Ian Fleming First Edition Advice

The Bond Vivant

My brother has mention that he has started collecting First Editions of the Bond novels, and I was thinking of buying him one for Christmas, but I am sbsolutely clueless in this area, so any advice on where to look, what the pitfalls can be, and how much I should be looking to spend, would be greatly and graciously appreciated.

Much obliged,

MB

welshboy78

Im no expert at all (hence why I bought the First Library Editions)

However many have replica / non original covers (common on eBay) and of course the earlier impressions / printings are more valuable

The later ones can be had for a good price and easier to find in very good condition (Octopussy etc)

The Domino Effect

Adrian Harrington Rare Books (harringtonbooks.co.uk) is a rock solid place to start. Jon Gilbert - who write the recent Ian Fleming bibliography - works there and is one of the world's leading authorities on the Bond books. They handle the finest editions on the market and their knowledge is second to none. It is quite possible that you could obtain volumes at lower prices elsewhere, but then you run the risk of an item not being genuine or the condition not being as described. Still, it's a great place to start!

texas007

you can pay retail from Adrian Harrington Rare Books or buy directly from members here - just tell us what you want

I can beat their prices easily.

The Bond Vivant

Thanks, gentlemen! My bro bought OHMSS as his first, first edition. I was thinking of either Goldfinger or Thunderball for my present.

Skippy

MB if I'm right in thinking your in the UK and no stranger to central London, these guys are round the corner from NPeal:

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com/cms/pages/lots/36197?auction-id=3193&lots.%7Ersp.p=4&lots.%7Ersp.np=%3E&currency=&lots.%7Ersp.l=20&lots.%7Ersp.cl=20&lots.%7Ersp.ss=date%2Ca&lots.%7Ersp.css=number%2Ca

Lots 92-94 is what you need to look at and those books are on auction on 10/12/2015. Unfortunately not many Bond books on for in that auction, but I got my first editions from there. You can bid online, telephone or old school in person, like I did, which adds to the fun

The thing about bidding in person at auction is, you can handle and examine the books and invariably the only people you are bidding against in the room are book dealers, who have profit margins to think about. So yes, you have to have deeper pockets than them, but then buying the book at auction is going to end up cheaper than going to said book dealer later and paying their asking price.

Good luck!

The Bond Vivant

Cheers, mate! -{