Virtual Meeting Surprise

I was involved in a virtual meeting the other day and noticed one of my workmates, who was working from home, had a 007 logo on the wall behind him.

After he'd finished talking I asked him about the poster and he moved his camera to show the whole sheet.  It featured a compilation of all the James Bond movie posters up to "Quantum Of Solace".  He explained he bought the poster after visiting the "Designing 007 Exhibition" at the Melbourne Museum back in 2013 (which I also attended).

After the meeting concluded my workmate said he'd send a photo... and here it is.  Thanks mate.

The James Bond Collection Boxset

In 2019, Arcturus Publishing Group in the UK released a set of five Ian Fleming - James Bond titles for the Canadian market.  I managed to purchase these five books last year however the set also came with a slipcase which had evaded me.  A few weeks ago a friend of mine in New Zealand, John F, messaged saying he'd acquired a spare set of these books still in its slipcase and asked if I wanted to buy it from him.  The set arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago.

I'm still unclear on the logic behind the five titles included in the set as Ian Fleming's James Bond novels were published annually.  The original publication dates of these five novels are: 1953 ("Casino Royale"), 1954 ("Live And Let Die"), 1957 ("From Russia, With Love"), 1959 ("Goldfinger") and 1961 ("Thunderball") so as you can see they're pretty random titles.  Perhaps they were deemed the most iconic Bond titles, or perhaps the favourite five of the person who was asked to select them.  Who knows ?

But it's the slipcase I was really after, and it looks pretty cool.  Among the images there's even the silhouette of Daniel Craig from the "Casino Royale" film poster of 2006.

Here's a couple more photos of the boxset:

And finally, here's the ISBN for anyone else trying to hunt down this set: 9781789506624. Thanks again John, much appreciated.

Drive-In Bond Cardboard Standup

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I visited a drive-in cinema with some friends.  

While waiting for the film to start we visited the diner for some snacks and noticed this "No Time To Die" cardboard standup.  Sure the release date was wrong, but to be perfectly honest does anyone know the release date of this James Bond film anymore ?!

Mornington Secondhand Bookshops Visit

Last week I visited Books By The Bay on the Esplanade in Mornington.  Over time I've discovered that this store always has James Bond novels on the shelves and the stock seems to change often.  Today there were nine Ian Fleming titles and six of those were published by Pan Books in the 1960's.  Sure, not pristine copies, but still how could you really complain when they're over 50 years old !  There were also several continuation author titles too so this place is definitely worth a visit if you're a Bond bibiophile.  

There aren't many towns with two second hand book stores nowadays, but Mornington is the exception.  Located on Barkly Street just off the main strip, Chapter House Books sells modern second hand books, many from the U.S..  Unusually there were no Bond novels on the shelves today but I'll be sure to visit again soon.

Finally, while not a second hand book store, I also visited Farrell's Bookshop located on Main Street.  This excellent store sells quality books across a wide range of categories.  I always find an interesting book calling my name on the shelves.

James Bond In Echuca

My parents are currently holidaying in the town of Echuca which sits on the banks of the Murray River separating Victoria and New South Wales.  Today they kindly visited Read Heeler Bookshop on High Street for me.

Inside the store the shelves held three Ian Fleming - James Bond novels, all hardbacks.  Two were Book Club Editions of "Diamonds Are Forever" released in the 1960's, unfortunately sans dust jackets.

The third was an Ian Fleming omnibus containing two titles: "Dr. No" and "From Russia, With Love".  I believe this edition was published by Chancellor Press in 1984 and used to feature a dust jacket with an image of Ursula Andress as Honey Rider from the 1962 film "Dr. No".

No books for me today but thanks to my parents for visiting anyway.  Better luck next time and I hope you both enjoy the rest of your holiday on this Mother's Day weekend.

Rainy Day Books Visit(s)

Three weeks ago, on the same weekend as my visit to Grant's Bookshop and Bound Words, I also visited Rainy Day Books in The Basin.  The owner, Meryll, recognised me immediately I entered the store and told me she had plenty of James Bond books available.

I hadn't visited Rainy Day Books in at least a year so it was good to catch up with Meryll and find out how she'd been doing.  Her store was fortunate to survive lockdown through online sales.

There were several Bond paperbacks on the shelves...

But the majority were in plastic containers near the front door.  They were part of her husband's extensive James Bond collection.  I started going through the titles and one paperback in particular drew my attention, a Triad Grafton edition of Ian Fleming's "Moonraker".  It was in excellent condition and I put it aside.

Another container held hardbacks and tarot cards released to accompany the film "Live And Let Die".  I took some photos of these and as it was so unusual to see a collection like this for sale in one store I suggested to Meryll she display them on a shelf to increase her chances of selling them.  

I was pushed for time (my wife was still sitting in the car outside) so I had to end my visit.  After half an hour of driving toward Cheltenham I realised I'd forgotten the copy of "Moonraker".  

Rainy Day Books - Day 2: Meryll's first words as I entered the store again were "You came to check up on me did you ?" and she pointed to the Fleming hardbacks she'd organised on the shelf.  They looked great.

I quickly found the copy of "Moonraker", paid for it and said my goodbyes again.  Two visits in one weekend was unusual after such a long absence.

Vintage And Modern Toy Fair Returns

Today I visited the Vintage and Modern Toy Fair at the Malvern Town Hall.  It's the first time this event has been held in over a year.  Entry was staggered due to Covid restrictions and there were less stalls than normal, but the event was really well organised and plenty of people attended.

I searched the stalls for Bond collectables, and while I didn't take any photos I found a set of "Die Another Day" movie cards and a couple of Corgi Aston Martin DB5's cars with boxes (repro boxes ?  Not sure).

It was exciting to attend a collectables fair again after all the lockdowns, and this one which occurs several times a year should definitely be marked on the calendar of every Victorian toy collector.

Long Time Between Visits

Three weeks ago I drove to Grant's Bookshop in Cheltenham.  I hadn't visited Grant's since 2019, prior to Covid.  Grant's have hundreds of fine books in their warehouse premises, and that always includes Bond novels.

I was greeted with a friendly welcome as I entered the building and after asking about Bond novels was taken to a cabinet containing two Ian Fleming - Jonathan Cape firsts: "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball".  They looked great.

In the next room I found some cheaper Bond hardbacks as well as these paperbacks near the floor.

Plenty of Bond novels for sale, but unfortunately no purchases from me today.

My next visit was to Bound Words in Hampton, another store I hadn't visited in over a year.  I was anticipating walking into the store, seeing Ailsa sitting behind the front counter working on her computer.  She would then notice me and say "Hi.  We haven't received any new James Bond books recently but feel free to have a look anyway".   But today was different.  Sadly in my absence Bound Words bookstore was no more, replaced by a kids clothing store.

Here's a couple of photos of Bound Words from a few years ago: