FLEMING, Ian.. You Only Live Twice.. London Jonathan Cape March, 1964.

Price: US$18150.00 + shipping

Description: First edition, first impression, inscribed by the author; 8vo; publisher's black boards (Gilbert's Type A) blocked in silver and gilt, bamboo effect endpapers, with the dust-jacket by Richard Chopping, spine very slightly rolled but a lovely copy in the dust jacket. With the author's signed presentation inscription to the front free endpaper, 'To Jonathan from Ian'. The identity of Jonathan has eluded us but obviously Fleming's use of a first name indicates a close friend.

Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United Kingdom

FLEMING ,IAN. You Only Live Twice.. London: Jonathan Cape, 1964.

Price: US$19371.52 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: London: Jonathan Cape, 1964, 8vo, FIRST EDITION, FIRST IMPRESSION, FIRST STATE, PRESENTATION COPY inscribed by the author to Robert Harling: ("To | Robert | But not to read! | from | Ian") to front free endpaper, original black cloth, lettered in silver, Japanese characters on upper cover in gilt, wood-grain effect endpapers, Dust- Jacket, near fine condition, collector's black quarter morocco clamshell box. Robert Harling was a close friend of Fleming's following their service together in naval intelligence in the Second World War. He is known for creating the "Tea Chest" font used on 10 dust-jackets for the Bond books and possibly being the model upon which Fleming based the character of James Bond. He featured as a character in two books (as a police inspector in Thunderball and as a typographer in The Spy Who Loved Me). In You Only Live Twice, Commander Bond's obituary on pages 240-241 matches Harling's own account of his childhood, where he was orphaned as a child and raised in Kent, again showing the ample inspiration Fleming took from his friend. Fleming and Harling were friends for 25 years, attested in Harling’s personal memoir of the author, published in 2020.

Seller: Bruce Marshall Rare Books, Cheltenham, United Kingdom

FLEMING, Ian. You Only Live Twice. Jonathan Cape, 1964, 1964.

Price: US$22600.11 + shipping

Description: Octavo. Original black boards, spine lettered in silver, Japanese characters blocked in gilt to front cover, bamboo-patterned endpapers. With dust jacket. Housed in a custom dark blue quarter morocco folding box. A very good copy, minor lean to spine, edges lightly toned and foxed, but internally still attractive and with bright and clear inscription from the author, in like dust jacket, toned, edges rubbed and nicked, but still sharp. First edition, second issue, presentation copy, in the "A" binding, signed and inscribed by the author to the front free endpaper, "To Elizabeth. Get well soon! from Ian Fleming.". A fine example of Fleming's characteristic handwriting with flourish and underlines, boldly signed. This second issue of the first edition can be distinguished by the "published March" copyright page. This copy was inscribed in March 1964 by the then-ailing Fleming, who was suffering from poor health. He died from a heart attack in August 1964. The recipient of this copy was a nursemaid of the author during those final months, who was briefly unwell herself, hence the inscription. A scarce inscribed copy, this title being published only months before the author's death; another inscribed copy exists from around the same time to Lisl Jokl, Fleming's former girlfriend and one of only four people to whom he left a legacy of £500 upon his death. This copy is from the significant Ian Fleming collection of Martin Schøyen (b.1940), with his bookplate. Schøyen's private collection of manuscripts, which span all cultures and all time periods, is one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. Gilbert A12a(1.3); The Schøyen Collection No. 93.

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