First edition, first impression in an exceptionally bright jacket. Fleming (1908-1964) finished Casino Royale over the period of two months in early 1952, while at Goldeneye, his “tropical hideaway on Jamaica’s north shore” (Gilbert, p. 16). According to Gilbert, Fleming finished the novel quickly because “he was a seasoned journalist”, but also because many plot elements sprung from either Fleming’s imagination or his memories of wartime adventures. Published in April 1953, the book was a success and Fleming would thereafter use “his Caribbean holidays to write a James Bond story every year until his premature death in 1964″ (ODNB).
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