Malvern Toy Fair & Book Hunt

This morning I attended the Malvern Vintage & Modern Toy Fair.  Lots of action figures, lots of Star Wars, lots of toy cars... but unfortunately not much James Bond.  This is all I could find:

Sadly nothing grabbed my fancy.

Afterwards I visited Lobos Collectables in Thornbury where I noticed this "Diamonds Are Forever" lobby card.  Not sure if it's from 1971 but I thought it was good value for $15.  It was a difficult decision but I decided against buying it.

The real reason I visited Thornbury was to visit Howard Bolton Bookseller next suburb along in Northcote.  It was my first visit in about a year. 

As soon as I opened the front door Howard was behind his counter cheerfully greeting me.  And his store looked great.  

As usual he had some fine condition Bond paperbacks on his shelves.

I decided to buy two paperbacks.  The Pan "You Only Live Twice" is a paperback 1st and the Triad Panther "Colonel Sun" was in great condition.  Both books look unread.  They will go into my box of paperback doubles.  

I noticed as I was leaving there was a box set of Penguin Ian Fleming titles.  I didn't take a photo but it was this set (which I already have).  I don't see this set available for sale on shelves very often.

Finally I returned to Thornbury to visit Fully Booked.  

I was ready to be met Rallou and her husband Tadhg behind the counter however I forgot Full Booked isn't open on Sundays !  I managed to grab these photos anyway:

I will return to Fully Booked some time in the near future, on a day that does not start with the word "Sun".

Warragul Book Fair 2022

My wife and I have just returned from Warragul in Gippsland.  Warragul, located 100km from Melbourne on the Princes Highway, is primarily known for its dairy produce.  However today we visited for the annual book fair held by the Lions Club.

Entry was gold coin donation with all money going to the local hospital and the Lions Club.  Walking into the hall was a strange feeling due to the lockdowns over the last two years cancelling these type of events.  So it was great to finally have an event like this back and be amongst people and books again.

My wife and I scoured all the tables of books and the only James Bond novel we found was this copy of "Carte Blanche" by Jeffery Deaver.

The Warragul Book Fair continues tomorrow (Sunday).  And in two weeks time (April 9 and 10) the next town along, Yarragon, will also be holding their own book fair to raise money for the local country fire brigade.  We'll be going to that one too and hopefully we'll see you there.

"Licence Renewed" 40th Anniversay Edition

John Gardner's first James Bond adventure "Licence Renewed" had it's 40th anniversary last year and Orion Books celebrated the event by republishing the novel in paperback form.  It also included a new introduction by M. J. Arlidge.  Here in Australia the paperback was said to be available last year in late November however due to the global pandemic and international freight issues I have only just managed to acquire a copy two months, and a new year, later.

I ordered the book through my closest Dymocks Bookstore.  This store shut its doors a few years ago but has since re-opened in a new location near the Rivoli Cinema in Camberwell and I was very happy to spend my money there.  I hope this new store does well.

Something I've never noticed before is how much thicker "Licence Renewed" is compared to the previously re-published Gardner novel "For Special Services" two years ago by Orion.  Here's some photos:

I'm hoping Orion Books continue this John Gardner series of Bond adventures with "Icebreaker" later this year.  No news yet but fingers crossed.

Licence To Thrill

I visited an Op-Shop over the weekend and while rifling through the books I came across a copy of "Licence To Thrill - A Cultural History Of The James Bond Films" by James Chapman.  

I purchased a copy of this paperback when it was first released however this copy is the New Revised Edition.  The other compelling reasons for buying this copy was that it was in great condition and the price tag was just $4.

I also purchased another item from the same store; a copy of "Fawlty Towers" re-mastered on DVD, again for $4.  Ok, at first this doesn't seem Bond related... until you consider the fact that John Cleese appeared in a couple of Pierce Brosnan' Bond films.  I wonder if Cleese would have been better playing "R"/"Q" as Basil Fawlty instead of the comedic character he was forced to portray ?  I guess we'll never know

Piz Gloria Website Celebrates 10th Birthday

Today marks the 10th birthday of PizGloria.com.  There have only been a few additions to this website over the past year but I'm pleased that the website is still visited and referenced by book collectors and James Bond fans alike.  Hopefully with the release of Anthony Horowitz's new Bond novel "With A Mind To Kill" in May 2022 and perhaps another John Gardner reprint ("Icebreaker" ?) there's still more paperbacks to be added.

Some quick stats from Google Analytics about PizGloria.com over the last 10 years:

- There have been 45,601 visits

- Each visitor on average views 6.01 pages (that's 274,062 total page views over the years)

- The average time a visitor spends on the website is 3 minutes and 7 seconds

- The bounce rate is 54.93%.  This is the rate at which visitors leave the website without interacting (I imagine they've found my website and realised it's of no interest to them or they don't have any spare time at that moment to have a look).

I'd like to say thankyou to everyone who has supported my website, visited the website or been in touch with me over the 10 years, and I hope you visit again soon,

Cheers Baz

More Love Found, This Time Online

A few weeks ago I found a Jonathan Cape first edition of Ian Feming's "The Spy Who Loved Me" for sale online.  The hardback was published in 1962 and was one of only 30,000 copies printed.  It also features a really nice dust jacket by Richard Chopping.  For the "Buy It Now" price being asked I couldn't let it go, and the book arrived in the post today just in time for Christmas.

