Literature & Children's Specialist Selections

James Joyce

The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=James+Joyce&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Joyce</a>'s first fiction, Dubliners.<ul><li>James Joyce (Irish).</li><li>London: Grant Richards Ltd, [1914].</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>278 pages.</li><li>One of 746 bound for Richards (1250 copies printed).</li><li>Original dark red cloth, gilt stamped lettering on the spine and front cover.</li></ul> The rocky publishing history of Dubliners is well documented: finished in 1905, it was rejected by 15 publishers before Grant Richards accepted it. Richards' printers refused to set some of the type – inaugurating Joyce's lifelong struggle with censorship – and Joyce refused most of Richards' changes. It was then taken up by Maunsel &amp; Roberts of Dublin, who eventually came to a similar conclusion. Maunsel even burned all but one of the copies of the sheets, which Joyce managed to wheedle out of him, and it was given back to Richards, who set the type from the lone Maunsel sheet saved from the flames. Joyce subsequently added "A Little Cloud" and "The Dead" – possibly his most famous single story – to the collection.

Dubliners | First Edition

J.K. Rowling

The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first impression, hardback issue of the first <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry+Potter&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> book; the rarest and most desirable format of the series by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=J.K.+Rowling&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling</a>.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 1997.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Original matt laminated printed paper boards, spine and front cover lettered in white, yellow, dark green and black, without dust jacket, as issued, housed in a red quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery.&nbsp;</li></ul> All the required points of the first printing are present: Bloomsbury imprint, 10-down-to-1 number line, no space between “Thomas” and “Taylor” on p. 4, the list of equipment on p. 53 with “1 wand” appearing twice, and the misprint “Philospher’s” on the rear cover. Both paperback and hardback issues of the first impression were published on 26 June 1997. Only 500 copies of the first printing of Philosopher’s Stone were issued in hardback, of which it is thought around 300 were sold to libraries and schools. The publisher has stated “I think the assumption in 1997 would have been that you would sell 500 hardcovers of any good book to public libraries so that edition would be aimed at them. The general edition for the market would be a paperback” (Errington, p. 4). Identifying libraries as the intended buyers of this issue explains the lack of a dust jacket (Errington states a jacket “was simply not required by libraries”). The small number of copies not accessioned by libraries explains the scarcity of this issue, and why copies in collectible condition are rare. This copy, bearing a price sticker from W. H. Smith on the rear cover, identifies it as one of a small number sold on the high street.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | First Edition, First Impression

Andy Warhol

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of From A to B and Back Again: The Philosophy of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Andy+Warhol&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andy Warhol</a>.<ul><li>Andy Warhol (American).</li><li>London: Cassell, 1975.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>241 pages.</li><li>Presentation copy, signed by author ‘To Ian / Dog / Andy Warhol, London 1975’. </li><li>With an original drawing of dog’s head on the half-title.</li><li>Publisher’s cloth, dust-jacket.</li></ul> With a very rare inscription in that Warhol has drawn a dog’s head, and not the familiar soup.

From A to B And Back Again: The Philosophy of Andy Warhol | Signed First Edition

Oscar Wilde

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=A+Woman+of+No+Importance&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Woman of No Importance</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Oscar+Wilde&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oscar Wilde</a>.<ul><li>Oscar Wilde (Irish).</li><li>London: John Lane, 1894.</li><li>Quarto.</li><li>One of 50 large paper copies, printed on hand-made paper.</li><li>Publisher’s straw colored buckram with gilt decorations by Charles Ricketts, gilt lettering to spine, housed in custom purple cloth chemise and matching quarter morocco slipcase.</li></ul> One of only 50 large paper copies. This play contains some of Wilde's most famous epigrams. First performed in April 1893, prior to being published in book form, A Woman of No Importance addresses many social issues with Wilde’s wit and dark humor. The run of the play was cut short as a result of Wilde’s arrest and prosecution. The scandal dampened enthusiasm for Wilde’s work until after his death in 1900, when interest in his work began to revive.

A Woman of No Importance First Edition

Gabriel García Márquez

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> limited <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing in English of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Garc%C3%ADa%20Marquez&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">García Marquez</a>'s ode to the persistence of romantic memory.<ul><li>Gabriel García Márquez (Colombian).</li><li>Translated by Edith Grossman.</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Alfred A. Knopf,&nbsp;1988.</li><li>[10], 348, [4] pages.</li><li>Signed by García Márquez at colophon and numbered 107 of 350 signed and numbered copies of the first edition.</li><li>Original quarter pink cloth with black cloth boards, gilt-stamped spine, in original decorative black lace-printed mylar protective jacket, with original yellow and black slipcase, bright pink endpapers, fore-edge machine deckle.</li></ul> There is no greater glory than to die for love." "It would be presumptuous to speak of moving 'beyond' One Hundred Years of Solitude but clearly García Márquez has moved somewhere else, not least into deeper awareness of the ways in which, as Florentino comes to learn, 'nobody teaches life anything.'" — Thomas Pynchon Gorgeously designed edition of the author's acclaimed novel, first published in Spanish in 1985. The English translation was praised by Thomas Pynchon to the utmost reaches of superlative adjectives, and was the recipient of less frenzied but still glowing compliments from Michiko Kakutani. García Márquez's theme – romantic love that never fades, vows never broken; or, seen another way, the nightmare impossibility of permanently dismissing a determined suitor – struck Pynchon as "revolutionary," though his judgment that working in "love's vernacular" is a "daring step for any writer" may raise eyebrows among those familiar with genres and modes of writing in which these themes and treatments have never fallen out of fashion. García Márquez himself once said, with perhaps greater perception, that the revolutionary part of writing consists simply of doing it well: and he did. A beautiful copy of this signed limited US edition, which preceded the UK edition by several months.

Love in the Time of Cholera Signed Limited First Edition

Charles Dickens

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first issue of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Charles%20Dickens&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charles Dickens</a> classic, <a href="sothebys.com/en/search?query=A%20Christmas%20Carol&amp;tab=objects" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Christmas Carol</a>.<ul><li>Charles Dickens (English).</li><li>A Christmas Carol In Prose Being A Ghost Story of Christmas.</li><li>London: Chapman and Hall, 1843.</li><li>Illustrated with 4 hand colored engraved plates by John Leech and 4 black and white illustrations by W.J. Linton.&nbsp;</li><li>Chapter heading reading "Stave I."</li><li>Bound in the publisher's original gilt and blind stamped mauve cloth, back corners square, front cover has a perfect 'D' in 'Dickens', green pastedowns and endpapers, all edges gilt.</li></ul> Regarded as Dicken's most widely read novel and considered to be "the greatest Christmas book ever written in any language."

A Christmas Carol First Edition First Issue

Theodor Seuss Geisel

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first issue of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Dr.+Seuss&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr. Seuss</a>'s <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=The+Cat+in+the+Hat&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Cat in the Hat</a>.<ul><li>Dr. Seuss (American).</li><li>New York: Random House, 1957.</li><li>Quarto.</li><li>62 pages.</li><li>Illustrated throughout.</li><li>Bound in publisher’s pictorial blue boards, in illustrated unclipped dust-jacket repeating the cover design.</li></ul> Two siblings caught between the demands of a sensible goldfish, and an irresponsible giant cat.

The Cat in the Hat First Edition

Ian Fleming

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> book Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming, which has been <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> by the author.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1953.</li><li>Inscribed to Lisl Popper.</li></ul> Inscribed to the front endpaper by the Author - ‘To Lisl/Despite whose loving/care this book was/written/X/Ian.' Ian Fleming first met Lisl Popper (then Lisa Jokl) at age nineteen during the "golden time" at Kitzbuhel in Austria in 1926. She was eight years older than Fleming, and worked a local cafe. Described as a "plain-looking Jewish girl", she and her friends first spotted young Fleming when he walked into their cafe and ordered coffee. As was usual for Fleming, he sat and read a book by himself. Lisl recalled his appearance "with sleepy blue eyes and a romantic face" - but his good looks were not the only factor attracting the girls. He wore a navy blue knitted shirt of a kind which had never been seen in Kutzbhel before. Fleming soon became acquainted with Lisl and her friends at the cafe and her simple outdoor lifestyle appealed to Fleming immensely - skiing in winter, and swimming and tennis in the summer. Another physical activity - sex - kept Fleming and Lisl very active as lovers, and some years later he commented that despite the air of sexual liberation, he did show some reservation about the manner in which Austrian girls threw themselves at his young English body. Lisl and Fleming became lifelong friends, and in 1960, Fleming signed a copy of his latest James Bond installment For Your Eyes Only (a collection of five short stories) to Lisl with the personal inscription "noch ein paar Eier fr Ostern!" ("yet another pair of eggs for Easter"). It is perhaps no coincidence that the female character in the fifth short story in the collection is named Lisl Baum. Upon Fleming's death in 1964, he left Lisl £500 in his will. Lisl later said that "all the things said about Ian -- his gloom, his melancholy, his solitariness -- frankly amaze. To all of us who knew him in Kitzbuhel he was exactly the opposite -- gay, care-free, terribly happy, the most exciting and vital sort of person. Not like an Englishman at all." Lisl Popper makes a brief appearance in archive footage used in the documentary "Ian Fleming - 007's Creator" on "The Living Daylights" Special Edition DVD. This is perhaps the most important signed copy of the first installment of the James Bond series ever to come on to the market. The book had been in a private family collection until 1992, then to a prominent collector and on to another collector.

