GOLDFINGER [IN THE TRIAL, OR PROOF STATE DUSTWRAPPER]

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original black cloth with blind-stamped skull with gilt eyes to upper board and titles in gilt to the spine, in the trial or proof state Richard Chopping illustrated dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with mild rubbing and bumping to the extremities, the cloth and gilt bright and fresh. The contents, with the occasional light finger mark and a production flaw (small hole) to the blank margin of one page, are otherwise clean throughout and free from inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the rare trial or proof state dustwrapper that is a little nicked to the spine ends and fold corners and price-clipped to the lower front flap. The colours are uniformly bright and fresh, the underside of the spine with some needless (almost invisible) tape strengthening at the edges. An attractive example.

The book proof of 'Goldfinger' was printed by the Alden Press and bound in green smooth 'Greek urn' design card covers by A. W. Bain and Co. in January 1959. Only 125 copies were issued, however, far fewer of the proof state dustwrapper will have been produced. At this time, the vast majority of the Bond book proofs were distributed solely in green card covers. Ian Fleming bibliographer Jon Gilbert writes of Goldfinger "[...] very few sample proof-state dust-jackets were produced [...] Ignoring the tiny handful of trial jackets for either 'From Russia With Love' or 'Goldfinger', proofs only began to appear regularly in a proof-only dust-jacket from 'Thunderball' onwards". Whilst the artwork is identical to that of the published version, the text and layout of the proof state dustwrapper differs in several respects. On the rear panel, the list (and reviews) of Fleming's earlier Bond novels are printed in an incorrect order, starting with 'Live and Let Die' in the proof state, this was corrected to 'From Russia With Love' in the published form. On the front flap, 'DR NO' is capitalised in abbreviated form with a large space between the two words, this was changed to the full spelling 'Doctor No' in the published state. In common with proof state dustwrappers of the later Bond titles, the flap corners remain intact, in the published state they are clipped. [Gilbert A7a (Uncorrected Proof Copies / 1.2). The book in the second state of binding without the small indentation to the upper left of the skull (worn away in the manufacturing process)].