CASINO ROYALE Collector's Edition

Ian Fleming Publications is offering a special edition of their new Casino Royale hardcover featuring gilt-silver sprayed edges. Only 250 are being produced. Purchase by clicking the image below.

ON HIS MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE limited paperback sells out in an hour

If there was ever a reason to subscribe to the Ian Fleming Publications newsletter, it was today. IFP offered 200 special signed paperback editions of Charlie Higson's acclaimed On His Majesty's Secret Service with sprayed 007 edges. They were available exclusively through the IFP online store and appear to have sold out within the hour.

You can still buy the regular paperback edition of On His Majesty's Secret Service via Amazon.co.uk. Release date is June 6.

Here's hoping Charlie and IFP are working on a deal for more books. Higson + Bond. This works!

Folio Society limited edition CASINO ROYALE

The Folio Society has announced a limited edition of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale to mark the book's 70th anniversary. Looks nice, but at $725, this one might be for few eyes only.

Celebrating 70 years since publication, Folio’s fabulous anniversary edition of Casino Royale, limited to 750 numbered copies, exudes sophistication and glamour. Bound in blocked leather and signed by artist Fay Dalton, this is the perfect collector’s edition of Fleming’s first Bond novel.

Casino Royale Limited Edition can be purchased from the Folio Society website.

Also available: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, For You Eyes Only, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man With The Golden Gun.

The Folio Society releases FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

The Folio Society has released their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, For Your Eyes Only.

Readers might be familiar with the titles of the stories contained within For Your Eyes Only, but the adventures they depict might surprise them. As well as the expected – and eagerly anticipated – danger, thrills and action that Bond is so well known for, these five stories peel back the layers of Fleming’s complex hero, revealing, as crime writer Ian Rankin describes it, ‘a James Bond few of us have had the good fortune to meet’. Series artist Fay Dalton returns to provide her own irresistible spin on MI6’s greatest, with seven full-colour illustrations and an especially dramatic slipcase. The smart binding design calls to mind Bond’s impeccably tailored suits, making this another unmissable entry in the ever-popular Folio Bond collection.

For Your Eyes Only Folio Edition can be purchased from the Folio Society website.

Also available: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man With The Golden Gun.

BOND GOES TO JAIL in Waterstones Exclusive

Having received my stenciled edge Waterstones Exclusive Edition of With A Mind To Kill, I'm happy to report that it also contains additional material as did Waterstones previous special editions of the Horowitz books. For some reason, this was not advertised on the Waterstones website, but it is unique to this edition.

The chapter is called "Bond Goes To Jail" and has very short extract from an unused television script by Ian Fleming in which 007 goes undercover at San Quentin prison in California. Author Anthony Horowitz then explains how he originally set out to use the idea of Bond in jail in With A Mind To Kill, just as he used unpublished Fleming material in his previous two Bonds. But, ultimately, he decided it wouldn't work.

You can purchase the Waterstones Exclusive Edition signed or unsigned.

As I previously reported, Goldsboro Books is also offering their own signed and numbered limited editions with sprayed black edges. No extras in that, but this Goldsboro edition may eventually turn out to be the more rare. Also, my friend Tanner at the excellent Double O Section tells me his Goldsboro edition doesn't have a price on the dust jacket, so that is a variant jacket.

Or you can just purchase the regular UK edition at Amazon.co.uk and the U.S. edition from Harper Collins at Amazon.com. But I bet there's some of you out there who will get them all!

You can read my review of With A Mind To Kill HERE.

Limited Edition WITH A MIND TO KILL from Goldsboro Books

A Limited Edition of Anthony Horowitz's upcoming Bond novel, With A Mind To Kill, is now available to pre-order from Goldsboro Books.

• Signed & Numbered
• Limited Edition Only 1000 Copies
• Sprayed Edges
• Hardcover UK First Edition, First Printing
• Available from 26 May 2022

Pre-order at Goldsboro Books.

Waterstones is also offering an Exclusive Edition with stenciled edge that can be pre-ordered HERE.

Folio Society releases THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN

The Folio Society has released their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, The Man with the Golden Gun.

The twelfth volume in The Folio Society’s spectacular and best-selling James Bond series, The Man with the Golden Gun sees the world’s greatest super spy tackle his most dangerous assignment. 

