Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Keep Hunting For Those Gems

When considering purchasing Ian Fleming first edition Bond novels most people would go straight to the web.  And I have to say I'm guilty of purchasing many books on-line.  However it's important to still keep visiting the little second-hand book store or op shop just around the corner.

Case in point are three Jonathan Cape hardbacks I purchased over the Christmas holiday period.  All three books shown below were found in op shops and second-hand book stores for less than AU $25 each.  Two are Ian Fleming first editions and the third is a 1963 reprint of "All Night At Mr Stanyhurst's" by Hugh Edwards with an introduction by Ian Fleming.

"The Man With The Golden Gun" is ex-library with the usual markings inside.  There is also a square mark on the back of the dust jacket, so it's definitely not perfect.  However for $25 I thought it wasn't too bad for a book released in 1965.

"Octopussy And The Living Daylights" was purchased for $20 and is in extremely good condition for another book almost 50 years old.  I think I now have four copies of this hardback, and this is close to being my best copy.

I've been searching for a copy of "All Night At Mr Stanyhurst's" for several years now.  Obviously the only link with Bond is the intro by Ian Fleming, but it's one of those items I've always wanted in my collection. So I was rapt when I found this copy.

So in summary, don't forget to keep visiting those second-hand book stores and op shops... because there are still gems to be found if you look carefully enough.

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