IAN FLEMING
25. CHOPPING, Richard; FLEMING, Ian ARCHIVE FOR THE DUSTWRAPPER OF ‘FOR YOUR EYES ONLY’ October 14 1959 - April 14 1960. A collection of correspondence and artwork, comprising eight- een letters between Fleming, Michael Howard (his contact at Cape) and Richard Chopping relating to the production of the dustwrapper design for ‘For Your Eyes Only’, and all Chopping’s preliminary sketches and drawings for the jacket. All housed in a custom-made blue cloth folder in a blue cloth chemise with blue morocco-backed slipcase. The correspondence is initiated by a typed letter signed from Fleming to Chopping dated 14 October 1959, ”We have a new jacket problem which I very much hope you will execute again...”. Chopping replies by return to say he is “in a frenzy of work... Some how I have got involved in nineteen commissions”, can he meet for lunch or a drink next Monday and that “I must warn you that prices have had to go up”. Fleming’s secretary (Mina Trueblood) replies to say Fleming has left the country and could probably meet for a drink on Mon- day. Fleming and Chopping having met, Chopping writes to Flem- ing on a page which he appears to have initially used as notes and questions on the jacket design. “Title - RED - “For Your eyes alone only”... Is Bond:- dark or fair... black eyebrows and black eyelashes and (cold) grey(-blue) eyes - possibly”. The note shows Chopping’s notion of the design brief given by Fleming taking shape, “I think I can do a cover in keeping with the other two... title and authors name in the same lettering or paper pinned to it and between them a hole.. through which an eye is looking.” The next letter in the sequence, dated 26 October, is a signed car - bon of a letter from Fleming to Howard, enclosing and approv- ing of Chopping’s proof design, “I think it is absolutely splen- did... I really do think Dickie is an ingenious chap...”, refining the design “I’m prepared to sacrifice the grey-blue of James Bond’s eyes for a brighter blue...”, the positioning of the lettering “log- ically For Your Eyes Only should be stamped on a portion of the document.... I enclosed a draft of how this might look... The title should be red and perhaps... rather fuzzy as if it really were a rubber stamp.” Two drafts of a page from a dossier typed by Fleming with FOR YOUR EYES ONLY written in pen, twice on one draft (one in a box) and once on the other. Howard then writes to Chopping (Nov 4th 1959), “Ian Fleming
has gone off round the world to visit all the wicked cities and write a series of titillating articles for The Sunday Times... I think between you you have cooked up an idea of really masterly inge- nuity which should make one of the most intriguing jackets you have done...”. Howard goes on to mention proposed deadlines and sizing and enclosing Fleming’s dossier draft of the previous letter. The design now complete, the letters turn to the thorny issue of Chopping’s fee. Howard writes to Chopping on 6 January 1960, “Ian has just gone off to Jamaica for his annual hiberna- tion... Ian has also asked me to send on his behalf a cheque for £75... this is double the highest fee I have ever heard of being paid for a jacket design in this country...” Chopping is not impressed, “You seem prepared for me to be dissatisfied with £75 and indeed I am... and as it is between Ian and me I would like to write direct to him.” Howard writes supplying Fleming’s Jamaican address, followed by a letter on 10 March asking if he and Fleming have sorted out his fee and mentioning difficulties with printing the jacket. Meanwhile Chopping sends an undated and unaddressed (though presumably to Goldeneye) note to Fleming. It is charac- terised by a large number of corrections and deletions indicating Chopping’s unease. “I am afraid that a bad misunderstanding occurred over the question of the my fee... The figure you urged me to charge in the future was 200 gns. I was in fact doing this job with 150gns in mind. So you can imagine my surprise when Michael sent me 1/2 that amount.” Eventually Fleming sends a typed letter signed to Chopping dated 22 March 1960, agreeing that Chopping’s work should be more highly paid but by “squeezing the millionaires” (presum - ably Cape), explaining that Cape pay “their standard fee of 25 guineas and I pay the rest... How would 100 guineas suit?”, but goes on to say “I shall not argue if you think a higher price would be right.” With no response from Chopping on 8 April Howard writes a short letter to Chopping enquiring whether “everything has been squared up to your satisfaction.” Chopping replies with an undated autograph letter (but 11 April, on the back of Fleming’s letter of 22 March) saying, “I find the whole business of money so embarrassing... I really cannot argue about it and will settle for 100 guineas” Fleming replies by return (12 April), “in view of your fine jacket and my vast admiration for your work I propose that 125 guineas
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