For The Man with the Golden Gun, series artist Fay Dalton returns with her incomparable vision of Bond and his glamorous, deadly and action-packed world. This gorgeous edition features seven full-colour illustrations, a pictorial slipcase and a binding inspired by Bond’s own impeccable suits. The final full-length novel in the James Bond collection is an unmissable volume for fans and collectors alike. 

Written while Fleming was very ill and published eight months after his death, The Man with the Golden Gun sees Bond once again faced with his own mortality. However, being Bond, he faces the possibility head on, taking risks and repeatedly snatching victory from the jaws of certain death. Perhaps fittingly for the last Bond adventure, Fleming sets this in his beloved Jamaica. His lavish descriptions of exotic locations have always been one of the highlights of the series, and Fleming’s portrayal of Jamaica is especially evocative. The beachside bars, the dusty inland towns and the dangerous mangrove swamps are all alive with the hum of insects and the scent of rum. 

Captured by the KGB and brainwashed into making an assassination attempt on his own commander, James Bond is a shadow of his former self. When his mind is set free of insidious Russian influences, Bond is sent after Francisco ‘Pistols’ Scaramanga, a lethal assassin with a penchant for flashy hardware: the former circus performer’s signature weapon is a gold-plated Colt.45. Bond must infiltrate Scaramanga’s closest confidants, or risk being on the end of a lethal golden bullet...

The Man with the Golden Gun Folio Edition can be purchased from the Folio Society website.

Also available: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, You Only Live Twice.

The Folio Society releases YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

The Folio Society has released their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, You Only Live Twice.

The eleventh book in the enormously popular Bond series sees the agent fighting not only for his life, but for his very livelihood. The last book to be published before Fleming died, You Only Live Twice contains in abundance everything that makes a Bond novel so thrilling: exotic locations, glamorous women, grotesque villains – while also revealing a little more of what makes the agent tick. Fay Dalton continues her incredible work on this series, with seven gorgeous colour illustrations and a show-stopping pictorial slipcase. Japan makes an especially alluring location for both writer and artist, with Fleming giving Bond a whistle-stop tour of Japanese culture, while Dalton’s bewitching artworks make the most of every lush scene she brings to life. An unmissable volume in one of Folio’s landmark collections.

You Only Live Twice Folio Edition is priced at $69.95 and can be purchased from the Folio Society website.

Also available: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

The Folio Society reveals O.H.M.S.S.

The Folio Society has revealed their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a thrilling tour of beautiful and exotic locations, with the setting playing an essential role in Bond’s adventures. Fleming sweeps the reader up into the thin and dangerous atmosphere of the Alps, then lets them hurtle downwards on Bond’s heels as he skis for his life ahead of an oncoming avalanche, or tears the skin from his elbows on an out-of-control bob-sled pursuit. Series illustrator Fay Dalton uses these extraordinary vistas to convey the high stakes of Bond’s latest adventure, as well as taking her usual care with the book’s iconic characters. Tracy, the woman who wins Bond’s heart by recklessly outdriving him, sizzles on the page, while the sinister Blofeld oozes menace.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Folio Edition is priced at $64.95 and is available from the Folio Society website.

Also available are Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and The Spy Who Loved Me.

The Folio Society releases The Spy Who Loved Me

The Folio Society has released their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, The Spy Who Loved Me.

The latest volume in Folio’s celebrated Bond collection features a unique twist: for the first and only time in the series, we witness the agent’s adventures through the eyes of another character. Observed by a woman who finds him both frightening and alluring, Bond is exposed in a way that the reader has never seen before – making The Spy Who Loved Me an essential read for anyone wishing to get under the skin of the famous secret agent. This edition features a smart binding inspired by the agent’s suits, and a series of exquisitely glamorous – and daring – illustrations by series artist Fay Dalton. For this edition we have also reintroduced Fleming’s original prologue, which had been removed from all modern editions of the text. In an unusual move by the author, this short introduction suggests that the manuscript had been left on his desk by Vivienne Michel, the character who narrates the book.

The Spy Who Loved Me Folio Edition is priced at $62.95 and is available now from the Folio Society website.

Also available are illustrated editions of Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger and Thunderball.

The Folio Society releases LIVE AND LET DIE

The Folio Society has released their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, Live and Let Die.

