[James Bond source]—H.S. Jennings | Prometheus, or Biology and the Advancement of Man, [1925], Ian Fleming's personal copy, signed by Fleming

[James Bond source]—H.S. Jennings

Prometheus, or Biology and the Advancement of Man. London: Kegan Paul, [1925]

IAN FLEMING'S PERSONAL COPY, SIGNED TO FRONT FREE ENDPAPER ("I.L. Fleming | Chelsea", his home address while boarding at Eton), 12mo, original maroon card wrappers, paper label to upper board, upper hinge starting to split, extremities slightly rubbed

Text on eugenics and human conditioning, developed largely by Sir Francis Galton, whom Fleming also read. Fleming's book collection also included Darwin, Gobineau, Pavlov, Hitler's Mein Kampf, Braid's Neurypnology [Mesmerism], Binet's Intelligence, Mendel's Heredity, Thornton's Over-Population, Davies' On Evils, and Sorel's On Violence. Eugenics was discredited as unscientific and racially biased, particularly following adoption of its doctrines by Hitler.

"Radical eugenics permeates Fleming's novels, via zealous genocidal villains bent on world-domination: see Moonraker (vengeance for The Fatherland), Goldfinger (genocide through poisoning), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (genetics, hypnosis), You Only Live Twice (assisted suicide), and The Man With The Golden Gun (brainwashing). Conditioning is also a trait in the film series: see Live and Let Die (forced heroin addiction), Moonraker (pursuit of a master race), and No Time To Die (DNA targeting)" (Gilbert).