You Only Live Twice.

FLEMING, Ian.

Jonathan Cape, 1964. Octavo. Original black boards, spine lettered in silver, Japanese characters blocked in gilt to front cover, bamboo-patterned endpapers. With dust jacket. Housed in a custom dark blue quarter morocco folding box. A very good copy, minor lean to spine, edges lightly toned and foxed, but internally still attractive and with bright and clear inscription from the author, in like dust jacket, toned, edges rubbed and nicked, but still sharp. First edition, second issue, presentation copy, in the "A" binding, signed and inscribed by the author to the front free endpaper, "To Elizabeth. Get well soon! from Ian Fleming.". A fine example of Fleming's characteristic handwriting with flourish and underlines, boldly signed. This second issue of the first edition can be distinguished by the "published March" copyright page. This copy was inscribed in March 1964 by the then-ailing Fleming, who was suffering from poor health. He died from a heart attack in August 1964. The recipient of this copy was a nursemaid of the author during those final months, who was briefly unwell herself, hence the inscription. A scarce inscribed copy, this title being published only months before the author's death; another inscribed copy exists from around the same time to Lisl Jokl, Fleming's former girlfriend and one of only four people to whom he left a legacy of £500 upon his death. This copy is from the significant Ian Fleming collection of Martin Schøyen (b.1940), with his bookplate. Schøyen's private collection of manuscripts, which span all cultures and all time periods, is one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. Item #155937

Gilbert A12a(1.3); The Schøyen Collection No. 93.

Price: £17,500.00