"The Guns of James Bond." [In: Sports Illustrated Magazine, Volume 16, Number 11, 19 March 1962.]

FLEMING, Ian.

Time Incorporated, 1962. Magazine format, stapled. Pp. 84, price 25 cents. Illustrated with photographs throughout. Subscriber's label on front wrapper. Slight rubbing and creasing to wrappers; in near-fine condition. Contains the first American appearance of this original Ian Fleming feature entitled "The Guns of James Bond" (pp. 68-78), being an article describing some of the firearms supplied to Bond by Q - Branch. Loosely inserted is an inscribed calling card from Geoffrey Boothroyd; in the James Bond novels, the character "Q" (aka Major Boothroyd) is based on Geoffrey Boothroyd. Boothroyd (1925-2001), a gun expert who lived in Glasgow, Scotland, has inscribed the verso of the calling card "The latest 'Bondiana' Geoffrey Boothroyd". He wrote to Ian Fleming concerning his choice of firearms after reading Casino Royale; he criticized James Bond's use of guns and Fleming, far from being upset, heeded the expert advice and adapted his writing accordingly; Boothroyd's comments included switching the Beretta ("a ladies' gun") for the Walther PPK, and he noted that a shoulder holster [as seen in the film "Dr No" (1962)] would not provide as quick a draw as a belt holster (as traditionally seen in the Wild West). The nine-page article features colour drawings of handguns by Don Moss, two colour illustrations, including a frontispiece, by Douglas Gorshine, and a black & white photograph of Ian Fleming and Geoffrey Boothroyd with a.44 Super Magnum, described as the most powerful handgun in the world. Geoffrey Boothroyd can be seen in person with the film actor Sean Connery in the 1964 short documentary film "The Guns of James Bond". This article is framed by photos of the actual letters exchanged between Fleming and Boothroyd. This copy is from the significant Ian Fleming collection of Martin Schøyen (b.1940), whose private collection of manuscripts, which span all cultures and all time periods, is one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. Item #156005

Gilbert D103; The Schøyen Collection No. 221.

Price: £875.00