Another knockout post by Peter Crush at James Bond First Editions. I had never heard of the Boots Booklovers editions. Now I know all about them! Click the headline link or the image below to learn all about them yourselves.
Showing posts with label First Editions (UK). Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Editions (UK). Show all posts
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Sunday, November 21, 2021
CASINO ROYALE first edition (video)
The good folks at
Peter Harrington Books show the details of a true Casino Royale first edition by Ian Fleming. Enjoy.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Potter & Potter major Bond book auction April 18
Chicago based auctioneers Potter & Potter are offering a wide selection of first edition Bond books from all authors in their upcoming auction on April 18. Potter & Potter are the leading magic auction specialists so I've had a lot of interaction with them on various Houdini items. They are an excellent auction house and I'm very excited to see them moving into Bond.
You can order a catalog or download a free PDF from the Potter & Potter website.
UPDATE: The first edition Casino Royale sold for $19,000. A first edition Live and Let Die took $3,600, Moonraker $2,200, and Diamonds Are Forever $2,800.
Thursday, March 9, 2017
FOR SALE: Limited O.H.M.S.S. signed by Ian Fleming
The legendary Richard Schenkman, who for years ran the James Bond (American) Fan Club and published Bondage magazine, is offering for sale his copy of the limited signed On Her Majesty's Secret Service. This was Ian Fleming's only signed limited edition; it was published simultaneously with the first trade edition on April 1, 1963.
This is one of the most sought after and valuable of all the James Bond Fleming firsts. According to Richard, his copy is "in very fine condition, including the original plastic jacket, and it's numbered 124."
If you are interested in this superb collectible, CLICK HERE to email Richard.
This is one of the most sought after and valuable of all the James Bond Fleming firsts. According to Richard, his copy is "in very fine condition, including the original plastic jacket, and it's numbered 124."
If you are interested in this superb collectible, CLICK HERE to email Richard.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
From Russia With Love (1959)
To celebrated the imminent arrival of Strike Lightning, I thought I'd share another cover that features train action imagery. This is the first UK paperback edition of Ian Fleming's From Russia With Love published by Pan Books in 1959.
Title: From Russia With Love
Author: Ian Fleming
Year: 1959
Edition: 1st Printing
Edition: 1st Printing
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
TRIGGER HAPPY
My UK and U.S. hardcover editions of Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz are in the house! Thank you Orion Books and Harper Collins. Looking forward to the big release day on September 8th when I will share a my own exclusive Q&A with author Anthony Horowitz. I will then post a (spoilerish) review later in the week. Bond is Back!
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| UK hardcover from Orion Books. |
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| U.S. edition from Harper Collins. |
Saturday, April 5, 2014
LIVE AND LET DIE turns 60
Today marks the 60th anniversary of Ian Fleming's second James Bond novel, Live And Let Die, which was published April 5, 1954 by Jonathan Cape in the UK. Here's my own first edition hardcover. Still looking pretty good after 60 years!
Thanks to my good buddy Anders Frejdh of From Sweden With Love for the reminder of this milestone.
Thanks to my good buddy Anders Frejdh of From Sweden With Love for the reminder of this milestone.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Benson's BOND - UK hardcovers
Over the weekend I shared the Raymond Benson James Bond U.S. hardcover first editions. Here now are the UK hardcover firsts from Hodder & Stoughton.
The Hodder books featured striking cover art with series art established on the 1995 Coronet paperbacks and first used on a hardcover with John Gardner's COLD. However, the publisher changed it up with the last two books, producing covers that were a bit disappointing in comparison (IMO). Hodder also published Benson's three film novelizations in hardcover. Tomorrow Never Dies remains the rarest of all the Benson UK firsts.
Publication dates:
The Hodder books featured striking cover art with series art established on the 1995 Coronet paperbacks and first used on a hardcover with John Gardner's COLD. However, the publisher changed it up with the last two books, producing covers that were a bit disappointing in comparison (IMO). Hodder also published Benson's three film novelizations in hardcover. Tomorrow Never Dies remains the rarest of all the Benson UK firsts.
Publication dates:
Zero Minus Ten – Hodder & Stoughton, April 3, 1997.
Tomorrow Never Dies – Hodder & Stoughton, November 6, 1997.
Tomorrow Never Dies – Hodder & Stoughton, November 6, 1997.
The Facts of Death - Hodder & Stoughton, May 7, 1998.
High Time To Kill - Hodder & Stoughton, May 6, 1999.
The World Is Not Enough – Hodder & Stoughton, November 18, 1999.
The World Is Not Enough – Hodder & Stoughton, November 18, 1999.
Doubleshot - Hodder & Stoughton, May 4, 2000.
Never Dream of Dying - Hodder & Stoughton May 3, 2001.
The Man With The Red Tattoo – Hodder & Stoughton, May 2, 2002.
Die Another Day - Hodder & Stoughton, November 7, 2002.
Die Another Day - Hodder & Stoughton, November 7, 2002.
Friday, October 18, 2013
LINK: View to a killing: why do collectors pay so much for James Bond first editions?
Here's a nice article by Rick Gekoski in The Guardian about the escalating values of Ian Fleming James Bond First Editions. Click the headline to read.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Waterstone's SOLO 'Red Page' exclusive
While we wait for word on the mysterious Solo special edition, here's an exclusive that's hiding in plain sight. Waterstone's in the UK have copies of the new James Bond novel by William Boyd with red page edges. The normal trade edition has white pages. Signed copies of these red page exclusives have been edging out their white page counterparts on eBay and fetching a premium. I actually get more excited about things like this because it's a variant and therefore a more desirable version of the First Edition.
Waterstone's has a history of offering "Red" Bond specials. They released a special Red Box edition of Devil May Care limited to 500 copies (which sold out the day of release), and a Bentley Red Edition of Carte Blanche also limited to 500.
So how many of these Solo Red Page editions are there? As Kamal Khan would say, "Let the sport commence!"
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The JOHN GARDNER UK first edition hardcovers
Having posted the John Gardner U.S. hardcovers last month, I figured I'd continue with the John Gardner UK hardcover first editions from Jonathan Cape and Hodder & Stoughton. Certainly not as uniform as the U.S. set, but some nice covers.
Licence To Kill, GoldenEye, SeaFire, and COLD are the standout rarities in this batch. Licence To Kill was actually printed in the U.S. by Mysterious Press and distributed in the UK by Severn House in very limited quantities in April 1990, a year after the paperback release. The First Edition print run of GoldenEye is said to have been in the 2000 copy range. It went into subsequent printings very quickly. SeaFire was remaindered in the UK so almost all copies were price clipped and it's tricky to find a copy with the price intact.
Because SeaFire was not a big seller, COLD was printed on a demand basis. The bulk of the orders came from public libraries and these editions were bound in with plain boards of a different color. Only about 900 copies were printed and about 500 of these were library editions. Unless you pre-ordered this book, you were unlikely to get one. It's the rarest of all the Gardner hardcovers.
Publication:
Licence Renewed – Jonathan Cape, May 21, 1981.
For Special Services – Jonathan Cape, September 9, 1982.
Icebreaker - Jonathan Cape, July 7, 1983.
Role of Honour - Jonathan Cape, October 4, 1984.
Nobody Lives For Ever - Jonathan Cape, May 22, 1986.
No Deals, Mr. Bond - Jonathan Cape, May 21, 1987.
Scorpius - Hodder & Stoughton, June 2, 1988.
Win Lose or Die - Hodder & Stoughton, August 1989.
Licence To Kill – The Mysterious Press, April 1990.
Brokenclaw - Hodder & Stoughton, August 2, 1990.
The Man From Barbarossa – Hodder & Stoughton, August 18, 1991.
Death Is Forever - Hodder & Stoughton, July 2, 1992.
Never Send Flowers - Hodder & Stoughton, July 15, 1993.
SeaFire - Hodder & Stoughton, August 1994.
GoldenEye - Hodder & Stoughton, November 1995.
COLD - Hodder & Stoughton, May 2, 1996.
Because SeaFire was not a big seller, COLD was printed on a demand basis. The bulk of the orders came from public libraries and these editions were bound in with plain boards of a different color. Only about 900 copies were printed and about 500 of these were library editions. Unless you pre-ordered this book, you were unlikely to get one. It's the rarest of all the Gardner hardcovers.
Publication:
Licence Renewed – Jonathan Cape, May 21, 1981.
For Special Services – Jonathan Cape, September 9, 1982.
Icebreaker - Jonathan Cape, July 7, 1983.
Role of Honour - Jonathan Cape, October 4, 1984.
Nobody Lives For Ever - Jonathan Cape, May 22, 1986.