James Bond Casino Royale Inscribed First Edition

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> book You Only Live Twice, by Ian Fleming, which has been <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> by the author.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1964.</li><li>Signed and inscribed to Aubrey Forshaw.</li><li>With presentation note in blue ink to flyleaf; 'To / Forshaw-san / from / Fleming-san [underline].'</li><li>Publisher’s black cloth-effect paper over boards with silver titles to spine and Japanese characters in gilt to upper, bamboo patterned endpapers, in original pictorial dust-wrapper by Richard Chopping.</li></ul> This is the first issue with ‘First published 1964’ to the copyright page. This copy was presented by Ian Fleming to Aubrey Forshaw. The inscription incorporates the traditional Japanese honorary title ‘san’, used to show respect to the person being mentioned. In the novel, Tiger Tanaka, the head of the Japanese Secret Service, refers to 007 throughout as ‘Bondo-san’. Fleming used this device only when inscribing the book to his closest friends and colleagues. Examples presented in this way include: “Brilliant Chopping-san” [for the jacket artist Richard Chopping], “Dikko-san” [Richard Hughes, journalist and model for the character 'Dikko Henderson' in the novel], “Connolly-san” [author Cyril Connolly], and “From Fleming-san” [to Sunday Times editor Denis Hamilton, the dedicatee of Fleming's Thrilling Cities]. The present 'Forshaw-san' is thus far unrecorded. Forshaw was Managing Director at Pan Books from 1952, following the death of its founder Alan Bott. The first Bond novel Casino Royale was published as a Pan edition in 1955 and each subsequent Bond novel would be published by Pan, as well as Fleming’s other three books The Diamond Smugglers, Thrilling Cities and Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. In The Man With the Golden Typewriter, letters between Fleming and Forshaw are included on pages 319, 321, 322 and 371. It also appears that Fleming consulter Forshaw about the details of Bond’s Bentley Continental. The car was owned by Fleming and was driven and one by Bond in the film Thunderball. One of the letters from The Man With The Golden Typewriter from Forshaw to Fleming is an invite to an awards dinner to celebrate the fact that Casino Royale has sold over a million copies. By the 1960’s Pan was the second-largest paperback publisher (after Penguin), largely thanks to the phenomenal global success of Ian Fleming and his James Bond series.

James Bond You Only Live Twice Signed and Inscribed First Edition

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> book On Her Majesty's Secret Service, by Ian Fleming, which has been <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> by the author.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1963.</li><li>Signed and inscribed to Joss Pender.</li></ul> Inscribed by the author on the front free end-paper: "To/ Joss/ from/ Ian/ 1963." With the former owner's name Pender and date in his own hand on the front paste-down. Joss Pender was a member with Ian Fleming of the Royal St George's Golf Club in Kent. Pender and Fleming were contemporaries at Eton. They died within a year of each other at relatively young ages. The families were subsequently to be linked through marriage and Denison-Penders and Flemings can still be found playing golf together at Sandwich to this day.&nbsp;

James Bond On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Signed and Inscribed First Edition

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> book Live and Let Die, by Ian Fleming, which has been <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> by the author.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1954.</li><li>Inscribed to Muriel Williams&nbsp;.</li><li>The book is accompanied by the correct first state dust wrapper without the artist's (Kenneth Lewis] credit on the front flap, correctly priced at 10s.6d. net to both the front and rear flaps.</li></ul> Inscribed by the author on the front free end-paper: "To/ MW/ The faithful &amp;/ true!/ from/ The Author". With an additional ownership inscription and date (1954) of M J Williams on the front paste-down. Muriel Williams (often referred to as MJW or MW) was Fleming's Assistant at Kemsley Newspapers when he was the Foreign Manager. She was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Department in particular liaison with the "stringers" who, from far flung parts of the world, submitted stories for inclusion in the Kemsley Publications (including the Sunday Times). The dust wrapper artist, Kenneth Lewis (who worked in the Art Department at Kemsley), remembers her well commenting on her flat-chested appearance, strong and forceful personality, her use of bright red lipstick and that Fleming deferred to her. Fleming inscribed several of his other early novels to her, including Casino Royale and Moonraker.

