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a semi-automatic pistol – they eventually settled on the Walther PPK, which made its first appearance in Dr No (1958) alongside the MI6 armourer named “Major Boothroyd”, introduced to Bond as ‘the greatest small- arms expert in the world’. Boothroyd proofread From Russia, With Love as a consultant on the armaments, and also supplied from his own collection the Smith & Wesson revolver illustrated on the dust jacket by Richard Chopping. Octavo. Original black boards (Gilbert’s A binding, no priority), red and silver lettering on spine and revolver and rose motif on front cover. With dust jacket. Housed in a custom black quarter morocco solander box. Some stray spotting to top edge otherwise a clean copy, with the jacket somewhat dust soiled, worn at ends and corners, very good condition overall. ¶ Gilbert A5a(1.1). £75,000 [157381] 54 FLEMING, Ian. The Spy Who Loved Me. London: Jonathan Cape, 1962 inscribed by both fleming and moore First edition, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper and also by Roger Moore on the rear endpaper. Fleming’s presentation
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53 FLEMING, Ian. From Russia, With Love.
Geoffrey Boothroyd (1925–2001) was a British firearms expert. He struck up a correspondence with Fleming after a letter he sent in 1956, voicing concerns over James Bond’s weaponry, namely Fleming’s original choice of the .25 calibre Beretta as a side- arm: “I have, by now, got rather fond of James Bond. I like most things about him, with the exception of his rather deplorable taste in firearms. In particular, I dislike a man who comes into contact with all sorts of formidable people using a .25 Beretta. This sort of gun is really a lady’s gun, and not a really nice lady at that”. Boothroyd proposed a revolver, but Fleming preferred
London: Jonathan Cape, 1957 presentation copy to bond’s “appointed armourer”
First edition, a superb presentation copy, inscribed “To Geoffrey Boothroyd, Herewith appointed ‘Armourer’ to J. Bond, from Ian Fleming”. From Russia, With Love , along with For Your Eyes Only , is one of the most difficult James Bond first editions to find inscribed, and this is a superlative association.
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CHRISTMAS 2022
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