No Deals, Mr. Bond - Jonathan Cape, May 21, 1987.
Scorpius - Hodder & Stoughton, June 2, 1988.
Win Lose or Die - Hodder & Stoughton, August 1989.
Licence To Kill – The Mysterious Press, April 1990.
Brokenclaw - Hodder & Stoughton, August 2, 1990.
The Man From Barbarossa – Hodder & Stoughton, August 18, 1991.
Death Is Forever - Hodder & Stoughton, July 2, 1992.
Never Send Flowers - Hodder & Stoughton, July 15, 1993.
SeaFire - Hodder & Stoughton, August 1994.
GoldenEye - Hodder & Stoughton, November 1995.
COLD - Hodder & Stoughton, May 2, 1996.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The collectible CASINO ROYALE hardcovers
Author’s note: Values here are estimates based on experience and are only meant to be a guide. No matter what any "expert" says (myself included), a book is only worth what someone is willing to pay and no one can say for sure what a book will or will not sell for. And condition is everything. All prices here are in U.S. dollars.
The UK Edition
When Ian Fleming's Casino Royale was first published by Jonathan Cape on April 13, 1953, it was a sensation. In England the first printing of 4,750 copies sold out in the first month of publication. Fleming himself designed the dust jacket art, which contained nine bleeding hearts on a gunmetal gray background with "a whisper of love, a whisper of hate" inscribed around the center heart. This first edition of Casino Royale is one of the most sought-after James Bond books. Heck, it's one of the most sought after first edition books, period! Because the first print run was very small — with many going to libraries — in auction, first editions of Casino Royale can sell for $10,000 to $30,000 depending on condition (I realize that is quite a spread, but that is how much condition matters with this book). An inscribed copy of Casino Royale sold for just over $40,000 in 2007.
Know that the dust jacket is everything with this title. With a jacket, a first Casino can indeed fetch these large prices. But without a jacket, a seller would be lucky to get even a few hundred dollars. Also, beware of color copies of the dust jackets, which have begun to appear on the market in recent years.
In order to meet demand, Cape quickly published a second edition of Casino Royale in May 1953. This second edition is identical to the first except for the indicator "Second Edition" on the copyright page and the inclusion of "The Author" under Fleming’s picture on the back of the dust jacket. Also, a favorable review of the book was added to the front dust jacket overleaf. This second edition can sell for several hundred dollars. You'll sometimes see these listed as a "First Edition, Second Impression", but don't be fooled into paying a "first edition" price.
Pat Marriott designed an all new dust jacket (featuring a playing card against a green background) for Cape's fourth printing in November 1957. The book also picked up a printers error on page 34 ("neard" for "heard"). The Marriott art (along with the printing error) became standard on all subsequent hardcover editions, ending with the 13th edition in the 1980s. A Marriott first (meaning the 4th) can sell for $50 to $100, depending on condition. Cape would reprint the Casino Royale hardcover with the Marriott artwork all the way into the 1980s.
The U.S. Edition
In America the reaction to Casino Royale was rather cool. (Fleming was not to gain a loyal following in the states until President Kennedy named From Russia with Love one of his favorite books.) Nevertheless, the first edition of Casino Royale, published by Macmillan on March 23, 1954, remains the most valuable (but not the rarest) of the American books and can sell for between $1,500 and $2,500.
When shopping for an American Casino, be aware that two states of the dust jacket exist. Most first editions have the corner of the dust jacket overleaf clipped, and the price reads vertically below the clipped area. But there is another state of the first edition with a complete flap, and the price reads horizontally on the bottom. (The prices are the same on both editions: $2.75.) Most collectors and book dealers don’t know about this variation; so at the moment, there’s little difference in value. But personal experience has been that the complete flap is much harder to find than the clipped flap and should add a few hundred dollars to the price.
Macmillan started what would be a long series of US hardcover book club editions with Casino Royale (the UK would wait for the next book). The first Macmillan Casino book club edition — featuring a knife and cards against an orange background in its cover — is quite desirable and can reach as high as $80 in price, unusual for a book club. In fact, there’s a question as to whether or not this is a book club edition or a retail reprint. The later Macmillan book club — featuring a PPK against a uniform blue-grey or a pink background — are plentiful and have almost no value. These frequently show up on eBay as "hardcover 1st editions." Buyer beware.