The strange thing is this is the second Jonathan Cape copy of this novel I've purchased in the last five months.  The previous was a 1963 fifth impression purchased in August.  

I'm hoping instead of another "The Spy Who Loved Me" the next Jonathan Cape I purchase is an earlier one in the series, preferably a "Casino Royale" first edition... well we can all dream anyway.

Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone and may you have a successful year of Bond collecting next year.

007 Posters & Film Memorabilia Found

I visited the Chapel Street Bazaar this afternoon and came across a number of nice James Bond related original posters and promos.  If anyone in Melbourne is looking for some last minute Bond gifts this is the place to go.

Australian Daybills

One Sheet Poster

Lobby Cards

Promo Advertisement

Cardboard Cutout

"No Time To Die" With The Family

This afternoon I went to the cinema with my wife, Mum, Dad and brother to see the latest James Bond film and the last starring Daniel Craig.  It's not often we all go to the cinema together but the release of a Bond film is a big event in my family.  We had to show our vaccination passports and it was the first time we'd been to an actual cinema since June.  Afterwards I got everyone to rate the film and add a short comment:

Mum - 4/5 - Very entertaining.

Dad - 4/5 - You can't beat a Bond film.

Wife - 3/5 - Film was a little long but good to be back at the cinema.

Brother - 3.5/5 - Good Bond film, loved the "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" references throughout, good action scenes, interesting ending. But Bond will be back.

My own rating - 4/5 - A very different Bond film and a fitting swansong for Daniel Craig.

Now I will just add a few further notes below which may contain ** VERY MILD SPOILERS **:

Negatives: I found the film a tad long and was disappointed that the villain was introduced late in the film and in my opinion underused.  I was also annoyed at the ease of the death of some SPECTRE agents.

Positives: The continuation and conclusion of the Daniel Craig / Bond arc was great.  I enjoyed the pre-credit sequence.  The main titles harked back to many previous Bond films, most notably for me the "dancing dots" from "Dr. No".  The acting by everyone was great and I think my favourite sequence was the Cuba shoot-out.

Interesting Facts: As far as I recall this is only the second time there's been a flash-back sequence in a Bond film (the first with Bond looking out a window in "OHMSS"), but the first flash-back of a character other than Bond.  The scenes featuring portraits of previous incarnations of "M" linked Daniel Craig's Bond to many previous Bond actors which was fascinating; for instance Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig share the same universe.  And finally, I'm also curious (and excited) now Daniel Craig has left the role how they will continue the series but as it says at the end of the closing titles "JAMES BOND WILL RETURN".

"No Time To Die" (Finally) Released In Oz

Today marks the official release date of "No Time To Die" in Australian cinemas.  The film's release here was delayed, compared to the rest of the world, due to recent Covid outbreaks and lockdowns.  Now as we've reached some major vaccination milestones our cities, and lives, are starting up again.

There were preview screenings earlier in the week but the official screenings began at some venues overnight at 12:01am for the die hard fans.  This is easily the biggest film released in our cinemas since Covid hit us around March 2020.  

The hardest part of our delayed release has been avoiding spoilers and reviews that litter social media and the web.  Fortunately I've only been following Australian James Bond sites and posts about the film as most have followed the #NoTimeForSpoilers standard.

I'm hoping to see the film with my wife, Dad and perhaps even brother over the weekend.  My Mum on the other hand, who has seen all the other Daniel Craig - James Bond films at the cinema, has decided she's not interested in seeing this one just yet.

Fingers crossed Aussies brave public places again and visit the cinemas to make this film a box office success.  The film promises to be a great swansong for the Daniel Craig - James Bond era.

"No Time To Die" Premieres In The UK

Yesterday in the UK the latest James Bond film, "No Time To Die", had its premiere screening in London.  The film has had many postponed release dates due to Covid, and in Australia we still have to wait until November 11 to see Daniel Craig's swansong as Bond.

I've accidentally read some first impressions of the film on Facebook from people who attended the premiere.  Apparently it's excellent.  But now, like many other Aussies, I'm going to try and avoid all social media spoilers, reviews and perhaps even interviews to ensure I enter the cinema open-minded and ready for a new 007 adventure. 

November is looking very exciting in Australia; finally we'll be out of lockdown, be able a visit a local cinema again... and view a new Bond film.

Love Found In Mornington

I visited Mornington again a couple of weeks ago and it turned out to be very fortunate.  First stop was the secondhand store Books By The Bay.

After a bit of a wander through the store I found two Bond paperbacks; a copy of Ian Fleming's "From Russia With Love" and a copy of Anthony Horowitz's "Forever And A Day".

Then after speaking to the store owner, Leonid, I was introduced to a Jonathan Cape copy of "The Spy Who Loved Me".  The hardback was a fifth impression printed in 1963.  There was some slight silverfish damage on the back of the dustjacket but that only momentarily deterred me from purchasing it.

And here's some photos of the book at home.

After bidding farewell I then visited Charter House Secondhand Books, but wasn't as fortunate here with the Bond novels.  I will return again though.