Gold Dust

little nelly

I seem to remember 20 or 25 years ago you could walk in to almost any charity shop in the land and be virtually guaranteed to find half a dozen Bond paperbacks for something like 5p each and frequently an original 50s hardback for a bit more. In the late 80s I picked up a first edition Moonraker for 20p (now no longer in my possession, sadly - stolen by my landlady!) and a "rare" DAF with the mis-numbered chapters for a similar price.
Nowadays though the old hardbacks are like gold dust. There are several specialist booksellers in Central London who charge a fortune for books that aren't even first editions - I paid £35 for a tatty OHMSS and £18 for Colonel Sun recently.
It seems people these days are more aware of the value of these old books, and rather than give them to the charity shop (always a good place to find old Bond books in days gone by) they choose to sell them on sites like e-bay.
Anyone else got a similar story to tell? Have you found any treasure lately in markets or charity shops? And do you think online auction sites are to blame for the disappearance of Bond books from the shelves?

Golrush007

The only Bond 1st editions I've found in charity shops have been John Gardner ones, or Fleming ones without the jackets. I got a tatty 1st edition of TMWTGG off ebay for about 5 pounds once. Other than that I haven't found Bond 1sts at prices I can afford which is sad!! I live in South Africa, and a couple of months ago found myself in a bookshop in Cape Town which had a number of Bond 1st editions in good condition, but for prices which I definitely can't afford.

j.blades

just bought a lisensce renewed first eddition for 11 dollars. the fleming first editions on the other hand...... well you know.

little nelly

I don't even particularly want first editions. Just a nice set of 14 Fleming hardbacks in my bookcase.
But NOT the new 2008 editions. Hideous!
I seem to remember the hardbacks being available in Foyle's in London, round about 1989. They were £9.95 each. I think.

Barbel

All my Bond hardbacks (complete collection) from GF onward are firsts; before that it's more variable- eg I have a first of LALD but not CR. I did pick up my OHMSS for 50p at a church sale, many years ago. Most of the rest I got from bookshops or bought as they came out (hardbackwise from Gardner onwards). I inherited all the then existing paperbacks in 1966 from my grandfather, and still have them boxed in the attic. From that point I began buying the Bond books as they came out- I can still remember being excited when CS was published! (Btw, I'm 51 now so I'd have been 10 at the time...)

I have duplicates of most of the hardbacks from Amis/Markham onwards plus a few Flemings. Last year I tried to sell a duplicate of the "James Bond Dossier" with no luck, despite asking a low price. And yes, I do have duplicate copies of the hardback "Cold" and "Licence To Kill", two of the rarer non-Fleming titles.

Prices vary widely both on the net and in the shops; I think the only answer is to keep hunting. You might comes across a hardback of Christopher Wood's "James Bond and Moonraker" for peanuts simply because the shop doesn't know it's worth.

I used to buy all the books about Bond as opposed to Bond books as well- such titles as "James Bond In The Cinema" by John Brosnan, "The Devil With James Bond!" by Ann S. Boyd, etc, but in recent years there have been too many of these to keep my interest.

Loeffelholz

Barbel wrote:

Last year I tried to sell a duplicate of the "James Bond Dossier" with no luck, despite asking a low price.

[reply deleted] :v

Barbel

I think we go to PMs at this point...

Chris78

I often go into Charity Shops to search for Books.Got myself a Pan Paperback of Moonraker........ http://z.about.com/f/wiki/e/en/thumb/9/9d/MoonrakerNovel.jpg/200px-MoonrakerNovel.jpg

Says the edition was published in 1956, but research says 1962 to 69??

Napoleon Plural

Loeffelholz wrote:

Barbel wrote:

Last year I tried to sell a duplicate of the "James Bond Dossier" with no luck, despite asking a low price.

[reply deleted] :v

) ) Loeffs, are you going to get around to releasing a director's cut of your posts before they get self-censored? One of these days I'll catch you before you hit the edit button!

Now Little Nelly a man or autogyro after my own heart. Yes I'd pick up paperbacks from junk shops or antique shops as I called them, for 10p or thereabouts, often on my way home from school. These were the days when you couldn't even be sure how many films or books had been done, with no internet to advise or inform, so it would offer useful information of sorts. One of the earliest was The Spy Who Loved Me with the burning blue map on the cover. Often it would be a kind of swap; no car chases or jokes in Fleming's books, and little resemblance to the film often, but then again some soft-porn sex and sadism sort of compensated.

But don't you shop on eBay, LN? This does alter things, as my precious book of the film collection can of course be bought quite easily on the net. That yearning essential to any collection goes out the window, but you can buy stuff and not feel you own it, you're simply borrowing it until you decide to reflog it on eBay.

I don't really bother buying Bond books at these Charing X London bookshops, I'd rather go on eBay really. But yes, the chance of picking up a rarity for a song is less likely now. You don't even really get those old junk shops any more, and second hand books these days do look a bit rubbish because the gloss covers age more readily and the designs aren't much to look at either.

Mark Hazard

Chris78 wrote:

I often go into Charity Shops to search for Books.Got myself a Pan Paperback of Moonraker........ http://z.about.com/f/wiki/e/en/thumb/9/9d/MoonrakerNovel.jpg/200px-MoonrakerNovel.jpg

Says the edition was published in 1956, but research says 1962 to 69??

Pan edition (first) published in 1956 - that series of covers were about in 1969 - 1970.

