Casino Royale, the First Edition is truly a collector’s item. Collector’s of books and literature and the James Bond fans who are always after the Bond collectibles will find this James Bond book irresistible. There are a lot of firsts associated with this book. It is the first book from the James Bond series written by Ian Fleming. It is the first edition of the book and the first printing copy of Casino Royale published by Jonathan Cape way back in 1953. 4,728 copies of the hardbound edition of the book was produced and released. Another unique feature of the book is the design of its cover which was made by Fleming himself.
It is Truly a Collector’s Item
To go along the theme of the book, Ian Fleming had taken inspiration from playing card to design the cover. The book now comes in a custom made clamshell box. Despite its age, surprisingly the book is in very good condition. It is not restored but preserved almost in its original condition except very few blemishes. It was first released for sale on the 13th of April 1953 and the entire edition had sold out in less than a month. It is a rare first issue of the first James Bond book. You may find some foxing to the page edge and end-papers. Apart from that the book is almost in mint condition. The book is neither price clipped nor is it sunned in the spine. There are no chips and for a sixty year old it is in excellent condition.
Early Books of famous Authors have Become Valuable
The publishers are generally apprehensive about new authors and their first books. They don’t have reference points to make an educated guess about the potential for success of a first time writer. That’s why the first edition of first books are generally released in small numbers making it rare once the book goes on to become a great success. Early books by famous authors have become very valuable and fetch thousands of dollars at auctions. The collector’s are particularly interested in first edition books. Those that have been signed by the author become even more valuable. These are always considered good investment as they appreciate in value over time if kept in good condition. The Casino Royale first edition is estimated to be worth £50,000 or roughly $78,000.
Via: uncrate, vintageseekers
