Ian Fleming | The Diamond Smugglers, 1957, first impression, first state, inscribed by Fleming pre-publication

Ian Fleming

The Diamond Smugglers. London: Jonathan Cape, 1957.

8vo, FIRST IMPRESSION, FIRST STATE, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR PRE-PUBLICATION TO THE READER WHO POINTED OUT FLEMING'S INFAMOUS ERROR ("To | Mildred Marshall | who uses – I hope – ‘Vent | Vert'. | Ian Fleming | 1957.") on front free endpaper, original black cloth (Fabroleen), spine lettered in white, original dust-jacket by Denis Piper, housed in bespoke black cloth clamshell case with embossed dust-jacket design and red sides, occasional spotting to the first few leaves, dust-jacket slightly sunned on spine with light wear to spine ends

"Solitaire called for him. The room smelled of Dior's 'Vent Vert'" (Live and Let Die, p. 114)

The inscription in this copy is an in-joke between Fleming and Mildred Marshall, referring to an exchange of letters in 1957, in which the pair discuss the author's erroneous attribution of the perfume "Vent Vert" to Christian Dior, as opposed to Balmain. Marshall wrote to Fleming to alert him of his error, also requesting a signed copy of his latest novel. Fleming responded on 8 October 1957:

"Thank you very much for your letter of November 3rd and I am delighted that you enjoy the adventures of James Bond. Alas, attributing “Vent Vert” to Dior was nearly as bad as when, in one of my books, I made Bond eat asparagus with Sauce Bearnaise instead of Mousseline. I have also been severely reprimanded for having provided, in my last book, the Orient Express with hydraulic brakes instead of vacuum ones. If I go on like this I shall one day find myself giving my heroine green hair. Of course I will certainly autograph a book for you. The name of my last one was “From Russia, With Love”. Again with many thanks for your charming letter.” (Quoted in Fergus Fleming, pp. 106-7).

This present copy was sent to Miss Marshall alongside the above letter, meaning it was likely one of the first 25 copies delivered to Jonathan Cape on the 8th November 1957, three weeks before the official publication date.

LITERATURE:

Gilbert A15a (1.1); for the correspondence between Fleming and Mildred Marshall: Fergus Fleming (ed.), The Man With the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters (London, 2015), pp. 106-7.