In the 1990s, MJF reprinted Casino Royale as a low-priced "bargain bin" hardcover, part of "The James Bond Classic Library" series. While the jacket art is a bit lackluster, what is nice is that the book uses the original British edition plates (right down to the page 34 printing error). Also in the '90s, "The First Edition Library" reprinted pricey facsimile editions of all of Fleming's novels, and their copy of Casino Royale is a beauty. This is an excellent way to enjoy the artistry of the true first edition if you don’t have $20,000 on hand, although it still doesn't come cheap with copies on eBay fetching $100 and up.
In 2002, Viking/Penguin published a hardcover edition of Casino Royale as part of their "anniversary" reprints with jacket art that matched their paperback reprints. In 2008 Penguin Books in the UK released all 14 original James Bond/Ian Fleming novels as special Centenary editions hardcovers, including Casino Royale. The attractive new cover art was by artist Michael Gillette. These are now surprisingly scarce.
In the 2006 film adaptation of Casino Royale, James Bond plays Texas hold'em poker instead of the traditional baccarat (Chemin De Fer) of the novel. But baccarat is still the classic Bonidan game, and it's definitely the game of the Book Bond. Check out this article about James Bond and Baccarat if you would like to learn more.
The UK Edition
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| UK first edition by Jonathan Cape |
Know that the dust jacket is everything with this title. With a jacket, a first Casino can indeed fetch these large prices. But without a jacket, a seller would be lucky to get even a few hundred dollars. Also, beware of color copies of the dust jackets, which have begun to appear on the market in recent years.
In order to meet demand, Cape quickly published a second edition of Casino Royale in May 1953. This second edition is identical to the first except for the indicator "Second Edition" on the copyright page and the inclusion of "The Author" under Fleming’s picture on the back of the dust jacket. Also, a favorable review of the book was added to the front dust jacket overleaf. This second edition can sell for several hundred dollars. You'll sometimes see these listed as a "First Edition, Second Impression", but don't be fooled into paying a "first edition" price.
Pat Marriott designed an all new dust jacket (featuring a playing card against a green background) for Cape's fourth printing in November 1957. The book also picked up a printers error on page 34 ("neard" for "heard"). The Marriott art (along with the printing error) became standard on all subsequent hardcover editions, ending with the 13th edition in the 1980s. A Marriott first (meaning the 4th) can sell for $50 to $100, depending on condition. Cape would reprint the Casino Royale hardcover with the Marriott artwork all the way into the 1980s.
The U.S. Edition
 |
| U.S. first edition from Macmillan |
When shopping for an American Casino, be aware that two states of the dust jacket exist. Most first editions have the corner of the dust jacket overleaf clipped, and the price reads vertically below the clipped area. But there is another state of the first edition with a complete flap, and the price reads horizontally on the bottom. (The prices are the same on both editions: $2.75.) Most collectors and book dealers don’t know about this variation; so at the moment, there’s little difference in value. But personal experience has been that the complete flap is much harder to find than the clipped flap and should add a few hundred dollars to the price.
Macmillan started what would be a long series of US hardcover book club editions with Casino Royale (the UK would wait for the next book). The first Macmillan Casino book club edition — featuring a knife and cards against an orange background in its cover — is quite desirable and can reach as high as $80 in price, unusual for a book club. In fact, there’s a question as to whether or not this is a book club edition or a retail reprint. The later Macmillan book club — featuring a PPK against a uniform blue-grey or a pink background — are plentiful and have almost no value. These frequently show up on eBay as "hardcover 1st editions." Buyer beware.
In the 1990s, MJF reprinted Casino Royale as a low-priced "bargain bin" hardcover, part of "The James Bond Classic Library" series. While the jacket art is a bit lackluster, what is nice is that the book uses the original British edition plates (right down to the page 34 printing error). Also in the '90s, "The First Edition Library" reprinted pricey facsimile editions of all of Fleming's novels, and their copy of Casino Royale is a beauty. This is an excellent way to enjoy the artistry of the true first edition if you don’t have $20,000 on hand, although it still doesn't come cheap with copies on eBay fetching $100 and up.
In 2002, Viking/Penguin published a hardcover edition of Casino Royale as part of their "anniversary" reprints with jacket art that matched their paperback reprints. In 2008 Penguin Books in the UK released all 14 original James Bond/Ian Fleming novels as special Centenary editions hardcovers, including Casino Royale. The attractive new cover art was by artist Michael Gillette. These are now surprisingly scarce.
 |
| Later Casinos: Cape (1957), MJF (1990), Viking (2002) and Penguin (2008) |
In the 2006 film adaptation of Casino Royale, James Bond plays Texas hold'em poker instead of the traditional baccarat (Chemin De Fer) of the novel. But baccarat is still the classic Bonidan game, and it's definitely the game of the Book Bond. Check out this article about James Bond and Baccarat if you would like to learn more.