James Bond Live and Let Die Inscribed First Edition

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> book Moonraker, by Ian Fleming, which has been <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> by the author.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1955.</li><li>Inscribed to Joyce Emerson on the front end paper.</li><li>The dust wrapper is correctly priced at 10s.6d net to both the front and rear flaps.</li></ul> The inscription reads - To Joyce / The happy ghost / from / Ian Fleming / 1955. The Joyce in question was Joyce Emerson (1921-1979), a journalist by trade, who worked at The Sunday Times during the 1950's and 60’s. She befriended Fleming whilst working on the Atticus team alongside Ian Fleming. Atticus was a weekly society gossip column, which Fleming joined in the autumn of 1953 (during the release time of his first novel Casino Royale). As the inscription suggests, Emerson would (almost certainly) have ghost-written many of the pieces carrying his name. The book is free of any owner names or inscriptions, with the correctly printed SHOOT found to page 10. An incredibly scarce title to acquire, signed and inscribed by the author and more so as the inscription includes Fleming’s full name as well as the year of publication.&nbsp;

James Bond Moonraker Inscribed First Edition

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> book From Russia with Love, by Ian Fleming, which has been <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> by the author.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1957.</li><li>Inscribed by Fleming to R. Singleton-Ward&nbsp;.</li><li>Bound in the original black boards with silver titles on spine, red rose and metallic gun to the front board, in the rare dust wrapper.</li></ul> The book is inscribed with the author’s signed presentation inscription to the front endpaper, ‘To R. Singleton-Ward/ In (I hope)/Gratitude/ Ian Fleming/ 1957.’ Singleton-Ward was born in Droitwich at the turn of the century and studied as a masseur and physiotherapist in the area and was certainly still operating in the area in the 1940s. Singleton-Ward operated in Harley Street as a specialist physiotherapist in the 1950s and 1960s. This is born out in his book, My Two Hands Talk, published by Christopher Johnson in the same year as From Russia With Love, 1957. It is possible that Fleming used the book as background (as he had for Patrick Leigh Fermor’s, Traveller’s Tree for Live and Let Die) for the health clinic scenes in the book of Thunderball, either introduced to the text by a member of the publishing house, or introduced to it by one of the man Harley Street specialists he used to visit. There is a no coincidence perhaps that Thunderball (published 4 years later) opens with Bond on the physiotherapist’s table having a massage. It is possible that Singleton-Ward was able to give Fleming some background about this. The association in the presentation inscription suggests they were close or certainly friends. The rare use of Fleming's full name and date in an inscription (1957) is evidence of this. With the early Bond books, he invariably preferred to use just his Christian name or the more formal "The Author". Singleton-Ward’s address appears as 46 Portland Place W1 in 1965 (London Phone Book), but no trace after this with no mention after 1965 in the British General Chiropractors register/council.

James Bond From Russia With Love Inscribed First Edition

J.R.R. Tolkien

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=The%20Lord%20of%20the%20Rings&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Lord of the Rings</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=J.R.R.%20Tolkien&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">J.R.R. Tolkien</a>.<ul><li>J.R.R. Tolkien (English).</li><li>London: George Allen and Unwin, 1968.</li><li>Rebound in full red morocco leather with Sauron vignette and in custom-made slip-case.</li></ul> The first complete collection of The Lord of the Rings - Containing the trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring / The Two Towers / The Return of the King and preceding the Deluxe Edition of 1969.

The Lord of the Rings First Edition

Roald Dahl | Quentin Blake

A deluxe limited <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first US edition</a> of this <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=roald+dahl&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dahl</a> classic, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> by both the author and illustrator.<ul><li>Roald Dahl (English).</li><li>Illustrated by Quentin Blake (English).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Farrar, Straus, Giroux,&nbsp;(1982). </li><li>x, 222 pages.&nbsp;</li><li>Limited edition, one of 300 numbered copies, this #208, signed by both Dahl and Blake to the limitation page.&nbsp;</li><li>Original red publisher's cloth with gilt titles, in original blue-grey slipcase.</li></ul>

The BFG | First Edition, Signed by Both Author and Illustrator

William Golding

True <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the classic novel <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Lord+of+the+Flies&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lord of the Flies</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=William+Golding&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">William Golding</a>.<ul><li>William Golding (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Faber and Faber Ltd,&nbsp;(1954).</li><li>248 pages.</li><li>Original red cloth, in original unclipped (12s 6d, with summary on front flap) first issue color pictorial jacket.</li></ul> Frequently challenged for its portrayals of violence and grim assessment of human nature, Lord of the Flies remains a classic — if psychologically dark — young adult novel. It is also a reflection of the post-World War II white British mindset, as the boys use racial slurs and stereotypes as comparisons for their increasingly unruly behavior; these ideas are made explicit as their rescuer remarks, "I should have thought that a pack of British boys would have been able to put up a better show than that."

