with photographs. Publisher's brown cloth with white titles to the spine. No inscriptions, spotting or toning. Some sunning to covers else near fine. One of just 2470 copies; much scarcer than the near-10,000 copy..... More
The Diamond Smugglers.
London: Pan Books, 1960. [True Crime] The FIRST Pan paperback edition. Series No G328. Octavo (18 x 11cm), pp.152; [7], advertisements. With a central section of black and white stills. Publisher's softcovers illustrated by Tayler, priced at 2s.6d. Some age-toning to the paper stock as expected, binding ever so slightly..... More
The Diamond Smugglers.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [True Crime] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression, bibliographer's copy. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.160. Illustrated with photographs. Elegantly hand-bound in half navy calf over marbled paper-covered cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands. Some dampmarking to plates else fine, in an attractive recent..... More
The Diamond Smugglers.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [True Crime] FIRST EDITION, FIRST STATE, bibliographer's copy. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.160. Illustrated with photographs. Publisher's black cloth with white titles to the spine. A working copy with associated handling and use, some copy editing, offset browning to half title, lacks front endpaper, provided with..... More
The Diamond Smugglers.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [True Crime] FIRST EDITION, second impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.160. Illustrated with photographs. Publisher's black cloth with white titles to the spine in original dust-jacket illustrated by Denis Piper, priced at 12/6. No inscriptions, spotting or toning. A clean, fine copy of the book in..... More
The Diamond Smugglers.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957. [True Crime] FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.160. Illustrated with photographs. Publisher's black cloth with white titles to the spine in original dust-jacket illustrated by Denis Piper, priced at 12/6. Contents clean, edges slightly toned, jacket gently toned to spine, one small tear..... More