Beschreibung:

IAN FLEMING DR NO. LONDON: JONATHAN CAPE, 1958 8vo, FIRST EDITION, FIRST IMPRESSION, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR to his Eton school friend ("To | Phillip, | In exchange for | many favours. | Affectionately | Ian") on front free endpaper, original black cloth, lettered in silver, design to upper cover in brown (Gilbert's second state binding), DUST-JACKET, collector's black cloth chemise with black morocco-backed slipcase Philip Brownrigg was one of Fleming's old friends from Eton. He had been an editor at the Sunday Graphic before joining de Beers, the diamond merchants. As noted by Pearson, "..as a senior executive of de Beers [Brownrigg] enjoyed the entree to that curiously closed society of the London diamond market" (see John Pearson The Life of Ian Fleming London, 1966, p. 250). It was, therefore, through Brownrigg that Fleming gained access to a number of contacts connected to the illicit diamond trade. These contacts (including Peter Sillitoe, former head of MI5) assisted Fleming in his research for both Diamonds are Forever (1956) and also his non-fiction work The Diamond Smugglers (1957). See also lots 51 and 59. LITERATURE: Gilbert A6a (1.3) PROVENANCE: The Library of Philip Brownrigg; Sotheby's, 11 December 1997, lot 272Condition Reportminor spotting to edges and endpapers, dust-jacket slightly fadedd on spine with some creases and extremities rubbed, some light soiling to lower panel with minor tears and minor nicks The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The