Lord of the Flies First Edition

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry%20Potter&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> and the Deathly Hallows, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=J.K.%20Rowling&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling</a>.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 2007.</li><li>Signed and inscribed by the author on the title page in blue ink.</li></ul>

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Signed First Edition

Patricia Highsmith

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=The%20Talented%20Mr%20Ripley&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Talented Mr Ripley</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Patricia%20Highsmith&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Patricia Highsmith</a>.<ul><li>Patricia Highsmith (American).</li><li>London: Cresset, 1957.</li><li>In a fine, neatly clipped wrapper. </li></ul> The author's second book and notably filmed in 1999 starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon and Jude Law. An excellent title to possess and very scarce.

The Talented Mr Ripley First Edition

John Tenniel | Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson]

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first London edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Alice%27s%20Adventures%20in%20Wonderland&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Lewis%20Carroll&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lewis Carroll</a>.<ul><li>Lewis Carroll (English).</li><li>Illustrated by John Tenniel (English).</li><li>London: Macmillan &amp; Co., 1866.</li><li>Final 'S' on the contents page inverted, page '30' numbered '3.'</li><li>Bound in fine full red morocco, in the style of the original cloth, gilt Alice and pig to front cover and the Cheshire cat to rear cover, covers ruled in gilt, gilt dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled pastedowns and endpapers, both blue endpapers bound in, the front blue endpaper with a gift inscription dated Christmas 1866, original cloth covers and spine bound in the rear, by Bayntun.</li></ul>

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland First Edition

D.H. Lawrence

The pre-publication proof of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Lady%20Chatterley%E2%80%99s%20Lover&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lady Chatterley’s Lover</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=D.H.%20Lawrence&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">D.H. Lawrence</a>, withdrawn by Hazell Watson and Viney.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2 volumes.</li><li>D.H.&nbsp;Lawrence (English).</li><li>London: Penguin, 1959-60.</li><li>This proof copy constitutes the first appearance in English of the unexpurgated version of the novel, meant for readers in 1928 by Lawrence and is of institutional importance. </li><li>Accompanied by a first edition of the Penguin paperback printed by Western Printing Services. </li><li>Presented in archival box and with a first edition of the transcripts from the trial with a foreword by Hyde.&nbsp;</li></ul> A pre-publication 'dummy,' or proof copy of Penguin's unexpurgated version of Lady Chatterley's Lover, printed before the landmark trial of Regina vs Penguin Books.&nbsp; The proof, bound in buff colored card with front and rear staples was printed for Penguin by Hazell Watson and Viney Ltd. The company later withdrew from printing the book as workers at Hazell Watson and Viney felt the book inappropriate. It was later printed by Western Printing Services. Western Printing Services were responsible for the 200,000 copies of the first Penguin edition, printed prior to the outcome of the trial. The 1960 trial of Regina v. Penguin Books Ltd over the publication of Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence marked a watershed moment in British literary, legal, and cultural history. It was the first major test of the Obscene Publications Act 1959, a law intended to protect the public from explicit material unless it could be shown to have redeeming literary or artistic value. Lady Chatterley’s Lover, originally published privately in Italy in 1928, had long been banned in the United Kingdom due to its explicit depiction of sex and frequent use of then-taboo language. The novel centers on the passionate affair between Constance Chatterley, an upper-class woman, and Oliver Mellors, a working-class gamekeeper. It challenged social class boundaries and is notable for its frank portrayal of physical intimacy, especially from a female perspective. In 1960, Penguin Books decided to publish an unexpurgated version of the novel. As part of its mission to make great literature available to the public at affordable prices, Penguin believed the book’s literary merit outweighed its controversial content. However, the British government quickly brought charges against the publisher under the new Obscene Publications Act. The trial began at the Old Bailey in London on October 20, 1960. The prosecution, led by Mervyn Griffith-Jones, argued that the novel was obscene and would corrupt readers, famously asking in his opening statement: “Is it a book that you would even wish your wife or your servants to read?” This outdated sentiment immediately alienated many observers and highlighted the generational and class divides at the heart of the case. Penguin’s defense, led by Gerald Gardiner QC (later Lord Chancellor), brought in an impressive list of expert witnesses, including academics, writers, clergy, and critics, who testified to the novel’s serious literary, moral, and social value. They argued that Lawrence’s use of explicit language was not pornographic, but integral to his message about emotional and physical connection, human dignity, and the dehumanizing effects of industrial society. After a six-day trial, the jury found Penguin Books not guilty. The verdict was a landmark victory for freedom of expression, effectively ending book censorship in the UK and opening the door for more open discussions of sexuality and class in literature. Penguin sold over 200,000 copies on the first day of release, with sales reaching millions soon after. Over just three months following the verdict, three million copies of Lady Chatterley’s Lover were sold, reportedly outselling the bible. Selfridges sold 250 copies in minutes. A spokesman told The Times newspaper: “It's bedlam here. We could have sold 10,000 copies if we had had them.” The trial became symbolic of the liberalizing cultural shifts of the 1960s, representing a victory not just for Penguin and literature, but for changing attitudes toward morality, authority, and individual freedom.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover Pre-publication Proof