Live and Let Die is the eighth volume in the enormously popular Folio Bond collection. Fay Dalton continues her excellent work as the series artist, bringing exquisite glamour and tension to the page with each volume. This time round Bond’s mission takes him into the eerie world of the occult, and Dalton makes particular use of light and dark to heighten the drama: the night sky turns the sea a baleful orange in one image, while Mr Big’s underground lair almost seems to echo with dripping water. As ever, Dalton takes particular care with the glamorous figure of Bond’s love interest, and the Solitaire she has created is beautiful and filled with quiet defiance.

The Live and Let Die Folio Edition is priced at $62.95 and is available now from the Folio Society website.

Also available are illustrated editions of Casino Royale, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger and Thunderball.

The surprising scarcity of Steve Cole's last two YOUNG BOND books

Every collector knows that some books marketed as a "limited edition" can turn out to be anything but. Or, even if limited (i.e., expensive), they never really become desirable enough to increase in value, and often decrease. This has happened with some of the recent James Bond continuation novels, which have seen multiple "special" and "limited edition" releases. But many can still be found at their original price or lower.

The exception appears to be the last two Steve Cole Young Bond novels, Strike Lightning and Red Nemesis, both of which were released as a "limited edition" hardcovers at the same time as the paperback editions. These hardcovers have proved to be very elusive and are now listing online for quite a bit of money. That is if they show up at all. At the moment, I can't locate a single copy of Red Nemesis. Chances are this final book may have had an especially small print run.

Publishers sometimes print only what is pre-ordered. This is what happened with the John Gardner novels. Gardner's later books are harder to find than his earlier works, with his last book, COLD, especially difficult to find in hardcover. But it now looks like Red Nemesis might be even harder to find than COLD, and this only a few year after publication.

So if you bought these at the time...feel good about it!

Thanks to Tanner at Double O Section for the alert.

The Folio Society releases THUNDERBALL

The Folio Society has released their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, Thunderball.

Thunderball, the latest volume in the Folio Bond Collection, features a new delectable series of images by Fay Dalton, and introduces one of Ian Fleming’s greatest villains – the nefarious Blofeld.

Fay Dalton continues her celebrated work on Folio’s collectable Bond series, bringing fans of the agent more of her glamorous, sexy and dangerous interpretation of Fleming’s iconic creation. In this latest set of illustrations, Dalton glories in the darker side of the adventure, depicting Blofeld’s grisly execution of an underling, and the brutish Emilio Largo, doused in hellish light and ready to extract the information he needs from his prone victim, by whatever means necessary. Balancing these sinister visions are glittering images of the casino, the cool spectacle of a plane sinking beneath the waves, and the sunlit tropical fantasy of Bond carrying a bikini-clad girl from the ocean.

The pictorial slipcase – such a feature of this lavish series – shows Bond exploring a seabed fraught with hazards, in one of the book’s most memorable scenes. A stylish cloth binding, inspired by Bond’s impeccable suits, rounds off this exquisite edition.

The Thunderball Folio Edition is priced at $62.95 and is available now from the Folio Society website.

Also available are illustrated editions of Casino Royale, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, and Goldfinger.

Ultra-rare The Man With The Golden Gun variant shows up in donation bin

3AW News has a report on a rare variant edition of Ian Fleming's The Man With The Golden Gun with embossed golden gun on front board that turned up in the donation bin of a charity bookstore in Sunshine, Australia.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Thanks to Patrick Donahue for the alert.

The Folio Society releases DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

The Folio Society has released their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, Diamonds Are Forever.

For the fourth book in the Bond series, America is the backdrop for the adventures of Fleming’s hero, taking the reader from the simmering, sulphurous mud baths of Saratoga to the ‘ghastly glitter’ of Las Vegas. It is in the gambling dens of ’50s Vegas – a world of glamour and gangsters – that we see Bond in his element, sizing up the roulette wheel and casually taking the house for everything it’s got. The only Bond novel not to have roots in the Cold War, Fleming makes certain that Diamonds Are Forever has more than its share of larger-than-life villains and set pieces: the dreadful Spang brothers and their associated gallery of thugs, and the ghost town of Spectreville, complete with its very own steam train, are especially memorable. Writing to a friend, Fleming commented with typical humour that for this novel he had included ‘every single method of escape and every variety of suspenseful action that I had omitted from my previous books – in fact everything except the kitchen sink, and if you can think up a good plot involving kitchen sinks, please send it along speedily’.

