Fleming, Ian

Live and Let Die. London: Cape, 1954.



8vo (7 1/2 x 5 in; 190 x 125 mm). Publisher's gilt-stamped black cloth in yellow-lettered purple dust-jacket; rear panel a little faded, some light creasing and a few short closed tears along top edge, rubbing at tips of spine panel. First edition.

Raymond Chandler (La Jolla address ownership stamp in each).

[AND] Casino Royale. London: Cape, 1953. 8vo (7 1/2 x 5 in; 190 x 125 mm). Publisher's red-stamped black cloth in heart-motif pictorial dust-jacket designed by Fleming; rear panel a faded, two chips above author portrait on rear panel, jacket spine ends creased, intermittent short closed edge tears and chip at lower right corner of front panel. Second printing.

Chandler's copies of the first two Bond adventures and his personal favorites of his friend's novels, a wonderful association between two masters of their genres.

Ian Fleming and Raymond Chandler began a friendship in 1955, during a dinner at Stephen Spender's, and it lasted the remaining four years of Chandler's life. He inscribed a copy of his final novel, Playback for Fleming and  received a warmly inscribed copies of Moonraker and Goldfinger from the Bond creator .

But their relationhip had perhaps the most profound effect on Fleming and his literary career. By the time the two men meet, Fleming was finished with Bond, having " ... convinced himself that he had gone as far as with writing about James Bond as he ever would or could"  (Pearson, pp. 232-233).

While Chandler praised Casino Royale during the dinner at Spender's, he mentioned not having read the second Bond, which Fleming duly had sent over to the flat Chandler was staying at while in London.

Chandler was duly impressed,  praising Live and Let Die to Cape, calling Fleming, "probably the most forceful and driving writer of what I suppose still must be called thrillers in England" (Lycett, pg. 270). More importantly he encouraged Fleming directly over a number of meetings, encouraging him to not abandon Bond, but give him greater depth.

This attention "... had an electric effect on the attitude of Fleming to his writing and his hero ... Chandler's approval seems to have made Fleming quickly decide that his next book, instead of finishing Bond for good, would go to the opposite extreme. It would be different from any other book he had written, it would have more depth and seriousness. Bond would become a 'rounded character' like Chandler's hero Philip Marlowe" (Pearson, pp. 237-238).

The present lot are the novels that introduced Chandler to Bond and remained his favorites of the series. On the rear flap of his copy of From Russia With Love (also in this sale) he gives both highest marks, writing "A +" next to each.