Visit To Dymocks Melbourne

The team at my work had an early Christmas lunch today in the City.  Afterwards I had some time to visit the Dymocks Melbourne store.  

I had a search in the Fiction and Crime/Thriller categories but couldn't find any of the new Raymond Benson, Vaseem Khan or Kim Sherwood novels featuring James Bond characters.  I've heard Kim's second novel from her Double O Series is having a second paperback printing, but it appears the other two novels haven't made it from the UK yet.  

There were still plenty of Ian Fleming novels though, including the latest hardbacks from Ian Fleming Publications which I haven't seen on Australian shelves before.

There were also a couple of film related books about Bond as well as the latest edition of John Pearson's "James Bond - The Authorised Biography".

It's great to see so much Bond on Aussie shelves at the moment with more to come.

And finally, a couple of photos of the soon to be opened Metro tunnel:

Raymond Benson And James Bond Are Back !!!

Raymond Benson wrote six James Bond novels from 1997 to 2003, plus three film novelisations.  Many consider his interpretation of Bond an update for a new generation of readers.

22 years later Raymond has re-entered the Bond literary world with a new novel titled "The Hook And The Eye" featuring the character Felix Leiter originally created by Ian Fleming.

Last week I received a copy of this novel signed by the author himself.  The book was published by Ian Fleming Publications and generously sent from the U.K. by another Bond book collector, Peter C.

Another paperback with a really interesting cover design (plus a great bookmark) to add to my collection.  And the reviews I've seen online from people who've already read the novel have been very positive too.  Let's hope this is the first of many Felix Leiter novels from Raymond Benson, and I think it's great to have him back.

Second Time Lucky

In January of this year I found a copy of a book for sale online I'd been hunting for several years.  Prior to handing over my credit card number I'd studied the photos and asked the seller the usual questions: Any inscriptions?  What's the spine like?  Is it ex-library?  Needless to say the copy they'd promised was not the copy that arrived...

... and luckily they offered me a full refund.

Fast forward to last month and I finally found another copy for sale.  It arrived a week ago and upon opening the well packed parcel I discovered there were no library stamps this time!

Published in the U.K. by Mammoth Books, "As Good As Gold" was written by Dave Morris in 1993.  It was released to coincide with the James Bond Jr. cartoon series on TV screens at the time.

There were several other children's books published featuring this character in the early 1990's.  All are included on PizGloria.com but this is the only "Choose Your Own Adventure" type book released.

Here's the two copies I now own, however the ex-library placeholder on the left can go now.

For further details I created this new page on my website.  Apart from colouring books I believe I now have all the James Bond Jr. books ever published.

"Quantum Of Menace" Released Tomorrow

Tomorrow, October 23rd, is the official release date for Vaseem Khan's "Quantum Of Menace".  This is the latest official novel in what is becoming a very popular literary world... the James Bond universe.

I received this hardback edition just a few days ago and I think it looks great.  The dust-jacket is really catching and I especially like the graphics on the spine.

I feel the novel itself is an interesting concept with the main character being Major Boothroyd (aka "Q"), the man who provides the gadgets to Bond in the movies.  According to the blurb on the front of the dust-jacket "Q is out of MI6... and in over his head".

I haven't had a chance to start reading yet, however the reviews I've seen online have been very positive, with another fellow Australian who acquired an early copy even commenting that he "will probably read it again" !

German Phoenix Shocker Series

Just two months ago my wife were on holiday in Berlin, Germany.  Sadly while there we didn't manage to visit any secondhand book stores.  So to my wife's frustration upon returning from overseas I then purchased a number of German language books online.  

 

I've always liked the Phoenix Shocker series of paperbacks published in Germany in the late 1960's and early 1970's.  There are twelve books in this series; eleven written by Ian Fleming and one by Kinsley Amis.  Most features Sean Connery's likeness on the covers.

I had already acquired several titles in the series, but my copy of "Colonel Sun" was badly damaged when I purchased it, two other covers were browned and one title was missing.  I managed to find the book I was missing, plus was able to replace the covers that had browned with age.  The seller of all these books, a very helpful Fred F., was even able to purchase a great copy of "Colonel Sun" for me from Switzerland.  So now I have the complete set of these books.

Here's the books I acquired:

And this is the copy of "Colonel Sun" I replaced.  The copy on the left was published in 1970 and has damage to the bottom of the cover.  My new copy on the right was published in 1969 and is in perfect condition.   Apart from the differing publication years I also noticed the red sprayed pages only appear on the 1969 edition on the right.  This matches the rest of the series which also has red sprayed edges, except on the bottom edge.

Finally, here's a link to the the complete series on the Piz Gloria website.

A Parcel Awaits...

Upon returning from Europe I was pleased to find a parcel awaiting me.  

Inside was an "advance reader's edition" of Kim Sherwood's "Double Or Nothing".  The book was published by William Morrow in the U.S. in April 2023.

Seven weeks before our flight, I discovered this book for sale online.   Through much communication, and a great friend in America, I was able to get the book redirected from the seller to my friend and then to me in Australia.  Since when did purchasing books from the U.S. become so complicated ?!

This is the fourth proof edition I now own from Kim Sherwood's "Double O" series of books set in the James Bond universe.  All of the covers can be found on the Proof Copies page of PizGloria.com.

European Holiday 2025 - Hong Kong

Sadly (for my wife and I) our European holiday is nearing its conclusion.  After departing Heathrow Airport in the UK yesterday we've now arrived in Hong Kong for a three night layover before returning to our home in Australia.

Our hotel is on the mainland with a view of Victoria Harbour and the amazing island City skyline.

On the double-decker bus from the airport to our hotel we drove past Chung Hwa Bookstore in Yaumatei.  I couldn't grab my phone in time so here's some photos from the internet.  This was the only book store we saw in Hong Kong and I really wish I could have visited.  However with just a two day layover, part of which was spent catching up on sleep to adjust to the time difference, we really didn't have time to book hunt. 

So no new books found in Hong Kong.  That means for our entire holiday, which ends today, the final book tally is one Italian paperback of Ian Fleming's "You Only Live Twice" from Sorrento, and two copies of Kim Sherwood's "A Spy Like Me", one paperback and the other hardback, from London... and one even signed by the author.  I've since scanned the paperback cover of "A Spy Like Me" and added it to the website.

For the last time on this holiday, here's some photos:

Travelling on the Peak Tram funicular 

View from the peak

Inside Kowloon Walled City Park

Buildings near the aforementioned park

Street at night

Terracotta warrior and chariot at the Museum Of History