Selling Casino Royale

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Last week I saw that James Bond Memes blogger, Edward Biddulph, was selling his first edition of Casino Royale, which he announced on Twitter.

I’ve been in contact with Edward soon after buying his book, Licence To Cook, after which he contributed a number of articles to this website and I later met him in London last October.

Anyway, below is the story of his copy of Casino Royale and his reason for selling. If you are interested in buying a Casino Royale first edition copy then the auction runs on eBay until Thursday.

Casino Royale first edition on eBay

I came into some money a few years ago and decided to invest in some Fleming first editions. I bought On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Man With The Golden Gun, Octopussy – the later Flemings that are generally more affordable – but then, as I was looking through Abebooks, I noticed a relatively affordable copy of Casino Royale – a first edition too.

The book was an ex-library edition and needed a little restoration work, but the main thing was that it was a 1st edition published in 1953 by Cape. I couldn’t let that get away, so I bought it. The seller, a bookseller based in New Zealand emailed me photographs and advised me on any restoration work.

When the book arrived, I was very excited; when I held it, it was like holding a piece of history. Later I took the book to the professional bookbinders and had the book restored. It was now as good as new.

I also commissioned the bookbinder to make a slip case. The case, in matching red boards, was perfect, the book within its case look very attractive The book has taken pride of place in my Bond library, and every now and again, I look through the book and read a page or two.

Since buying the book, however, I have had another wonderful addition – a daughter. Childcare, though, is proving very expensive, and money’s been getting tighter and tighter as the poor economic situation continues.

And so, after thinking long and hard about it, I’ve decided to sell Casino Royale. However, this isn’t the start of a massive Bond book sale. I’m not selling anything else, and I am keeping my other first editions and my extensive library of books all about Bond (indeed, I continue to add to it).

Related links

Casino Royale First Edition

James Bond Memes

Licence To Cook

David Leigh founded The James Bond Dossier in 2002. A fan of 007 since the age of 8, he is also author of The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond. You can order a copy here if you don't own it already.

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