James Bond: A Collection of Books and Manuscripts, The Property of a Gentleman

James Bond: A Collection of Books and Manuscripts, The Property of a Gentleman

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 1. [FLEMING]--KEMSLEY NEWSPAPERS | Reference Book, 1948, the author's first book.

[FLEMING]--KEMSLEY NEWSPAPERS | Reference Book, 1948, the author's first book

Lot Closed

November 11, 03:02 PM GMT

Estimate

1,000 - 1,500 GBP

Lot Details

Description

[IAN FLEMING]--KEMSLEY NEWSPAPERS

KEMSLEY NEWSPAPERS: REFERENCE BOOK. LONDON: KEMSLEY HOUSE, [1948]


126 by 76mm. (size of leaves), 56 leaves, FIRST EDITION, THE AUTHOR’S FIRST BOOK, leaves ring bound within original black binder, black card free endpapers


A FINE COPY OF IAN FLEMING’S RARE FIRST BOOK

A handbook for journalists devised by Fleming. This rarity first came to light when Fleming’s substantial collection was transferred to the Lilly Library by Librarian David Randall. Randall stated that in the Lilly Library copy, pages 11-20 were blank but marked “In Course of Preparation”, however other copies, such as the present one, contain a printed list of Kemsley Group employees.


This text largely consists of instructions to members of the Kemsley Foreign Department, a procedural manual with several signs of the Fleming touch: “13. DYNAMITE. A ‘dynamite’ is a story, or an instruction, of sudden and supreme importance. If a ‘dynamite’ story happens in your area, flash Mercury in a dozen words, no matter what the hour. Drop everything else, forget the Agencies (our papers will want their ‘own man’) and file your story at once. For a big enough story which breaks at night, printers can be recalled for a special edition. But the story must be BIG.”


The confidential nature of the booklet and the fact that it was meant to be surrendered after use probably led to its extreme rarity. The Lilly copy appears to have been undated, but this copy is dated on page 39 “(January 1948)”.


LITERATURE:

Gilbert C20