Monday, February 6, 2012
JOHN GARDNER first edition paperbacks 1982-1997
With the new John Gardner paperback reprints beginning to roll out in the U.S. and UK, here's a look back at the John Gardner first edition paperbacks (from my own collection) as they appeared from 1982 to 1997.
I should point out that I've also seen the UK Nobody Lives Forever paperback with a red cover, but the one in my collection is a Canadian edition so I'm not sure whether it was ever released with the red cover in the UK. Also note that my Role of Honour is also Canadian (the tip-off is the General logo and dollar price), but I'm pretty sure it is the exact same cover art as used in the UK.
Also enjoy: JAMES BOND UK first edition paperbacks 1955-1979.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
JAMES BOND UK first edition paperbacks 1955-1979
Here are the James Bond UK first edition paperbacks spanning 1955 (Casino Royale) to 1979 (James Bond and Moonraker). These are all from my own collection. I thought it might be nice to not only show to the covers of these book, but the backs as well. Notice that the back of Moonraker refers to the filming of Casino Royale? Click on each image to enlarge.
It might surprise you to know that the rarest and most valuable book is actually On Her Majesty's Secret Service (followed by Octopussy). For whatever reason, the later books are very hard to find as true UK paperback firsts. The key is to find copies without a price on the cover. Check out page 122 of Bond Bound and you'll see that even their OHMSS -- which is captioned as a first edition -- has a price on the cover.
I should also point out that my You Only Live Twice, which is noted on the copyright page as a first edition, came with a wrap-around dust-jacket featuring the UK tie-in movie art and says on the back "Not for Sale in the UK", so I'm not sure what the story is with this edition. Also, my Live and Let Die is from 1957, but I've never seen an earlier edition so it's possible it was published out of order and this was the true first.
I'll take us into the 1980s and '90s next.
It might surprise you to know that the rarest and most valuable book is actually On Her Majesty's Secret Service (followed by Octopussy). For whatever reason, the later books are very hard to find as true UK paperback firsts. The key is to find copies without a price on the cover. Check out page 122 of Bond Bound and you'll see that even their OHMSS -- which is captioned as a first edition -- has a price on the cover.
I should also point out that my You Only Live Twice, which is noted on the copyright page as a first edition, came with a wrap-around dust-jacket featuring the UK tie-in movie art and says on the back "Not for Sale in the UK", so I'm not sure what the story is with this edition. Also, my Live and Let Die is from 1957, but I've never seen an earlier edition so it's possible it was published out of order and this was the true first.
I'll take us into the 1980s and '90s next.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
COLONEL SUN, the first continuation
Here's the original cover art for the very first James Bond continuation novel, Colonel Sun
(1968) by Kingsley Amis writing under the pen name of Robert Markham. The cover art is by Tom Adams and is pretty freaky, but effective. Both the UK and U.S. editions used this artwork. The art extends around the book and includes a melting Walther PPK (you can see the full image at Tom Adams Uncovered).
Colonel Sun find James Bond in action in Greece after M is kidnapped from his home in London. While the book wasn't all that received in its day, many Bond fans have come to deify it as the best James Bond continuation novel. I can't say that's an opinion I share (I might actually hand that honor to John Gardner's Icebreaker, having just re-read it), but I enjoy Colonel Sun. In fact, I'd say it's time for a reprint.
(1968) by Kingsley Amis writing under the pen name of Robert Markham. The cover art is by Tom Adams and is pretty freaky, but effective. Both the UK and U.S. editions used this artwork. The art extends around the book and includes a melting Walther PPK (you can see the full image at Tom Adams Uncovered). |
| Colonel Sun UK first edition |
Colonel Sun find James Bond in action in Greece after M is kidnapped from his home in London. While the book wasn't all that received in its day, many Bond fans have come to deify it as the best James Bond continuation novel. I can't say that's an opinion I share (I might actually hand that honor to John Gardner's Icebreaker, having just re-read it), but I enjoy Colonel Sun. In fact, I'd say it's time for a reprint.
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