first edition
1956 · London
by Fleming, Ian
London: Jonathan Cape, 1956. First edition. Very good plus in near-fine jacket.. First impression of the 4th James Bond book, in which the spy must infiltrate a smuggling ring in the black market diamond trade. Well-connected Fleming made use of friends in both the diamond trade and the International Diamond Security Organization to research this book. The jacket design depicts Bond's love interest and a major player in the book, Tiffany Case; designer Pat Marriott would follow a similar formula in depicting the love interest, Honeychile Rider, on the jacket of DR. NO. This early Bond novel also contains the first mention of the name "Spectre," which would morph in later books into the organization of the spy's great nemesis, Ernst Blofeld. 7.25'' x 4.75''. Original black textured cloth blind-stamped in harlequin pattern with silver-stamped diamond vignette in center of front board, silver-lettered spine. In original unclipped (12s. 6d. net) pictorial dust jacket designed by Pat Marriott. 257, [1] pages. Housed in custom quarter black goatskin clamshell box. A couple small spots of rubbing to boards, faint foxing to fore-edge with a sliver of dampstain to fore-edge of front endpaper. Jacket with shallow rubbing at spine extremities, light crinkling near corners, overall exceptionally bright.
(Inventory #: 39932)