CASINO ROYALE

First American edition, first impression. Inscribed association copy. Publisher's original green cloth with red titles to the upper board and spine, in the Leo Manso designed dustwrapper. A very good or better copy, the binding square and the cloth fresh. Minor bumping to the spine tips and a small nick towards the base of the spine. The contents, with some foxing to the edge of the endpapers and closed text block edge are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the lightly rubbed and nicked dustwrapper that has a couple of short closed tears but remains uncommonly bright and attractive. Housed in a bespoke, quarter black morocco solander case.

Inscribed by Ian Fleming in blue ball point pen to the front endpaper "To Paul / who wrote the golden words / from / the author / 1954". A superlative association copy, inscribed by Fleming to his great friend and early James Bond champion, Paul Gallico. American novelist and short story writer Paul Gallico, worked with Fleming at The Sunday Times. He was one of the first people to read the manuscript of Casino Royale, providing Fleming with encouragement to publish. The "golden words" to which the author refers in his inscription are printed in red on the front flap of the first edition dustwrapper "PAUL GALLICO calls CASINO ROYALE "The best gambling thriller I have ever read... Fabulously exciting."" Jon Gilbert in his award winning bibliography of Ian Fleming writes "Paul Gallico was not only a fan but was of particular help getting Casino Royale published in the United States, where initially the book seemed difficult to place... Unlike the British Cape editions, very few American editions appear to have been inscribed by the author". We are aware of only one other inscribed American first edition (the Stanley Meyer copy also noted in the bibliography). The author's first book, introducing 007 James Bond. First American edition, first printing, second state with the front flap of dustwrapper clipped to the corners and with the printed price of $2.75. [Gilbert A1b (1.2).]