Fleming, Ian | Signed by the first Bond

Fleming, Ian

From Russia, With Love. London: Jonathan Cape, 1957

8vo (187 x 121 mm). Stray spots to the first few leaves, one or two pages with lower corners folded. Publisher's black cloth, upper board stamped in silver and red, spine lettered in silver and red; small stray spots to edges. In the original pictorial dustjacket; very minor chips at head and tail of spine and at corners, spine panel toned, some smudging and soiling.

First edition, signed by Sean Connery on the front free endpaper. The first to play Bond on the silver screen, Connery immortalized the image of 007; the film based on this novel was his second appearance as the secret agent, following his role in Dr. No. This is the fifth James Bond book, but the first one with a dustjacket designed by Richard Chopping. The young artist and Fleming were introduced by the author's wife and the two worked closely together on the design for the dustjacket of From Russia, With Love. Chopping went on to design, under Fleming's watchful eye, the dustjackets for virtually all of the first editions of the remaining Bond books. The Daily Telegraph reviewed the book as "... one of the most outrageously entertaining thrillers ever contrived." (See lot 1090.)

One of Fleming's best works signed by the most iconic Bond

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Gilbert A5a (1.1)