Ian Fleming | Diamonds Are Forever, 1956, first impression, inscribed by the author

Ian Fleming

Diamonds Are Forever. London: Jonathan Cape, 1956

8vo, FIRST IMPRESSION, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ("To | Lionel | from | Ian | With affection.") on front free endpaper, binding A, original black cloth, lettered in silver, design to upper cover in silver and blind, original dust-jacket by Pat Marriott, housed in mushroom grey morocco clamshell case, ephemera loosely inserted in case (list of ephemera available upon request), first and last few leaves lightly spotted, head of spine slightly bumped, dust-jacket slightly frayed at extremities with old repairs to inside, 3mm hole along fold of rear flap

This copy is almost certainly addressed to Lionel Berry, 2nd Viscount Kemsley, British Conservative politician and a friend of Fleming's. The pair likely met working for Kemsley Newspapers, owned by Berry's father, who hired Fleming as the Foreign Manager in 1945.

Diamonds Are Forever was the first of the James Bond novels to feature a pictorial dust-jacket, and the first to be illustrated by Pat Marriott. The three previous wrappers, all executed by Ken Lewis, featured simpler typographic and/or patterned designs.

Fleming had appropriated the nickname "Boofy" from his wife's cousin Lord Arran, who was known as Arthur "Boofy" Gore. Unfortunately, the character Fleming chose was a particularly unpleasant one, and upset Lord Arran. Fleming apologised and - for the only time - revised the character's name in the proof stage from "Gore" to "Kidd". However, one mention of the nickname "Boofy" remained in the published text, which was swiftly corrected for the second impression.

LITERATURE:

Gilbert A4a (1.1)