Ian Fleming

A first edition, first printing of the James Bond book Moonraker, by Ian Fleming, which has been inscribed by the author.

• Ian Fleming (English).
• London: Jonathan Cape, 1955.
• Inscribed to Joyce Emerson on the front end paper.
• The dust wrapper is correctly priced at 10s.6d net to both the front and rear flaps.

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.