Sold-f inger! Bond’s £40k ‘golf’ book
A FIRST edition of Ian Fleming’s 007 novel Goldfinger, inscribed by the author to the legendary golfer Sir Henry Cotton, could fetch £40,000 at auction this week.
The book features a golf match between James Bond, played by Sean Connery, and Auric Goldfinger in which the secret agent wins $10,000 from the villain after both characters use underhand tactics.
Fleming, who described the grudge match over 21 pages in his novel, presented the inscribed copy to his friend, the three-time Open champion Sir Henry, a fellow member at the Royal St George’s golf club in Kent. Inside the hardback, he wrote: ‘To Henry Cotton, Who may be amused by pp.92-113, from Ian Fleming.’
The book, in ‘excellent’ condition, will be sold at auctioneer Lyon & Turnbull’s Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs sale on Wednesday in Edinburgh.
Valued at £30,000-£40,000, it is expected to attract bids from Bond collectors and golf enthusiasts.
Cathy Marsden, Lyon & Turnbull’s assistant head of rare books, manuscripts and photos, said: ‘Fleming’s Goldfinger was first published in 1959, and centres on James Bond’s investigation into Auric Goldfinger’s gold smuggling. Pages 92-113 concentrate on a contest between Bond and Goldfinger, who dislike each other intensely.
‘Goldfinger attempts to claim victory by cheating, through switching balls, but Bond, of course, wins. This scene reflects Ian Fleming’s own passion for golf. Bond enters the match with a handicap of nine, the same as the author’s.’
She said Sir Henry and Fleming formed a friendship while members of the Royal St George’s club, adding the book is ‘a unique opportunity to own a piece of both James Bond and British golfing history’.
Goldfinger was the seventh 007 novel and was written at Fleming’s Goldeneye estate in Jamaica.