Thrilling Cities

Jonathan Cape, 1963. Octavo. Original green wrappers with the publisher's device repeated in white, spine and front wrapper lettered in black, half-title present (omitted from some proof copies). Housed in a custom grey cloth box. Slightly rubbed at extremities, some minor staining, minor creasing to spine, some folds to corners; a very good copy. Uncorrected proof and one of two author-corrected proofs of Thrilling Cities. This proof is the earlier of two proof variants; thinner and bound without the suite of plates, it was retained by the publisher. The other author-corrected copy was kept by Fleming and subsequently acquired by the Lilly Library, Indiana University, together with the author's manuscripts. This copy, previously in the collection of Jonathan Cape director Tom Maschler, includes the author's own corrections and annotations throughout in blue ink. The upper cover is boldly marked "author's proof please return". Corrections range from grammatical adjustments to line changes, as well as an annotation to the author's note, indicating the inclusion of "a man named 'C.D.', who pulled the trigger". This refers to Sir Charles Denis Hamilton, the then-editor of the Sunday Times, where this text first appeared, and a dedicatee of the published book. This copy includes the half-title, which was omitted from some proof copies (64 half-titles were printed although 175 set of sheets were issued). This copy is from the significant Ian Fleming collection of Martin Schøyen (b.1940), with his bookplate. Schøyen's private collection of manuscripts, which span all cultures and all time periods, is one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. Gilbert A16a, pages 477-8; The Schøyen Collection No. 190.