Napoleon Plural

Yes, the early Pan books had a yellow blob at the top and a strip along the bottom thus:



This is the most common one though the earlier MR Pan edition is very rare and looks like this:



If you find this one buy it, as they're going for around £150 on eBay. Really eBay is the way to go on these, everything is there (for a price, and that will usually be cheaper than in a bookshop, unless it's a real rarity in which the eBay seller is likely to know about, or will do once the bids start coming in).

little nelly

wow £150, really?!?
I've got that one! Ha!

little nelly

I must say I do like those 50s covers, I think they've been described elsewhere on this site as "Mills & Boonish", but I think they're very evocative.
All my life I've resisted getting a credit/debit card because I don't think I could trust myself with one but it's looking like the time has come. Ebay is the place now, innit? The junk shop of the future.
I'm delighted my scabby old Moonraker is worth so much though. Got that for £3 at Murder One (now there's a sadly-missed outlet).

Napoleon Plural

Well, it depends on the condition of course. If your copy is as good as the one I posted a pic of, then more than £200 would seem about right. If it has scribbling on the cover, maybe £70, I'm not sure. So long as it's not too manky, you could be on to a winner.

I suggest however that you do have the 'holy grail' of Bond paperbacks so I wouldn't sell it! It's rare and it looks great. I've only recently got into eBay, you need to have paypal to back it up, and you need a debit card for that.

little nelly

Well, thanks for that. Here's my MR: it's not in mint condition, but it's not that manky considering it's even older than I am! It's nice to know that it's worth more than I paid for it, anyhoo.
While we're on the subject, my old DAF hardback has mis-numbered chapter pages, for instance chapter 15 begins on page 146, but the Contents page says page 144. Also, in ch14 "We Don't Make Mistakes", Leiter tells Bond: "Kidd's a pretty boy. His friends call him "Dolly". (as opposed to "Boofy").
Now someone said this is a rare printing that is worth something. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.

Lexi

little nelly wrote:

While we're on the subject, my old DAF hardback has mis-numbered chapter pages, for instance chapter 15 begins on page 146, but the Contents page says page 144. Also, in ch14 "We Don't Make Mistakes", Leiter tells Bond: "Kidd's a pretty boy. His friends call him "Dolly". (as opposed to "Boofy").

To think that as a type setter, I get paid the big bucks not to make these types of mistakes, it's ironical to think that it's because of these, that it makes the book more valuable. )

- so Loeff, how about it? Want me to lay your book out..... :v

Barbel

little nelly wrote:

Leiter tells Bond: "Kidd's a pretty boy. His friends call him "Dolly". (as opposed to "Boofy").
Now someone said this is a rare printing that is worth something. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.

I don't know if it's connected, but Fleming had a habit of using his friends' names for characters (Leiter, Bryce, etc) and thought it would be funny to use one of their names ("Boofy" Gore) on a homosexual hit man. The friend wasn't chuffed, Fleming apologised, and changed the name.

Mark Hazard

little nelly wrote:

Well, thanks for that. Here's my MR: it's not in mint condition, but it's not that manky considering it's even older than I am! It's nice to know that it's worth more than I paid for it, anyhoo.

Same here, although the spine of mine is coming adrift.

little nelly wrote:

While we're on the subject, my old DAF hardback has mis-numbered chapter pages, for instance chapter 15 begins on page 146, but the Contents page says page 144. Also, in ch14 "We Don't Make Mistakes", Leiter tells Bond: "Kidd's a pretty boy. His friends call him "Dolly". (as opposed to "Boofy").
Now someone said this is a rare printing that is worth something. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.

I have a Cape 1964/6th edition and although the page number (146) is correct for chapter 15, this also contains - Kidd's a pretty boy. His friends call him "Dolly" - so perhaps that's not quite so rare.

hegottheboot

I just started collecting the hardbacks of 007-have quite a few of the later continuations and reprints of Flemings. Just randomly found a 1st Ed HC of Coldfall the other day for $1.00! It just goes to show that you should never stop looking.
My favorites are still the 60's US signet paperbacks though.

little nelly

I like the old Signet ones too. Got a couple of those cheap, again from Murder One.

Loeffelholz

Lexi wrote:

- so Loeff, how about it? Want me to lay your book out..... :v

I thought you'd never ask :x It'll be on the way to you soon

Napoleon Plural

Can I make the obvious joke....?

Loeffs is getting laid tonight, thanks to Lexi!

Lexi

Napoleon Plural wrote:

Can I make the obvious joke....?

Loeffs is getting laid tonight, thanks to Lexi!

) ) yes....and I was late for work today, caus it was so good :v

Loeffelholz

All in a day's work B-)

little nelly

Get a room!

Sir Miles

little nelly wrote:

Get a room!

I think they already did )

Loeffelholz

little nelly wrote:

Get a room!

Sorry there, Little Nell...these things just happen sometimes :v ...didn't mean to hijack your thread, which deals with a most worthy subject...

When I was a teenager, there was used book store in Lincoln, Illinois, called "The Browsin' Shop." It's long gone, of course, but back in the day it was a treasure trove of old Ian Flemings and Donald Hamiltons (Matt Helm)---not to mention countless other books from my misspent youth, such as Don Pendleton's original Executioner series, which was an absolute blast, as well as other more worthy material such as Poe and Hemingway...

There is nothing like the smell of an old book---particularly a paperpack. I hope I live long enough to have a book I've written smell that way B-)