Fleming, Ian

8vo, FIRST EDITION, AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION COPY FROM THE EARLY BOUND STOCK, INSCRIBED ON FRONT ENDPAPER ("To | Ralph. |We have now both | reduced our remainders | by one copy!"), together with note of explanation by recipient beneath ("I having told Ian, from the depths of my publishing experience, that he would be lucky if he made £200 out of this, his first thriller!! R.A."), original black cloth lettered in red on spine and with heart design on upper cover, some browning and spotting, head and foot of spine very slightly bumped

Gilbert A1a(1.1)
This is one of the advance/review copies sent out just before or around the time of publication to the press, Kemsley colleagues, friends and other writers, cited by Gilbert on p.19.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A RARE EARLY PRESENTATION COPY OF THE NOVEL IN WHICH 'JAMES BOND' MAKES HIS FIRST APPEARANCE, INSCRIBED BY HIS AUTHOR WITH NO APPARENT EXPECTATION OF THE WORLDWIDE SENSATION HIS CHARACTER WOULD BECOME IN THE DECADES TO COME. The recipient Ralph Arnold (1906-1970) was a novelist, historical writer and publisher who joined Constable in 1936 and was chairman from 1958 to 1962. Arnold and Fleming studied together at the Tennerhof school in Kitzbühel, Austria, and it was there that both made their first forays into story-writing. Having left Sandhurst without obtaining a commission, Fleming "was sent to 'sort himself out' at a quasi-finishing school for men in Kitzbühel … There, while skiing and climbing mountains, he came under the benevolent tutelage of Ernan Forbes Dennis, a former British spy turned educationalist, and his wife, Phyllis Bottome, an established novelist. Forbes Dennis brought out Fleming's aptitude for languages and introduced him to literature, while his wife encouraged him to write his first stories” (Oxford DNB). Despite the author's and recipient's apparent lack of confidence Casino Royale did, of course, mark the debut of one of the most celebrated fictional creations of all time.