Complete Set of 14 First Edition James Bond Novels: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, From Russia with Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only [Short Stories including A View to a Kill and Quantum of Solace], Thunderball, The Spy Who loved Me, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy and The Living Daylights.

FLEMING, Ian.

Item Number: 103644

London: Jonathan Cape, 1953-66.

First editions of each volume in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Octavo, 14 volumes, bound in three quarters morocco, gilt titles to spines, raise bands, original cloth covers and spine preserved at rear of each novel. In fine condition. Accompanied by an original typed letter signed by Ian Fleming on Kemsley House letterhead and addressed to Antony Terry, M.C. of Kemsley Newspapers which reads, “21st July 1955 ‘My dear Terry,’ I must thank you for the staunch way in which you are feeding me with Atticus paragraphs, which are all either on the nail or very close to it. They are quite excellent and no other correspondent is nearly so fruitful. Once again, when you are called upon for help, you have given it in fuller measure than was asked for and produced your usual high quality journalism. I must say, looking back on your years of service for Mercury, I can think of no correspondent with anything approaching your record, and I do hope you realise how much your services are appreciated everywhere in this building and not least by me. ‘Yours well, Ian F.'” The recipient, Anthony Terry was a British journalist and former European Editor of The Sunday Times. Fleming hired him in 1949 to work as a journalist for Kemsley Newspapers of which he was at the time the Foreign manager. Terry’s obituary in The Independent stated that he was “one of the paper’s most valuable assets, a one-man listening post, a fastidious checker of facts, a burrower into dark corners and a traveller who never complained of fatigue”. The letter is in near fine condition. A very nice collection.

British Secret Service agent James Bond, often referred to by his code name 007, first appeared in 1953 with the debut of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, the first of twelve novels composing the series. Fleming completed a new novel annually at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica, two of which were published posthumously in 1964. James Bond has been portrayed on film by actors Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, in twenty-six productions.