'The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning.' So begins Ian Fleming's first novel about the world’s most famous spy: 007. Bond - James Bond. 'Casino Royale' was first published in 1953. Under 5,000 'true first editions' of the novel were printed and many went to libraries, which leaving them in generally poor condition today. These true first editions are those from the first print run (impression) of the first published hardback edition of the book. A first edition may then have subsequent impressions, which are often changed in some way, with errors being corrected, etc.
An exception to this rule is Fleming's fifth Bond novel, From Russia, With Love. 15,000 copies of the first edition were printed, owever, the very first batch of printed pages were sent to a book club due to their pour quality, this effective second printing – marked Cape – is considered the true first edition. 'From Russia, With Love' is widely considered Fleming's best book and the best film and, as such, it attracts a large number of fans wishing to own a first edition of the novel. Such an edition might be worth £5,000-6,000
Ian Fleming is a consistently popular author with collectors. Other Bond authors, such as John Gardner who revived the Bond series in 1981, are also popular. 'License to Kill', signed by John Gardner, could be worth as much as £650-750.
Condition is important to collectors: dust jackets should be clean, un-faded and undamaged and value can fall by over fifty percent without them. Check that the book is complete, and has not been damaged or written in – except by the author, of course. A copy signed by Fleming, especially one dedicated to a close friend or colleague, will be especially desirable.
