Literature - 37 - Bauman Rare Books “He Must Play The Role… The Man Who Was Only A Silhouette”: First Edition Of Moonraker 32. FLEMING, Ian. Moonraker. London, 1955. Octavo, original black paper boards, dust jacket, custom half morocco clamshell box. $9200. Scarce first edition, second issue, of Fleming’s third novel, in which Bond must foil the attempt of a British industrialist to destroy London with a nuclear weapon. Considered by many to be one of the best of the Bond books, Moonraker afforded Fleming “an opportunity to wax lyrical about the England he loved—the ‘panorama full of color and excitement and romance… [Fleming also] skillfully reintroduced notes of ambiguity and realism into the life of his globe-trotting hero… Noël Coward read Moonraker in proof in Jamaica and pronounced, ‘It is the best thing he has done yet, very exciting… His observation is extraordinary and his talent for description vivid” (Lycett, 253-54, 269). Made into the 1979 film of the same title with Roger Moore as Bond and Lois Chiles as Dr. Holly Goodhead. The early Bond novels are quite scarce. Second issue, with “shoot” instead of “shoo” on page 10, penultimate line, and all other textual points called for in Gilbert A3a(1.2); sheets bulk at 19mm. Biondi & Pickard, 41-42. Book near-fine, with faint offsetting to endpapers, tiny bump to boards at fore-edge. Dust jacket with toning to spine (as often), front panel bright. A very attractive copy of an increasingly scarce early Bond title. “Death Is Forever. But So Are Diamonds” 33. FLEMING, Ian. Diamonds Are Forever. London, 1956. Octavo, original black paper boards, dust jacket. $8500. First edition of Fleming’s fourth James Bond thriller, a fast-paced, globe-spanning race through the deadly world of diamond smuggling, in a very nice unrestored original dust jacket. “In the 1950s, the mystique of America as a land of wealth and excitement held great sway in a Britain still in the grips of austerity” (Black, 25), and this mystique influenced Fleming’s fourth Bond thriller, in which the super-spy visits the States to battle diamond-smuggling gangsters. Made into the 1971 film of the same title starring Sean Connery as Bond and Jill St. John as Tiffany Case. With all first-issue points as called for in Gilbert, including “His friends call him ‘Boofy’” for “His friends call him ‘Dolly’” on page 134. This change marked the only time when Fleming’s “little habit of amusing himself by bestowing the names of friends or relatives on characters in his novels” offended the recipient of the author’s winking tribute. The columnist Lord Arran, aka Arthur “Boofy” Gore, was deeply offended when Fleming attached his nickname to one of the killers in the book. “This was the only occasion when Fleming is known to have apologized and changed the name of one of his characters in subsequent editions… Fleming revised the name after the proof stage, and the villain is named ‘Kidd’ instead of ‘Gore.’ There was one mention of ‘Boofy,’ however, in the published edition, which was swiftly changed to ‘Dolly’ for the second impression” (Pearson, 280). Gilbert A4a(1.1). Book fine, with a bit of foxing to text block edge only; unrestored dust jacket with shallow wear to corners, front panel quite bright. A near-fine copy.
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