Aldous Huxley

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of Brave New World by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Aldous%20Huxley&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aldous Huxley</a>.<ul><li>Aldous Huxley (English).</li><li>London: Chatto and Windus, 1932.</li><li>With bright gilt titles and no inscriptions, housed in custom-made solander box and with the laid in Chatto and Windus Advertisement. </li></ul> Brave New World, a dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley published in 1932, presents a future society where technological advancements and state control have eradicated individuality, freedom, and emotional depth. The World State, a global government, maintains order through genetic engineering, conditioning, and the drug "soma," which ensures citizens’ perpetual happiness. People are stratified into rigid castes, from the intelligent Alphas to the menial Epsilons, each conditioned to accept their role without question. In this society, traditional family structures, personal relationships, and religious beliefs are obsolete. Instead, promiscuity is encouraged, and consumerism is the cornerstone of existence. The protagonist, Bernard Marx, an Alpha who feels out of place, questions the superficial contentment around him. His encounter with John, a "Savage" who was raised outside the World State's influence, intensifies his doubts. John, who has a profound attachment to literature and human emotion, becomes a tragic figure as he struggles to reconcile his values with the alien world he encounters.

Brave New World First Edition

Roald Dahl

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Roald%20Dahl&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Roald Dahl</a>'s The BFG, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed and inscribed</a> by the author.<ul><li>Roald Dahl (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1982.</li><li>Inscribed ‘To Helen/Love/Roald Dahl’.</li><li>In an unclipped dust wrapper.</li></ul>

The BFG Signed First Edition

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of Matilda by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Roald%20Dahl&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Roald Dahl</a>, accompanied by a jacketed uncorrected proof of the same.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2 volumes.</li><li>Roald Dahl (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1988.</li></ul> The red card covers state that the provisional United Kingdom publish date is April 21st, 1988, and the provisional price will be £8.50. This price corresponds to the that of the over-sized dust wrapper in which the book is now housed.

Matilda First Edition with Uncorrected Proof

Robert Frost

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of A Boy's Will, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> by Robert Frost.<ul><li>Robert Frost (American).</li><li>London:&nbsp;David Nutt,&nbsp;1913.</li><li>Small octavo.</li><li>50, [2] pages.</li><li>First Edition, Second Issue, Binding D.</li><li>Number 126 of 135 copies, signed and numbered by Frost.</li><li>Cream wrapper.</li></ul>

A Boy's Will | First Edition Signed by Frost

Hunter S. Thompson

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of Screwjack by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Hunter%20S.%20Thompson&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hunter S. Thompson</a>.<ul><li>Hunter S. Thompson (American).</li><li>Printed by Patrick Reagh. </li><li>Santa Barbara, California:&nbsp;Neville,&nbsp;1991.</li><li>38, [2, blank], [1, colophon] pages.</li><li>Copy H of 26 copies, signed by Hunter S. Thompson.&nbsp;</li><li>Title page printed in red and grey and black.</li><li>Brown rexine titled in gilt upper cover stamped in gilt.</li></ul>

Screwjack Signed First Edition

Kenneth Grahame

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Kenneth%20Grahame&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kenneth Grahame</a>'s <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=The%20Wind%20in%20the%20Willows&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Wind in the Willows</a>, in the second issue dust-jacket.<ul><li>Kenneth Grahame (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Methuen,&nbsp;1908.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>302 pages.</li><li>Frontispiece by Graham Robertson with tissue guard.</li><li>Original blue cloth with gilt decoration and lettering on front cover and spine, top edge gilt, others uncut.</li></ul> This classic was developed out of bedtime stories Grahame told to his son Alastair, known in the family as Mouse.

