The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming, First Edition in Original Dust Jacket, 1962

Fleming, Ian. The Spy Who Loved Me. London: Jonathan Cape, 1962. First edition, first printing. Octavo. Presented in the publisher's original dust jacket and original black cloth boards, blind and silver embossed. With a new archival quarter leather and cloth clamshell archival case. 

Presented is a first edition printing of Ian Fleming’s tenth James Bond thriller, The Spy Who Loved Me, in the publisher’s original dust jacket and boards. The book was published in London by Jonathan Cape in 1962.

The Spy Who Loved Me is a clear departure from previous Bond novels by Ian Fleming, in that the novel is told in the first-person by a young woman named Vivienne Michel. James Bond himself actually doesn't appear until two-thirds of the way through the book and the novel itself breaks up Fleming's "Blofeld Trilogy" of books. Although the title page lists the book as being written by Ian Fleming with Vivienne Michel, the "coauthorship credit is a hoax: Vivienne Michel was the name of the wife of one of Fleming's golfing companions in Jamaica" (Biondi & Pickard, 47). 

Fleming "had become alarmed that his earlier thrillers, designed for an adult audience, were increasingly read in schools… where young people made a hero out of James Bond… He did not regard Bond as a heroic figure 'but only as an efficient professional in his job.' Therefore he had sought to write a cautionary tale to put the record straight, particularly for his younger readers. Unable to do this in his usual narrative style, he had invented a heroine 'through whom I could examine Bond from the other end of the gun barrel, so to speak'" (Lycett, 401-402).

Ian Fleming (1908–1964) was an intelligence officer, journalist, and creator of the fictional British Secret service agent James Bond. Beginning in 1939, he served as a liaison between the Navy and the other secret services, where he was privy to the highest levels of intelligence and became known for his creativity in planning operations, work that inspired his later novels.

After the war, Fleming became a journalist and in 1953 published his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. It was a success, and Fleming wrote a new book each year until his untimely death in 1964.

CONDITION:

Book is in very good condition. Octavo. Original publisher's black cloth boards, decorated in a dagger blind stamp and silver to upper cover and spine lettering. Internally clean and healthy pages, with publisher and title page intact. 

With the original dust jacket, as designed by Richard Chopping. Jacket has very light sunning to upper cover, light toning to the spine, creasing and very minor chipping to spine tips and corners, but overall in excellent condition.  Wrapped in new archival Mylar to protect the jacket. 

Book is housed in a matching quarter red leather and tan cloth clamshell case, with raised bands, gilt titles and tooling to the spine. The clamshell has an image of  “The Spy Who Loves Me" dust jacket inlaid on the front and Ian Fleming’s facsimile signature embossed into its interior lining. 

Book Dimensions: 7 3/4 " H x 5 1/4" W x 1 1/8" D.

With Clamshell: 9" H x 6 3/8" W x 1 7/8" D.