Science Fiction and Mystery
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“Love of life is born of the awareness of death, of the dread of it": First Edition of The Spy Who Loved Me; Inscribed by Ian Fleming
FLEMING, Ian.
The Spy Who Loved Me.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1962.
First edition of the ninth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Peter To Cheer him up! From Ian.” Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket art by Richard Chopping. Housed in a full morocco clamshell box, the front panel mimicking the dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed by Ian Fleming.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 37032
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"One of the most groundbreaking and influential novels of all time—and one of the best": First Edition of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange; Inscribed by Him Using his real and pen name To His Physician
BURGESS, Anthony.
A Clockwork Orange.
London: Heinemann, 1962.
First edition of Burgess’ landmark novel. Octavo, original black boards, titles to spine in gilt. Association copy, inscribed by the author under his legal name and pen name on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, “To Dr McMichael—a substitute appendix from John B. Wilson “Anthony Burgess” June 1962.” The recipient, John McMichael had treated Burgess’ wife after a suicide attempt, and the author would later dedicate his 1966 novel Tremor of Intent to him. Near fine in a near fine first issue dust jacket with the wide flaps. Jacket design by Barry Trengrove. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Jacket design by Barry Trengrove. This is the first example we have seen or heard of bearing his real name; an exceptional example.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 97470
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"One of the most important crime novels of the 20th century": First Edition of The Postman Always Rings Twice; Signed by James Cain
CAIN, James M.
The Postman Always Rings Twice.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934.
First edition of one of the most important crime novels of the twentieth century, adapted as a motion picture seven times. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly Signed by James M. Cain on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing to the crown. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very nice example, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 114122
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“Dilemma of civilized man; body mobilized, but danger obscure": First Edition of Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle; Signed by Him
DICK, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1962.
First edition of Philip K. Dick’s Hugo Award-winning novel. Octavo, original cloth. Bodly signed by Philip K. Dick on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by Robert Galster. Photograph by Arthur Knight. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 99635
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FIRST EDITION OF GRAHAM GREENE'S A VISIT TO MORIN; INSCRIBED BY HIM TO IAN FLEMING AND HIS WIFE
GREENE, Graham (Ian Fleming).
A Visit To Morin.
London: Heinemann, 1959.
First edition of this short story by the award winning-author. Octavo, original green cloth. Limited to 250 copies. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to Ian Fleming and his wife, “For Ian + Anne Fleming with all good wishes for the grim season from Graham Greene Christmas 1960.” Fleming once named Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Eric Ambler and Graham Greene as his primary literary influences. Although Fleming considered the novels in his James Bond series to be classified more as spy thrillers than as literature, he aspired to create “thrillers designed to be read as literature.” Greene, himself, divided his work into two distinct categories: ‘entertainments’, or thrillers with often philosophic edges, and ‘novels’ on which he hoped his literary reputation would come to rest. The inspiration for much of Greene’s ‘entertainments’ came from his own professional experience in the British Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as M16, which he was recruited into by his sister and was posted to Sierra Leone during WWII. Fleming is known to have based his character James Bond on Greene’s fellow WWII M16 officer Wilfrid “Biffy” Dunderdale, who served as M16’s man in Paris and was later a personal friend of Fleming’s whom he described as a a man of great character with a penchant for fast cars and pretty women. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with a stray pen mark to the front panel and some smudges. A magnificent association copy between two of the greatest spy novelists of the twentieth century. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 96133
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First Edition of Philip K. Dick's Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said; Signed by Him
DICK, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, Inc, 1974.
First edition of this novel which won the John W. Campbell Award and nominations for the Hugo and Nebula. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Philip K. Dick on the front free endpaper. Fine in a fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by One Plus One Studio. An exceptional example, uncommon and desirable signed.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 101435
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Rare Autograph Letter Signed and entirely in the hand of George Orwell; sent months after he took up residence on the isle of jura where he would write his masterpiece nineteen eighty-four
ORWELL, George.
George Orwell Autograph Letter Signed.
