6 replies to this topic

[zerominus]

I've only ever seen paperback copies of The Spy Who Loved Me but recently read online that Fleming had written an intro that appeared in the first hardback edition (and not later editions) and that an intro supposedly by Vivienne Michel appeared in the first UK Book Club hardback.

Not having my paperback copy to hand, can anyone tell me if the Vivienne intro appears in the paperbacks? If it did not, would anyone care to share the intro from the Book Club hardback - or point me in the direction of somewhere it appears online?

As an aside, does anyone know why the UK paperback is by far the most common of all the UK first printings? If anything it's much trickier to find 2nd or 3rd prints with the 1st printing cover art.

[Qwerty]

TO MY READERS:

I found what follows lying on my desk one morning.

As you will see, it appears to be a first-person story of a young woman, evidently beautiful and not unskilled in the arts of love.

According to her story, she appears to have been involved, both perilously and romantically, with the same James Bond whose secret-service exploits I myself have written from time to time.

With the manuscript was a note signed "Vivienne Michel," assuring me that what she has writte was purest truth and from the depths of her heart.

I was much interested in this view of James Bond, through the wrong end of the telescope, so to speak, and, after obtaining clearance for certain minor infringements of the Official Secrets Act, I have much pleasure in sponsoring its publication.

IAN FLEMING

The introduction is included in the US Signet paperback printing, but not the UK Pan.

As for why this particular UK Pan 1st is easy to find, I can only guess that it was a larger print run than normal since it was quite some time until this particular Bond book arrived in paperback (UK 1st HB in 1962, UK PB didn't debut until 1967).

[zerominus]

Thanks Qwerty. I did read somewhere that in addition to Fleming's introduction, that the UK Book Club edition had a different intro, supposedly written by Vivienne. Can anyone verify this or share what the other intro consisted of?

[Mark_Hazard]

Vivienne Michel writes: the spy who loved me was called James Bond, and the night on which he loved me was a night of screaming terror in the Dreamy Pines Motor Court in the Adirondacks in the north of New York State.
This is the story of who I am and how I came, through a nightmare of torture and the threat of rape and death, to a dawn of ecstasy. It's all true - absolutely. Otherwise Ian Fleming would not have risked his professioanl reputation in acting as my co-author and persuading Jonathan Cape's to be my publishers. He has also kindly obtained clearance for certain minor breaches of the Official Secrets Act that were necessary to my story.

This forward is shown in both my Book Club and Jonathan Cape (7th - 1965) copies.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Neither, unfortunately, is included in the Penguin/Fahey versions...

[Mark_Hazard]

Just grabbed a Triad Granada edition from 1982 (2nd) off my book shelf and the version I quoted above (Cape & Book Club) is included. They omitted it from the later Coronet copy I managed to check.

[[dark]]

Anyone know why Fleming's introduction was dropped from subsequent reprints?