Bond is initially dismissive of American gangs, a stance he quickly comes to regret when faced with their ingenious brutality. His unlikely saviour comes in the delectable form of Miss Tiffany Case, a woman with a bad past and a broken future. Tiffany proves to be one of the series’ most complex and compelling female characters, and with his growing attachment to her, we see a new, more conflicted side to Bond. 

Fans of this series will no doubt be excited to see what illustrator Fay Dalton has created with the tantalising combination of Vegas, Bond and Tiffany Case, and they certainly won’t be disappointed. This is the sixth volume in the Folio Bond collection, featuring the distinctive and stylish binding design inspired by the secret agent’s impeccable suits, and a stunning illustrated slipcase.

Bound in blocked cloth

Set in Miller Text with Folio Bold Condensed as display

240 pages

Frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations

Pictorial slipcase

9˝ x 6¼˝

The Diamonds Are Forever Folio Edition is priced at $56.59 and is available now from the Folio Society website.

Also available are illustrated editions of Casino Royale, Moonraker, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, and Goldfinger.

Thanks to Double O Section for the alert.

FOREVER AND A DAY Waterstones edition contains extra Ian Fleming material

As with Trigger Mortis, the Waterstones editions of Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz contain original Ian Fleming material in the back of the book that does not appear in the regular trade first editions. This time the dust-jacket is the same, but the book's page edges are yellow.

The only other special this time that I'm aware of is the Goldsboro Limited, which comes signed and numbered and has blue page edges (no extra content). That edition sold out in pre-orders.

There was also a hardback proof with slightly different boards and endpapers that advertise the novel. The proof did not come in a dust-jacket.

Happy hunting!

CASINO ROYALE with Horowitz intro released today

A special edition of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale with an introduction by Anthony Horowitz is released today in the UK.

Purchase at Amazon.co.uk

FOREVER AND A DAY Limited Edition from Goldsboro Books

Goldsboro Books in the UK is offering a limited edition of Anthony Horowitz's upcoming Forever and a Day. The book will be signed and number and have sprayed edges. It can be pre-ordered now at the Goldsboro website.

Forever and a Day is a prequel to Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. It will be relased by Jonathan Cape in the UK on May 31 and in the U.S. by Harper Collins on November 6, 2018.

The Folio Society releases GOLDFINGER

The Folio Society has revealed their next illustrated slip-cased Ian Fleming classic, Goldfinger.

Filled with characters, incidents and images iconic to the Bond series, Goldfinger reveals Fleming at the height of his powers. Opening with Bond enjoying what he believes is a simple game of cat and mouse, Fleming gradually heightens the tension until the reader, along with Bond, realises that the agent has fatally underestimated the strange, gold-obsessed millionaire. Terrorized by the implacable, cat-eating Oddjob, the agent scrambles to foil the plans of the horrifying Goldfinger, aided in part by Pussy Galore, the tough and canny leader of a team of female burglars. 

In this book Fleming reveals a more contemplative side to his secret agent – Bond is a man who thrives on danger, yet in his quieter moments is troubled by the bystanders who bear the brunt of violence. While his adventures are often gloriously fantastical and populated with grotesque villains, Fleming maintains a steely reality through the relentless efficiency of his protagonist. For fans familiar only with the films, Goldfinger’s Bond will be a welcome revelation: deadly and unflappable, he is also a character of many layers. 

Fay Dalton continues her excellent work on this Folio series, producing seven exquisite colour illustrations that ooze with the glamour and dynamism of Bond. For the special illustrated slipcase, Dalton has recreated the infamous death of Jill Masterton, enshrined in shimmering gold.

Bound in blocked cloth
Set in Miller Text
288 pages
Frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations
Pictorial slipcase
9˝ x 6¾˝

The Goldfinger Folio Edition is priced at $62.95 and is available now from the Folio Society website.

Also available are illustrated editions of Casino Royale and From Russia With Love, Dr. No and Moonraker.

Thanks to Toys of Bond for the alert.

FOREVER AND A DAY signed editions from Waterstones

Waterstones in the UK is offering signed editions of Anthony Horowitz's upcoming Bond novel Forever and a Day. The book is available for pre-order at the Waterstones website.

If IFP follows the pattern of the last few Bonds, we should see more signed and special editions.

Forever and a Day is a prequel to Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. It will be relased by Jonathan Cape in the UK on May 31 and in the U.S. by Harper Collins on November 6, 2018.