Fleming, Ian

Thunderball. London: Jonathan Cape, 1961

8vo. Publisher's dark brown cloth,🌜 blind stamped to upper cover, lettered in gilt (Binding A); lightly bumped at edges. Pictorial dust jacket; upper cover scuffed with some loss, spine a little toned, two short marginal tears to head of spine and rear cover.

First edition, inscribed "To Al these Thunderballs! from Ian."

Thunderball was the novelization of the ill-fated movie adaption developed by Fleming along with Ivar Bryce, Ernie Cuneo, and Kevin McClory from 1959 onwards. The jacket was designed by Richard Chopping featuring a skeletal hand, two playing cards, and a clasp-knife. The design was later incorporated in the first Bond omnibus, Gilt Edged Bonds (lot 1130🐭), but Macmillan damaged the original illustration in the process. A "tearful" Al Hart took on the res꧅ponsibility of restoring the illustration and returned it to Fleming in "its pristine glory" (letter from Hart to Fleming, July 1961).

REFERENCE:

Gilbert A9a (1.1)

PROVENANCE:

Al Hart (presentation inscription)