FLEMING, Ian Lancaster (1908-1964). Moonraker. London: Jonathan Cape, 1955, 1955.

Price: US$10144.90 + shipping

Description: [James Bond] FIRST EDITION, Binding 'A'. Brigadier Fitzroy Maclean's copy, with SIGNED notepaper and Cape book label loosely inserted. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.256. Publisher's black cloth-effect paper over boards, titled in silver, in 'flame' design dust-wrapper by Kenneth Lewis priced at 10/6 to both front and rear flaps. This version with 'shoot' correctly printed to page 10 (text state 'B'). A clean, fine copy of the book, in very good wrapper with little wear and exhibiting the inevitable age-toning to the spine, lightly worn to crown. Very good indeed, housed in a custom-made leather-spined clamshell box. A significant association. Provenance: Sir Fitzroy Maclean (1911-96), former Etonian diplomat, S.A.S. Commando, adventurer and travel writer encouraged by Peter Fleming; liaised with Ian Fleming during the Moscow spy trials in the 1930s, served in Soviet Central Asia, the Western Desert Campaign, and at Churchill's personal request, behind enemy lines with Tito's partisans in Yugoslavia. Maclean was often labelled a model for James Bond, with Ian Fleming noting that 007 was "a compound of all the secret agents and commando types that I met during the war" (Bond Bound, p.26). Maclean, Peter and Ian Fleming were reunited at literary events, each being published by Jonathan Cape. Originally sold with all Maclean's copies of the Bond novels [Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, 2008], purchased by bibliographer Jon Gilbert for his Fleming Archive, where this copy has remained since. Gilbert, A3a (1.2).

Seller: Adrian Harrington Ltd, PBFA, ABA, ILAB, Royal Tunbridge Wells, KENT, United Kingdom

Ian Fleming. Moonraker. London: Jonathan Cape, 1955.

Price: US$20000.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: Signed. First Edition. Signed by Ian Fleming on the title page without inscription. True first edition, stated "first published in 1955" on the copyright page with no further editions mentioned. Black cloth with silver titles to front and spine, still bright. Original first state dust jacket by artist Kenneth Lewis with flame design, mentions of "Live and Let Die" and "Casino Royale" on the front flap and rear panel, rear flap is blank, price shown as 10s 6d. Dust jacket tanned with heavy sunning to the spine in particular, slight rubbing to the extremities. Cover is near fine and unsplit. Foxing on the edges, pages are lightly tanned and clean. Housed in a custom slipcase, dust jacket in archival plastic sleeve.

Seller: Books From California, Simi Valley, CA, U.S.A.