First published in 2012 and having rapidly sold out, this award-winning bibliography is available once more! We caught up with the man behind this exquisite book, Jon Gilbert.
What can readers expect from this new re-print of the bibliography?
The 2017 edition includes occasional new material and there are numerous textual revisions throughout. It is intended to reach the many customers who were unable to secure a copy first time around, rather than replace the earlier book, which now sells for well above the original published price. This means that the bibliography is available once again at the relatively more affordable RRP.
Were there some significant new additions that have come to light?
No, there have not been any major items uncovered since first publication. There are a few jacket variations and binding styles which are included for the first time, but thankfully there were no significant omissions first time around!
Could you tell us about the binding and how long it takes to produce a copy?
To set it aside from the first printing the book is now bound in an elegant ‘Bentley’ green Rayon cloth, as used by Queen Anne Press for their limited edition Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 2014. The production process is considerable; the revised text was submitted to Libanus (the typographers) in August 2016. Typesetting was signed off by the end of November and the sheets were printed by Hampton during December. Copies were bound up in early 2017 and distribution began in late February. The entire process took five months.
Jon Gilbert (photo:www.harringtonbooks.co.uk)
Tell us where your interest in Fleming’s work came from and how your career journey progressed.
This is covered in detail in the introduction to the Bibliography. In brief, I have always enjoyed the James Bond films and in my teens was an avid reader of the novels. As a dealer in rare books at Adrian Harrington Ltd I have been fortunate enough to handle a wealth of unusual Fleming material and supply major collections around the globe.
My bookshop held signing events for the James Bond novelist Raymond Benson in the late 90s, where I first met the late great Peter Janson-Smith (Fleming’s literary agent), his fellow directors of the Ian Fleming Foundation and the fantastic staff at Ian Fleming Publications.
Are there other projects in the works that Fleming fans can anticipate?
A monograph ‘Collecting Ian Fleming’, has just appeared in the special number of The Book Collector, Spring 2017 and will soon be published in a hardcover edition by Queen Anne Press. I continue to curate the Ian Fleming Bibliographical Archive and document this important collection for future publication.
Incidental Intelligence
The price remains at £175 with slipcases £35. To order a copy please contact our distributors Adrian Harrington Books.
The Bibliography covers every aspect of Ian Fleming’s writing, from the manuscript stage, through typescripts, uncorrected proofs, advance and review copies, first and subsequent impressions, paperback printings, omnibus and collected editions, as well as periodical appearances, comic strip adaptations, young reader and large print editions published in Britain and America. Apart from the fourteen Bond novels there are sections covering Fleming’s non-fiction works, The Diamond Smugglers and Thrilling Cities, his book for children Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, as well as his lesser known articles, essays and contributions. Each main entry includes an engaging narrative on the conception, editorial process and marketing of the book, complemented by a full list of sources. Biographical notes of many of Fleming’s friends and colleagues are provided, along with a chronology of the author’s life.
Artistic Licence Renewed 