16 replies to this topic

[RossMan]

I've seen signed Gardner books ranging from $50-$120, at abebooks.com a set of all the Benson books, including novilizations, was being sold for $490 so my question is:
Does anyone have any idea how valuable first edition Flemings would be. I've seen unsigned copies at a couple thousand dollars. I'm sure just one autographed Fleming would be a nice little fortune.

[zencat]

Blue Eyes (30 Sep, 2001 06:37 a.m.):
You have a fairly extensive literary collection Zencat, do you have any book signed by Fleming at all?

I do. I have one of the limited editions of OHMSS signed by Fleming. Mine is #33 of a print run of 250. Very nice. I also have a couple Ian Fleming letters.

[Blue Eyes]

Good Lord Zencat! I hope you have a very good safe. You must be very proud of all those!

[zencat]

Believe it or not, just today I saw a copy of YOLT at a book show -- it was signed by Fleming to "the REAL James Bond" (the ornatholigist). I believe the price was somewhere around $24,000.00 US.

[zencat]

Glenn (12 Nov, 2001 03:43 p.m.):
Zencat, have you received my email yet?  The first one that I sent bounced!

No, I never got it! Are you sure you're typing my email correctly, [email protected] (some people forget the middle "c" -- two "cc"'s - john-c-cox) You can also try [email protected]

[Glenn]

Zencat, have you received my email yet? The first one that I sent bounced!

[Blue Eyes]

Would you mind posting the image here as well Glenn? I'd be interested to see it.

[Glenn]

No problem, I'll do that tomorrow since I am now in work and the image is on my home pc

[Glenn]

Zencat, I have now sent it to both of your addresses. The first address did have two 'c's. I've no idea why it bounced.

Daniel, I have also sent you a copy.

[Glenn]

I do. I have one of the limited editions of OHMSS signed by Fleming. Mine is #33 of a print run of 250. Very nice. I also have a couple Ian Fleming letters.

Hi, I've just joined this site, and finally I have found somebody who also has the signed copy of OHMSS. I have had a hard time finding out if the book is authentic or not. Mine is black (no dust jacket) with silver ski tracks on the cover. Inside on the first page is the signature with the number 63. I found this book in a second hand book shop in Holland where it was priced at 10 gulders (about 3.50 GBP). I at first thought that somebody had signed when they had bought it (I took the 63 to mean that was the year purchased (and when the book was published)). It was only when I saw the copyright page that I almost jumped up and down with joy. I quickly purchased the book and checked on the internet how much it would be worth. I found another copy in NY and it was priced at 16,000 USD!!!!

Zencat, if I scan the signature in and send it to you, will you then confirm for me if it is genuine or not?

Glenn

[Mister Asterix]

[quote]zencat (30 Sep, 2001 05:21 p.m.):
I do. I have one of the limited editions of OHMSS signed by Fleming. Mine is #33 of a print run of 250. Very nice. I also have a couple Ian Fleming letters.[/quote]

I saw one of these on eBay a few months back it went for a ridiculously low price of somewhere around $270US. Having seen one listed at a collectors' bookstore site for $8,500US, I e-mailed the winner of the eBay auction and told her of the $8,500 price. She replied that the copy she had won was not signed. Weren't all of these signed? (I suspect that she had not received the book yet and was in for a pleasant surprise when she did.)

It did contain the text:
[quote]FIRST PUBLISHED 1963
© 1963 BY GLIDROSE PRODUCTIONS LTD
---== <

[zencat]

Glenn (26 Oct, 2001 10:07 a.m.):
Zencat, if I scan the signature in and send it to you, will you then confirm for me if it is genuine or not?

Glenn

Absolutely. (My email address is [email protected].) But from your description you seem to have a genuine limited edition OHMSS. If it's signed, it's signed by Fleming. As far as I know, ALL of them were signed (this is what made them special). It would be very strange to find one without a signature. Congratulations on the find of a lifetime!

[Glenn]

Thanks, Zencat. I'll get that scanned in this weekend and send it to you.

Glenn

[Glenn]

Okay, I was going to get it scanned in this weekend but my brother's scanner (I don't won one) has decided to give up the ghost and die this weekend. It will have to wait for another week.

By the by, I made a mistake in my first post. The US dollar price for OHMSS was $8000, in Dutch gulders that is fl 16000.

[Glenn]

Okay, so I was going to get the signature page scanned in this weekend, but my brother's scanner (I don't own one) has decided to die just when I needed it. Now I'll have to wait a week before I can scan it in work.

By the by, I made a mistake in my first post when I said that I saw OHMSS for $16000. It was $8000 which is 16000 Dutch gulders.

[scaramanga]

Another question came to mind: about this 'frontispiece portrait by Amherst Villiers'. What the heck was that? And is this the same Amherst Villiers who designed and built the supercharger for Fleming's (and Bond's) Bentley?

It is the same Amherst Villiers who built Bond's supercharger for his Bentley. Amherst Villiers was a personal friend of Ian Fleming and kindly produced the portrait of Ian. Notice on Gardner's early hardbacks there is a picture of John standing in front of that very portrait.

[Blue Eyes]

You have a fairly extensive literary collection Zencat, do you have any book signed by Fleming at all?