Goldfinger by FLEMING, Ian Lancaster, (1908-1964)

London: Foyle [The Book Club], [1960]. [Spy thriller] FOYLES BOOK CLUB EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14 x 26cm). Publisher's pale yellow hardcovers in illustrated dust-wrapper. Ink ownership to flyleaf. Very good in jacket with sizeable chips to spine ends. The first UK book club edition, which followed a year after the Cape printing. Gilbert, Jon. Ian Fleming: The Bibliography, A7a (11).

London: Pan Books, 1959. The FIRST Pan paperback edition. 'Great Pan' series G455. Octavo (16 x 10cm), pp.223; [1], advertisement. Publisher's illustrated softcovers priced at 2s 6d. Pages tanned as usual, covers with a few marks and soft creases, rubbed to joints with small surface chip to corner, front cover with some soft creasing. No ink names or owner markings. Very good. Gilbert A7a (18).

London: Pan Books, 1959. [James Bond] The FIRST Pan paperback edition. 'Great Pan' series G455. Octavo (16 x 10cm), pp.223; [1], advertisement. Publisher's illustrated softcovers priced at 2s 6d. Pages gently tanned, covers are clean and bright with very light rubbing to joint. Near fine. Gilbert A7a (18).

London: Queen Anne Press, in association with Adrian Harrington, [2022]. [Spy thriller] CLASSIC READERS EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.336. Publisher's graphite hardcovers stamped in gilt, decorated with author's initials in gilt to cover, plain black endpapers. Absolutely fine/as new. One of a selection of titles by Ian Fleming, uniformly cased in harlequin colours, comprising sheets from the Ian Fleming Centenary Edition in an elegant new hardback binding for 2022. The longest and most exhuberant Bond adventure, Goldfinger was written when Fleming was at the top of his game.

New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Co. [Book Club], no date [circa 1970]. [James Bond] US BOOK CLUB EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.x; 214. Publisher's grey paper-covered boards with blue titles to spine. With the pictorial blue dust-jacket. Whole lower edge of book tinted purple (other copies are similarly noted so this was the publisher's practice, in error). A gently used copy, jacket with a few small chips and tears. Shows well. Somewhat rarer than the uniform Book Club Edition of 1965. Gilbert A7b (4).

London: Jonathan Cape, 1963. [Espionage novel] Vintage hardcover. Octavo (18x 12cm), pp.318. 'Askew' style library binding with glazed boards. Fifth printing. Ex-library copy with expected institutional markings, remnants of library card pocket to pastedown, tear to joint at crown. The majority of Cape's James Bond hardcover reprints were taken into the lending library system to replace existing well-worn stock. These glazed bindings are uncommon. Gilbert A7a (5).

UK: Heron Books, Printed in Geneva, 1981. [Spy novel] FIRST ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Octavo (20 x 12cm), pp.[x] 318. With a frontispiece portrait of the author by Sheilagh Noble. Publisher's burgundy faux-leather vinyl over boards, tooled in gilt, ribbon marker, brown endpapers, embroidered head and tail bands. No jacket was issued. A few spots to edges, gilt to spine a little rubbed (as inevitably found), publisher's 'reject' sticker to pastedown. Very good indeed. A 'deluxe hardcover' gift edition with a full-page plate, being the first British illustrated book-form edition of 'Goldfinger'. From the comprehensive Ian Fleming bibliographical archive assembled by Jon Gilbert, with his pencilled notes and ownership. Virtually all copies we have handled have issues with the gilt blocking, this likely being the reason for the publisher's quality control label being applied. Gilbert A7a (12).

London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. [Espionage novel] Vintage hardcover. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.318. Askew branded library binding with glazed boards. Sixth printing. Binders' label to rear states 'Lancastria binding by Askew of Preston in ICI Melinex'. Ex-library copy with expected institutional markings, declassification stamp, remnants of library card pocket to rear pastedown shelf label to spine. The majority of Cape's James Bond hardcover reprints were taken into the lending library system to replace existing well-worn stock. These glazed bindings are uncommon. Gilbert A7a (6).

London: Jonathan Cape, 1978. [Espionage novel] Vintage hardcover reprint. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.318. A clean ex-library copy. Publisher's cloth binding, illustrated dust-jacket priced £3.95. Ninth printing. Covers are fresh, contents toned, ink stamps to margin of p.5 (none elsewhere), library declassification mark to f.e.p., bookplate of Fleming bibliographer Jon Gilbert to same. Jacket virtually as new, having been kept in a protective sleeve. Gilbert A7a (9).

Garden City, New York: International Collectors Library, n.d. [1980s]. [Spy novel] INTERNATIONAL COLLECTORS LIBRARY EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.223; [5], blank. Publisher's 'antique-style' leather-effect vinyl over boards, raised bands to spine, tooled in gilt, green eps., yellow embroidered head and tail bands, fore-edge untrimmed. Very light rubbing to extremities. Fine. An inexpensive gift edition, likely obtained via subscription. Now rather scarce. From the comprehensive Ian Fleming bibliographical archive assembled by Jon Gilbert, with his pencilled ownership. Gilbert A7b (5).