The Wind in the Willows First Edition

Toni Morrison

An <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inscribed</a> <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Toni%20Morrison&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Toni Morrison</a>'s Song of Solomon.<ul><li>Toni Morrison (American).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Alfred A. Knopf,&nbsp;1977.&nbsp;</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>337 pages.</li><li>Inscribed by Toni Morrison on front free endpaper reading, "A delight meeting you Angie. Warm best wishes from Toni / 12.55.1977"</li><li>Spine yellow with red and black lettering.</li></ul>

Song Of Solomon Inscribed First Edition

Virginia Woolf

<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">First American edition</a> of Night and Day by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Virginia%20Woolf&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Virginia Woolf</a>, in the rare dust jacket.<ul><li>Virginia Woolf (English).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;George H. Doran Company,&nbsp;1920.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>508 pages.</li><li>Bound in green cloth, in a custom cloth clamshell box.</li></ul>

Night and Day First American Edition

<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">First edition</a>, first impression, first issue, and first state of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Ian%20Fleming&amp;tab=objects" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ian Fleming</a>'s <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> novel Live and Let Die.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Jonathan Cape,&nbsp;1954.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>240 pages.</li><li>Black cloth covered boards, in colorful dust jacket, housed in a custom half-morocco clamshell box.</li></ul> A very pretty copy of Fleming’s second novel, written in just two months at his Goldeneye estate, before the reviews of the first Bond novel, Casino Royale, landed.

Live and Let Die First Edition

Samuel Beckett

An inscribed <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> in English (translated by the author), of Waiting for Godot by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=samuel%20beckett&amp;tab=objects" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Samuel Beckett</a>, preceding the British edition.<ul><li>Samuel Beckett (Irish).</li><li>New York:&nbsp;Grove Press,&nbsp;(1954).</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Pagination irregular, [vii] pages.; 7-60 ff. (numbered on left page); [5] pages.</li><li>Illustrated with portrait and three leaves of stills from the stage production.</li><li>Inscribed by Beckett to another writer: "for Dan Pope from Sam Beckett".</li><li>Additionally signed by Grove Press publisher Barney Rosset.&nbsp;</li><li>In dustwrapper, housed in a quarter morocco and cloth clamshell case.</li></ul> Probably the scarcest and most preferred issue of the Nobel Prize winner's most famous title, one of the great works of the world stage. A major innovation in modern drama, possibly the most important play of the 20th Century, and certainly the first theatrical success of the Theatre of the Absurd.

Waiting for Godot Inscribed First Edition in English

Walt Whitman

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first issue of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=walt%20whitman&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Walt Whitman</a>'s Leaves of Grass.<ul><li>Walt Whitman (American).</li><li>New York, 1855.</li><li>Small folio.</li><li>xii, [13]–95 pages.&nbsp;</li><li>Engraved frontispiece portrait of Whitman by Samuel Hollyer after a photograph, printed on thick paper.</li><li>Bound in the original green cloth, boards with blind-stamped floral decorations, title and triple-fillet border gilt, spine with title and floral ornaments gilt, marble endpapers, all edges gilt, housed in a custom half morocco folding case.</li></ul> “He was and is the poet and prophet of democracy, and the intoxication of his immense affirmative, the fervor of his ‘barbaric yawp,’ are so powerful that the echo of his crude yet rhythmic song rings forever in the American air” (Grolier One Hundred). The self-published&nbsp;Leaves was at least partially personally&nbsp;type-set by the author on a small handpress in Brooklyn. The portrait of Whitman is here in superior condition, without the foxing often encountered. This copy bears the printed copyright statement on the verso of the title page and has the first version of line 2 of page 49 (“And the night is for you and me and all”) identified by Schmidgall in his article, “1855: a Stop-Press Revision.” Of the original 795 copies, only 337 were issued in this first binding with extensive gilt stamping, marbled end-sheets, and gilt edges (in the second binding only the title was gilt, and plain yellow end-sheets were used).