Rare autograph letter signed and entirely in the hand of great English author George Orwell. One page, the letter reads, “Barnhill Isle of Jura Argyllshire Scotland 31.5.46 Dear Sir, I of recently received your letter dated the 22nd, as I was travelling for some days before coming here. I am afraid I cannot make any engagement to speak for you, as I intend to be at the above address until October and am not certain of my movements after that. Please forgive me. Yours truly, Geo. Orwell.” In fine condition. Double matted and framed with a portrait of Orwell. The entire piece measures 23 inches by 13.5 inches. Scarce and desirable, written only days after Orwell took up residence at Barnstable where he would compose his masterpiece, Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Price: $18,500.00 Item Number: 104068
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"I do hope you realise how much your services are appreciated everywhere in this building and not least by me": COMPLETE SET OF FIRST EDITIONS OF IAN FLEMING'S JAMES BOND NOVELS; FINELY BOUND WITH AN ORIGINAL TYPED LETTER SIGNED BY IAN FLEMING LAID IN
FLEMING, Ian.
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.
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.
Price: $18,000.00 Item Number: 103644
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"Look at everything upside down.Take absolutely nothing for granted": Complete Set of Dick Francis’ Novels, Each Signed by Him
FRANCIS, Dick.
Dick Francis Complete Set. Dead Cert, Nerve, For Kicks, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Blood Sport, Forfeit, Enquiry, Rat Race, Bonecrack, Smokescreen, Slay-Ride, Knock Down, High Stakes, In The Frame, Risk, Trial Run, Whip Hand, Reflex, Twice Shy, Banker, The Danger, Proof, Break In, Bolt, Hot Money, The Edge, Straight, Longshot, Comeback, Driving Force, Decider, Wild Horses, Come To Grief, To The Hilt, 10-lb Penalty, Field Of Thirteen, Second Wind Shattered and Under Orders.
London: Michael Joseph, 1962-2006.
First editions of each of the first forty Dick Francis’ mystery novels.Octavo, 40 Volumes. All forty volumes are signed by Francis and the first three novels: “Dead Cert”, “Nerve”, and “For Kicks” are signed with lines transcribed from them by Francis. The Set Consists of: Dead Cert, Nerve, For Kicks, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Blood Sport, Forfeit, Enquiry, Rat Race, Bonecrack, Smokescreen, Slay-Ride, Knock Down, High Stakes, In The Frame, Risk, Trial Run, Whip Hand, Reflex, Twice Shy, Banker, The Danger, Proof, Break In, Bolt, Hot Money, The Edge, Straight, Longshot, Comeback, Driving Force, Decider, Wild Horses, Come To Grief, To The Hilt, 10-lb Penalty, Field Of Thirteen, Second Wind Shattered and Under Orders. An exceptional set each title is fine in near fine to fine dust jackets.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 490
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"Fielding and Jebedee were dead, Steed-Asprey vanished. Smiley-where was he?": First Edition of A Murder of Quality First Edition; Signed by John Le Carre
LE CARRE, John.
A Murder of Quality.
London: Victor Gollancz, 1962.
First edition of the author’s second book. Octavo, original red cloth. Signed by John le Carre on the title page. In fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 119882
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"Tesser Well": First Edition of Madeleine L'Engle’s Newbery Award-Winning Novel A Wrinkle In Time; Inscribed by Her
L'ENGLE, Madeleine.
A Wrinkle In Time.
New York: Ariel Books, 1962.
First edition of L’Engle’s Newbery award-winning novel. Octavo, original half blue cloth. Inscribed by the author on the title page, “For Sam, Tesser Well Madeleine L’Engle.” Near fine in a near fine first issue dust jacket that shows some light wear and a closed tear to the front panel. Without the Newbery Award-winning seal to the front panel. Jacket design by Ellen Raskin. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very sharp example.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 757
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“SERVE ON HOT BUTTERED TOAST… WITH PINK CHAMPAGNE”: FIRST EDITION OF IAN FLEMING’S THRILLING CITIES; inscribed by him to close personal friend and neighbor Noel Coward
FLEMING, Ian.
Thrilling Cities.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963.
First edition of Fleming’s compelling travelogue. Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “Noël for your bluest pencil Love Ian.” The recipient, English playwright, director and actor Noël Coward was a close friend of Fleming’s and his neighbor in Jamaica. Coward, inspired to build his own Jamaican retreat by a visit to Goldeneye in 1948, was Fleming’s closest friend on the island and it was with his great encouragement that Fleming began writing the Bond novels that made him famous. When Fleming married Ann in 1952, Coward was one of two wedding guests and in the same year he was made godfather to their newborn son Caspar. Named for the luminous insects seen in the warm evenings, his Firefly Estate east of Oracabessa, Jamaica entertained a wide range of guests, including both the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Olivier, Sophia Loren, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Sir Alec Guinness, Peter O’Toole, and Richard Burton. Known for his likable sophistication and sharp sense of humor, Coward’s songs, plays, and films were immensely popular from the early 1920s through the 60s and 70s when they achieved renewed fame and critical acclaim with a variety of new revues celebrating his music, including Oh, Coward! on Broadway and Cowardy Custard in London. Coward won an Academy Honorary Award in 1943 for his naval film drama ‘In Which We Serve’, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1969, and received a Tony Award for lifetime achievement in 1970. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. With Coward’s bookplate to the pastedown. An exceptional association copy.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 111081
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LIMITED FIRST EDITION OF ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE: SIGNED BY IAN FLEMING, ONE OF ONLY 35 RESERVED FOR PRESENTATION
FLEMING, Ian .
