The name’s Bond

James Bond books by Ian Fleming, 1953–1966

Ian Fleming’s famous spy novels are one of the cornerstones of any good book auction, and they often come up for sale. They range hugely in price, depending on rarity and condition, for example a group of four first- edition James Bond novels in reasonable but not top condition – From Russia With Love (1957), Thunderball (1961), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963) and Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966) – came up for sale at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury in November 2016, and fetched £558. By contrast, a rare copy of Casino Royale (1953), Fleming’s first Bond novel, from the first issue of the first edition and without the subsequent Times review on the dust jacket, sold for £17,500 at Sotheby’s against an estimate of £7,000 to £9,000. James Bond is hot stu and a proven investment at auction.