Leaves of Grass First Edition

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first UK edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=oscar%20wilde&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oscar Wilde</a>'s De Profundis, accompanied by Wilde's silver cigarette holder.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 2: 1 book, and 1 cigarette holder.</li><li>Oscar Wilde (Irish).</li><li>United Kingdom: Methuen, 1905.</li><li>Accompanied by a silver cigarette holder with the makers mark Frederick Wald.</li><li>The cigarette holder was taken from Wilde's cache of items following his death at the Hotel D'Alsace in Paris.</li><li>Housed in a custom made box.</li></ul> A first edition, first printing of De Profundis by Oscar Wilde, published posthumously in 1905 by Methuen. Accompanied by a silver cigarette holder, embossed with foliate scrolls and a vacant shield cartouche, hallmarked Birmingham 1894, with the maker's mark that of Frederick Wald. The holder beautiful amber ending which pulls in and out. The renowned Irish playwright and poet, died on November 30, 1900, at the Hotel d’Alsace in Paris (now L'Hôtel). After serving two years of hard labor for "gross indecency" due to his homosexuality, Wilde fled to France, impoverished and shunned by society. Living under the name Sebastian Melmoth, he took up residence at the modest hotel. His health declined rapidly due to meningitis, complications from an earlier ear infection. Wilde reportedly quipped on his deathbed, "My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go." He passed away destitute but surrounded by a few loyal friends. Wilde was initially buried in a pauper's grave at Bagneux Cemetery, but his remains were later moved to Père Lachaise Cemetery, where his tomb, adorned with a modernist angel, now draws admirers from around the world. His wit and tragedy remain enduring symbols of artistic genius and societal hypocrisy.

De Profundis First Edition Book, Accompanied by Oscar Wilde's Cigarette Holder

&nbsp;A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of Dr. No, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> by Eunice Gayson and Charles Edghill.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1958.</li><li>Signed on the title page by the actress Eunice Gayson, who played the character ‘Sylvia Trench’ in the 1962 motion picture of Dr No.&nbsp;</li><li>Additionally signed by Charles Edghill, who played one of the ‘Three Blind Mice,’ on the rear of the half-title page.</li><li>Presented in the dustwrapper.</li></ul> Dr. No is the sixth James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, published in 1958. It follows British spy James Bond as he investigates the disappearance of two agents in Jamaica, leading to the mysterious Dr. No, a reclusive villain with a deadly plan. The 1962 film adaptation, starring Sean Connery in his debut as Bond, launched the iconic movie franchise. Set in the Caribbean, the film features classic Bond elements: espionage, action, gadgets, and glamorous women. Dr. No’s lair, Ursula Andress’s beach entrance, and Connery’s suave performance made the film a pop culture milestone and a blueprint for future Bond films.

Dr. No

A collection of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/james-bond" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> books, by Ian Fleming.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 16 volumes.</li><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>Includes: Casino Royale; Live and Let Die; Moonraker; Diamonds are Forever; From Russia, with Love; Dr. No; Goldfinger; For Your Eyes Only; Thunderball; The Spy who Loved Me; On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; You Only Live Twice, Golden Gun and Octopussy.&nbsp;</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1953-1966.</li><li>Each is a first printing.</li><li>Casino Royale is a true first edition in the first issue dust wrapper.</li><li>Live and Let Die is Raymond Chandler’s personal copy.</li><li>Moonraker is the variant ‘shoo’ issue in the dust wrapper.</li><li>Goldfinger was previously the property of Ian Fleming bibliographer, Jon Gilbert.</li><li>The Man With The Golden Gun is the white endpapered edition.</li></ul>

James Bond First Edition Collection

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=James%20Bond&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Bond</a> novel Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming.<ul><li>Ian Fleming (English).</li><li>London: Jonathan Cape, 1953.</li><li>With the first issue dust-jacket, without the Sunday Times review, in the rare unclipped wrapper.</li></ul> Casino Royale is the first novel by Fleming and the first appearance of James Bond, one of the 20th Century’s most enduring characters.

Casino Royale

Agatha Christie

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of Murder on the Orient Express by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Agatha%20Christie&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Agatha Christie</a>.&nbsp;<ul><li>Agatha Christie (English).</li><li>London: Collins [The Crime Club], 1934.</li><li>Complete with the wrap-around band, declaring the book to be ‘Book of the Month.’</li></ul> The classic detective novel, written by Christie and featuring Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot. A luxurious train journey on the Orient Express turns sinister when a wealthy American, Samuel Ratchett, is found murdered in his compartment, stabbed multiple times. As the train is stranded by a snowstorm, Poirot investigates the passengers, uncovering hidden connections and motives. The plot twists reveal Ratchett was a fugitive involved in a child kidnapping and murder. In a dramatic conclusion, Poirot discovers all the passengers conspired to kill Ratchett as an act of justice. The novel is celebrated for its ingenious resolution and moral complexity.

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