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1963.
Signed limited first edition, the only Bond title issued in a limited edition, one of only 35 unnumbered copies reserved for presentation signed by Ian Fleming (from a total signed limited edition of 285), of the eleventh Bond novel. Octavo, original half vellum, top edge gilt, with color frontispiece portrait of Fleming by Amherst Villiers. Near fine in the original acetate dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 116222
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"There was only one catch...And that was Catch-22": First Edition of Catch - 22; Signed by Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut
HELLER, Joseph (Kurt Vonnegut).
Catch-22.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1961.
First edition of one of the most significant novels of the twentieth century. Octavo, original blue cloth. Boldly signed by Joseph Heller on the title page. Additionally signed by author Kurt Vonnegut on the front free endpaper, who has added a self-caricature. Like Catch-22, by Vonnegut’s friend, Joseph Heller, Slaughterhouse-Five was a World War II novel embraced by opponents of the Vietnam War, linking a so-called “good war” to the unpopular conflict of the 1960s and ’70s. In 2005, six years after Heller’s death, Vonnegut published a short poem in The New Yorker with the title ‘Joe Heller.’ The poem recalled a conversation Vonnegut and Heller shared at a party hosted by a billionaire on Shelter Island. In a few verses, Vonnegut expresses his admiration for the late Heller and his friend’s philosophy about the meaning of life. The two agree that gaining knowledge has been more substantive than gaining wealth throughout both of their lives. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing. Jacket design by Paul Bacon. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A unique example.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 99680
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“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”: Presentation Copy of The First Edition of Stephen Hawking's The Universe In A Nutshell
HAWKING, Stephen .
The Universe In A Nutshell.
London: Bantam, 2001.
First British edition of Hawking’s sequel to A Brief History of Time. Quarto, original boards, illustrated. Presentation copy, with Stephen Hawking’s thumbprints on the title page. Witnessed by K. Thurkettle, and dated 21.07.14 and inscription from Hawking in Thurkettle’s hand, “To Jimmy Bridson “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet…” Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $13,500.00 Item Number: 102988
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"And when that happened the right words would be found": First Edition of the Author’s First Book Cover Her Face; Lengthily Inscribed by P.D. James
JAMES, P.D.
Cover Her Face.
London: Faber and Faber, 1962.
First edition of the author’s first book. Octavo, original green cloth. Light shelfwear to the bottom cloth, near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Signed by the author on the title page with the added words, “And when that happened the right words would be found.” The inscription is the final line of this novel. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A superior example with a nice inscription from the author.
Price: $13,000.00 Item Number: 4325
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"And people with obsessions, reflected Bond, were blind to danger": First edition of Ian Fleming’s Moonraker; Signed by Henry Blofeld
FLEMING, Ian.
Moonraker.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1955.
First edition, first issue with “shoo” for “shoot” on page 10 of the third novel in the James Bond series and what many critics to be his finest.
Octavo, original black cloth. Signed by Henry Blofeld on front free endpaper. Blofeld is the son of Thomas Robert Calthorpe Blofeld (1903-1986) who attended Eton with Fleming and whose name is believed to be the inspiration for the supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket with the spine panel bright and with light wear to the spine extremities. Jacket design by Kenneth Lewis. A nice association.Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 107324
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“You cannot conceive, nor can I, of the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God": First Edition of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock; Inscribed by Him
GREENE, Graham.
Brighton Rock.
New York: The Viking Press, 1938.
First American edition, preceding the British edition by one month of Greene’s chilling expose of violence and gang warfare in the pre-war underworld is a classic of its kind. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “For Clive affectionately, Graham.” The recipient Clive Francis is a British actor, known for his roles in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, Inspector Clouseau and The Crown and was a friend of Greene’s. An excellent example in a very good dust jacket with rubbing and wear. Jacket design by George Salter. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. First editions signed and inscribed are scarce.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 106788
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"I had forgotten how much light there is in the world, till you gave it back to me": First Editions of Each of Book in Ursula Le Guin’s The Wizard of Earthsea Series; Each Volume Signed by Her
LE GUIN, Ursula K. [LeGuin].
The Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu and The Other Wind.
Berkeley: Parnassus, 1968-2001.
First editions, first printings of each of the five novels in Le Guin’s acclaimed Wizard of Earthsea series. Octavo, 5 volumes, original cloth. Each book is signed by Ursula K. Le Guin on the title page. The Wizard of Earthsea is the first issue with the publisher’s faint vertical smudge running through the R in “Wizard” on the title page; that continues through the round symbol and into the second U in “Ursula” below, ending at the I in “drawings”, and the dust jacket priced at $3.95. A Wizard of Earthsea with illustrations by Ruth Robbins; Tombs of Atuan and Farthest Shore with illustrations by Gail Garraty. The Tombs of Atuan is near fine in a near fine dust jacket. The Farthest Shore is near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Tehanu and The Other Wind are fine in fine dust jackets. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional set, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 84564
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First Edition of Graham Greene's The Quiet American; warmly Inscribed by Him in the year of publication
GREENE, Graham.
The Quiet American.
London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1955.
First edition of Greene’s classic novel of exploration of love, innocence, and morality in Vietnam. Octavo, original blue cloth. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “For Ann Slayton- I’m so glad Peter introduced us- from Graham Greene Jan. 26, 1955 Albany, Piccadilly, London W.1.” Near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket with light wear. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 117468
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“We're forever teetering on the brink of the unknowable, and trying to understand what can't be understood": First Edition of Isaac Asimov's The Caves of Steel; Signed by Him
ASIMOV, Isaac.
The Caves of Steel.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1954.
First edition of the first work in Asimov’s acclaimed Robot series. Octavo, original blue boards, red topstain. Signed by Isaac Asimov on the title page. Light wear to the cloth, near fine in a very good dust jacket with some rubbing and wear to the extremities. Dust jacket design by Ruth Ray. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 39015
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FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE OF THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN WITH THE RARE EMBOSSED GOLDEN GUN ON THE FRONT PANEL
FLEMING, Ian.
The Man With The Golden Gun.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965.
First edition, first state with the golden gun embossed on the front board. Octavo, original black boards, green patterned endpapers. The publisher set out to publish the embossed gun but the cost proved prohibitive to continue, so the gilt-stamping was ceased, and the remaining copies were published with plain front boards. “This issue with the golden gun on the casing is the rarest, by far, of the Bond books. There are certainly fewer than the 290-odd of the signed limited edition of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The Cape archives do not reveal how many copies were produced with the golden gun stamping. Copies tend to turn up most frequently in the extremities of the British Commonwealth, e.g., South Africa, Kenya, Australia and New Zealand” (Biondi & Pickard, 50). “Publication day would be the same throughout the British Commonwealth and stock would need to arrive in good time to meet this date. The books were sent from the UK via container ship (a ‘slow boat’) as air transport was expensive, and those nations furthest afield would be sent the earliest available copies (which, of course, meant the ‘Golden Gun’ bindings) at the first opportunity, to ensure a simultaneous publication as intended” (Gilbert, p. 418). Gilbert A13a (1.1). An excellent near fine example with the gilt bright, a small contemporary name to the front pastedown in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of rubbing. A very bright example of the rare first state binding.
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 99145
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"The invitation would commit him to nothing more crucial than seeing that she had a pleasant evening and paying the bill. And a man was surely entitled to call his own publishers": First Edition of A Mind To Murder; Lengthily Inscribed by P.D. James
JAMES, P.D.
A Mind To Murder.
London: Faber and Faber, 1963.
First edition of the author’s second book. Octavo, original green cloth. Signed by the author on the title page with a transcription from the novel as follows, “The invitation would commit him to nothing more crucial than seeing that she had a pleasant evening and paying the bill. And a man was surely entitled to call his own publishers P.D. James.” The inscription is from the final sentence of this novel. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Charles Mozley. Rare and desirable, especially with such a lengthy inscription and in this condition.
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 96896
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First Edition of Ian Fleming's Diamonds Are Forever; Signed by Sean Connery
FLEMING, Ian [Sean Connery].
Diamonds Are Forever.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1956.
First edition of the fourth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Octavo, original black cloth. Signed by Sean Connery on the front free endpaper. Connery played 007 in the film adaptation. Very good in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed by Sean Connery.
Price: $11,500.00 Item Number: 116255