"What do you intend to do with those diamonds": First Edition of Ian Fleming's Diamonds Are Forever; Signed by Sean Connery, Shirley Bassey and John Barry
London: Jonathan Cape, 1956.
First edition of the fourth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, inscribed to two-time Oscar winner Leslie Bricusse by Sean Connery, Shirley Bassey and John Barry. Octavo, bound by in full crushed levant morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, raised bands, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Association copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "With love Shirley Bassey" "John Barry". Best wishes Sean Connery. Leslie Bricusse has neatly written in black ink and underlined in red ink Shirley Bassey (singer of title song), John Barry (Composer), Sean Connery (James Bond). The recipient, Leslie Bricusse was a celebrated British composer, lyricist, and playwright known for his work on theater musicals and film theme music. Some of his most notable contributions include writing the music and lyrics for films such as
Doctor Dolittle, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Scrooge, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and
Tom and Jerry: The Movie. He also co-wrote the iconic James Bond film songs "Goldfinger" and "You Only Live Twice". Additionally, Bricusse co-wrote "Can You Read My Mind? (Love Theme from Superman)" with John Williams for Superman and "Le Jazz Hot!" with Henry Mancini for
Victor/Victoria.
Sir Sean Connery was a renowned actor, best known as the first actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond on film. He starred in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Connery originated the role in Dr. No (1962) and continued with From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). He made his final appearance as Bond in Never Say Never Again (1983). Dame Shirley Bassey is a celebrated singer renowned for her powerful voice, career longevity, and her performance of theme songs for three James Bond films, making her the only artist to do so. Born in Cardiff, Bassey began performing as a teenager in 1953. In 1959, she became the first Welsh person to achieve a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. Over the following decades, she accumulated 27 Top 40 hits in the UK, including two number-one singles ("As I Love You" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain/Reach For The Stars") and a number one on the Dance Chart ("History Repeating"). Bassey is best known for recording the iconic theme songs for the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). She remains one of the most popular vocalists in Britain. John Barry Prendergast OBE was an acclaimed English composer and conductor of film music. Born in York, Barry spent his early years working in cinemas owned by his father. During his national service with the British Army in Cyprus, he began performing as a musician after learning to play the trumpet. After completing his national service, he formed a band in 1957 called the John Barry Seven. Barry's interest in composing and arranging music led to his television debut in 1958. Barry's association with the James Bond film series began when the makers of the first James Bond film, Dr. No, were dissatisfied with the theme provided by Monty Norman. Noel Rogers, the head of music at United Artists, approached Barry, which started a successful 25-year collaboration with the Bond series. Barry composed the scores for eleven James Bond films between 1963 and 1987 including Diamonds are Forever and Goldfinger, and he arranged and performed the iconic "James Bond Theme" for the series' first film, Dr. No (1962). Gibert A4a (i.i.). DB 05933. In fine condition. An exceptional example, most rare and desirable signed.
Diamonds are Forever was first published by Jonathan Cape in March 1956, and the first printing quickly sold 12,500 copies. These sales expanded further when Prime Minister Anthony Eden visited Fleming's Jamaican Goldeneye estate (Lindner, 2009). Of course, the sales are owed mostly to the novel's suspenseful plot and themes. The dust cover of the first edition can, in some sense, be seen an allusion to these themes. On Diamonds are Forever, designed by Pat Marriot, we see a tame image of an elegant woman wearing a large diamond. Towards the end of the novel, Fleming writes "Death is forever. But so are diamonds." Diamonds are metaphorical for death, and Bond is death's messenger because he carries the diamonds from London to New York. This is reflective of the immense novelty diamonds had to the British populous at that time (Benson, 1988). The Observer would write, "[Bond is] one of the most cunningly synthesised heroes in crime-fictionMr. Fleming's method is worth noting, and recommending: he does not start indulging in his wilder fantasies until he has laid down a foundation of factual description." It was the basis for the 1971 film bearing the same name directed by Guy Hamilton starring Sean Connery, Jill St. John and Charles Gray.
