Fleming (Ian) Goldfinger, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author "To Lionel, Something more to read! From Ian" on endpaper, light spotting to endpaper and fore-edge, original blind-stamp and gilt pictorial boards, very slight bumping to spine tips, else fine, dust-jacket, very slight toning to spine, minor chipping to spine tips and corners with neat tape repairs to verso, light creasing to head, light marking to lower panel, an excellent example overall, preserved in custom morocco-backed drop-back box, 8vo, 1959.

⁂ An excellent example with a charming inscription and a good association of this key James Bond title. Seemingly one of the scarcest titles to fine inscribed.

The recipient was Lionel Berry, 2nd Viscount Kemsley (1909-99), a politician and newspaper editor. His father, the 1st Viscount Kemsley, had given Fleming his first job as a journalist when he employed him as the Foreign Manager for the Kemsley newspaper group. It was this role, with its contracted three month break every winter to allow Fleming to holiday in Jamaica, that gave Fleming the opportunity to writer the planned spy novel that would become Casino Royale.