007 Heaven
Below is a short guide to the publication and issue points concerning the Ian Fleming ‘James Bond’ novels. All 14 books are explained and links to copies in our stock are available by clicking on the title of any below:
Casino Royale – Published 13th of April 1953 by Jonathan Cape in London,
Book: Bound in black cloth & red lettering & heart on front board. The verso title page states “First Published 1953” (no subsequent printings stated).
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 10s.6d. The front flap has blurb with the jacket credit immediately below. There should be NO Times review on the front flap – this was overprinted on the following print run. The rear panel has pencil drawing of Ian Fleming by Bartlett with blurb about Fleming’s life below. The rear flap is blank but for title, author, Cape & price in bottom left corner.
4,728 copies were bound up, a large number of which (perhaps half in our opinion) went to public libraries.
Live and Let Die – Published 5th of May 1954 by Jonathan Cape if London
Book: Bound in black cloth & gilt lettering & gilt vignette on front board. The reverse of the title page states “First Published 1954”.
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 10s.6d. A tricky one, there are actually three states of first edition dust wrappers.
First State : No credit for jacket design for Kenneth Lewis to the front flap
Second State : 2 line credit for Lewis is positioned midway between blurb end and price
Third State : 2 line credit is positioned directly under the blurb
7,500 copies were printed of the first edition.
Moonraker – Published 7th of April 1955 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth with silver lettering. The reverse of the title page states “First Published 1955”. Issue point on page 10 – shoo vs shoot. Precedence would be for shoo. There is also a difference in text block thickness – one measuring 19mm rather than 15mm.
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 10s.6d.
The first edition print run was 9,900 copies
Diamonds Are Forever – Published 26th of March 1956 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth & silver lettering. The verso of the title page states “First Published 1956”
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 12s.6d
The 1st print run was 14,700 copies
From Russia With Love – Published 8th April 1957 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black decorated cloth. The copyright page states “First Published 1957”
Dustwrapper: Is priced at 13s.6d and has a blank rear flap with reviews for ‘Diamonds are Forever’ on the rear panel
The first print run was 15,000 copies
Dr. NO – Published 31st March 1958 by Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth with (or without) “dancing girl” figure (also known as the silhouette of Honeychile Ryder). The copies WITHOUT the silhouette are the rarer of the two. The verso title page states “First Published 1958”
Dustwrapper: Is priced at 13s.6d.
The first print run was 20,000 copies
Goldfinger – Published 23rd March 1959 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth gilt lettering , skull embossed on front board. The verso of the title page states “First Published 1959”.
Dustwrapper: Is priced at 15s
The first print run was 24,000 copies.
For Your Eyes Only – Published 11th April 1960 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth, gilt lettering , eye design on front board. The verso of the title page states “First Published 1960”.
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 15s and shows a blue eye (Bond’s eye) to the front panel – Richard Chopping’s only artwork with Bond present.
The first print run was 21,712 copies.
Thunderball – Published 27th March 1961 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth, gilt lettering with skeletal hand on front board. The verso title page states “First Published 1961”
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 15s
The first print run was 50,938 copies
The Spy Who Loved Me – Published 16th April 1962 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth, silver lettering , with a dagger on the front board. Verso title page states “First Published 1962”. There are copies with a ‘quad’ mark
between the E & M of Fleming on the title page. This mark does not appear on the proof sheets and was just a spacer that worked loose during the print run. Copies with the quad mark are very much scarcer (about 1 in 12 (Gilbert 2012) and consequently fetch a premium.
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 15s.
The first print run was 30,000 copies.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Published 1st April 1963 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth, silver lettering, ski-track design on front board
Verso title page states “First Published 1963”.
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 16s
The first print run was 45,000 copies
A signed limited edition of this title 250 numbered copies was published synchronously with the trade edition. There were approx 43 unnumbered copies also. 10 of these were given to Ian Fleming the rest intended as presentation copies.
The first print run was 45,000 copies
You Only Live Twice – Published 16th March 1964 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth, silver lettering, Japanese lettering on front board. Verso title page states “First Published 1964”. Copies with “First Published March 1964” are second state.
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 16s
The first print run was 56,000 copies
The Man With The Golden Gun – Published 1st April 1965 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth, gilt lettering. Verso title page states “First Published 1965”. First ‘state’ book appear with a gun in gilt to the front board. The cost of this procedure forced Cape to drop this and many were exported to Australia and South Africa.
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 18s.
The first print run was 82,000 copies
Octopussy and the Living Daylights – Published 23rd June 1966 by Jonathan Cape in London
Book: Bound in black cloth, gilt lettering. Verso title page states “First Published 1966”. This title was repriced in order to clear remaining copies.
Dust wrapper: Is priced at 10s.6d
The first print run was 50,000 copies.
