The first edition, first impression of the fourth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series.

Fleming was inspired by a 1954 Sunday Times story on the illicit trade in diamonds smuggled out of Sierra Leone, and his background research for the novel would later be published as the non-fiction work The Diamond Smugglers. On completing the book, Fleming wrote to his friend Hilary Bray that, 'I baked a fresh cake in Jamaica this year which I think has finally exhausted my inventiveness as it contains every single method of escape and every variety of suspenseful action that I had omitted from my previous books—in fact everything except the kitchen sink, and if you can think up a good plot involving kitchen sinks, please send it along speedily' (Parker, Goldeneye, p.45).

First edition, first impression, binding B (no priority); 8vo (195 x 135 mm); a few minor nicks, slight offsetting to endpapers and half-title, otherwise internally clean, very good; publisher's black cloth, front cover stamped in silver with diamond motif and ruled in blind to a diamond pattern, spine lettered in silver, slightly rubbed and bumped at corners, otherwise very good-plue, unclipped pictorial dust-jacket by Pat Marriott, a little soiled, more so to rear paneld, spine ends and jacket edges rubbed, chipping to upper edge but otherwise good.

Gilbert A4a (1.1).