About this Item
IAN FLEMING - DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, published by MacMillan, copyright 1956, Second U.S. Trade Hardcover Printing (no printing references on copyright page), white endpapers with black boards and NO COLORED STRIPE ALONG RIGHT EDGE and gold gilt lettering on spine, $3.95 price on DJ front flap.
THERE WAS ONLY ONE U.S. TRADE HARDCOVER PRINTING IN 1955. IN 1965, FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF IAN FLEMING, A UNIFORM SET OF 9 BOOK CLUB EDITIONS (ALL WITH BLACK BOARDS WITH A COLORED STRIPE ALONG THE RIGHT EDGE WERE PUBLISHED) AND THESE BOOKS ALL HAD GENERIC DUST JACKETS (ALL WITH THE SAME IMAGE ON THEM WITH VERY PLAIN COLOR SCHEMES). AT THIS SAME TIME, DUE TO A HIGH DEMAND FOR HARDCOVER FLEMING BOOKS FROM LIBRARIES, THE PUBLISHER TOOK A VERY VERY VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THESE HARDCOVERS AND PUT OUT TRADE EDITION (PRICED) DUST JACKETS ON THEM - EACH DUST JACKET HAD NEW ARTWORK THAT APPEARED NOWHERE ELSE. THESE BOOKS WERE SOLD EXCLUSIVELY TO LIBRARIES (AND THERE WEREN'T VERY MANY MADE), BECAUSE THESE WERE PRICED BOOKS THAT WERE TECHNICALLY AVAILABLE FOR SALE, THEY CONSTITUTE THE 2ND TRADE U.S. HARDCOVER PRINTING (AND ONLY THE FIRST 7 FLEMING BOOKS WERE RELEASED IN THIS FORMAT AS IT WAS THOSE FIRST SEVEN BOOKS THAT LIBRARIES DIDN'T HAVE IN STOCK DUE TO THE HIGH DEMAND FOLLOWING THE FIRST MOVIE IN 1962). FINDING THESE BOOKS (EVEN WITH EX-LIBRARY MARKINGS) IS QUITE DIFFICULT, AND EVEN RARER TO FIND A COPY WITHOUT ANY LIBRARY MARKINGS. TWO BOOKS (THIS BOOK AND LIVE AND LET DIE) WERE NOT (LIKELY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THESE 2 BOOKS WERE RECENTLY SOLD FOR THE MOVIES) INCLUDED IN THE UNIFORM SET OF 9 BOOK CLUB EDITIONS WITH THE COLORED STRIPE ALONG THE RIGHT EDGE BUT LIBRARIES WERE CLAMORING FOR THESE 2 EARLY BOOKS SO THEY WERE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THIS 2ND TRADE EDITION (NO COLORED STRIPE ALONG BOOK'S RIGHT EDGE) AND AS SUCH ARE THE MOST DIFFICULT BOOKS TO FIND IN THIS "2ND TRADE EDITION" SET.
Book has flat white pages, no creased page corners, no foxing to pages or endpapers or outer page edges, slight age darkening/dust soiling to outer page edges (since this book didn't was part of the uniform book club set it didn't have a top stain), original endpapers are clean and free from any scotch tape marks or discoloration, no former owner's markings or used bookseller stamps/stickers inside, no wear to board edges or board corners, or to spine tips, no bumped board corner, no spine fade, no dust soiling to boards.
Dust jacket has tiny crease to top right corner of front flap (extremely common with these glossy stiff dust jackets with a very wide flap) otherwise no chipping, tearing or creasing to panels/spine, barest hint of wear to spine tips, no wear to front flap crease, no edge wear, NO spine fade to orangish red lettering, no spine darkening (common defect with this DJ), no dust soiling to panels, virtually no staining or soiling to panels.
Overall a N-FINE book in FINE-/N-FINE condition dust jacket (not price clipped) of an Ian Fleming U.S. 2nd printing hardcover book. I have a number of other U.S. and U.K. Ian Fleming James Bond 1st printing hardcover appearances up for sale.
Seller Inventory # ABE-1646369540819
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