Casino Royale.

The author's first book and the first appearance of James Bond, who has probably had a greater impact on popular culture than any other fictional character since Sherlock Holmes. Of the 4,728 copies of the first impression that were printed no more than 3,000 were issued in the first state dust-jacket, the remainder having a favourable 'Sunday Times' review overprinted on the front flap. A significant proportion of the first printing would have been sold to libraries and the remainder were generally well read. As such, only a very small number of copies remain.

'Connoisseurs of realistic fiction will particularly note the careful documentation of the Secret Service background, the chilling portrait of Le Chiffre, the authentic menace of SMERSH, and the sensual appeal of the girl in "Soi Sauvage''...' (The Author).

Following a spell with Reuters and then as a stockbroker in the City, Fleming joined the Navy at the outbreak of war in 1939. As personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence, he found the war 'intensely exciting'. When it was over Lord Kemsley (owner of The Sunday Times and several other newspapers) offered him the foreign managership of Kemsley Newspapers. Fleming accepted on condition that he could have two months' holiday a year to spend at his house, Goldeneye, in Jamaica, where subsequently he did most of his writing. With his war experiences and his post-war job providing the background for his thrillers, Fleming maintained that it was his marriage to Anne, Viscountess Rothermere in 1952 that spurred him to start writing.

First edition, first impression, in the first issue dust-jacket without 'The Sunday Times' review on the upper flap; 8vo (195 x 135 mm); age-toned (as usual), else only the occasional minor spot or mark; publisher's black cloth lettered in red on spine and with heart design on upper cover, both a little scuffed from wear but still bold, light spotting to edges of endpapers, neat pen inscription to front free endpaper, dust-jacket 'devised by the author', upper flap price-clipped but rear flap extant, historic professional restoration to upper part of front flap fold, signs across top and bottom edges of previous protective wrapper, some light, even soiling to rear panel, due to white colour, some general fading to upper panel, as now usual with these jackets, three very small holes (approx. 5 mm), one to upper panel and two to rear spine fold, one or two small marks to inner flaps, overall a very good copy of an extremely rare book in the original, famous dust-jacket, with only minor, expert restoration; 218pp.