The book also picked up a printers error on page 34 ('neard' for 'heard'). Pat Marriott designed an all new dust jacket (featuring a playing card against a green background) for Cape's fourth printing in November 1957. You'll sometimes see these listed as a 'First Edition, Second Impression', but don't be fooled into paying a 'first edition' price. This second edition can sell for several hundred dollars. Also, a favorable review of the book was added to the front dust jacket overleaf. This second edition is identical to the first except for the indicator 'Second Edition' on the copyright page and the inclusion of 'The Author' under Fleming’s picture on the back of the dust jacket. In order to meet demand, Cape quickly published a second edition of Casino Royale in May 1953. Also, beware of color copies of the dust jackets, which have begun to appear on the market in recent years. But without a jacket, a seller would be lucky to get even a few hundred dollars.

With a jacket, a first Casino can indeed fetch these large prices. Know that the dust jacket is everything with this title. An inscribed copy of Casino Royale sold for just over $40,000 in 2007. Heck, it's one of the most sought after first edition books, period! Because the first print run was very small - with many going to libraries - in auction, first editions of Casino Royale can sell for $10,000 to $30,000 depending on condition (I realize that is quite a spread, but that is how much condition matters with this book). This first edition of Casino Royale is one of the most sought-after James Bond books. Fleming himself designed the dust jacket art, which contained nine bleeding hearts on a gunmetal gray background with 'a whisper of love, a whisper of hate' inscribed around the center heart. In England the first printing of 4,750 copies sold out in the first month of publication. When Ian Fleming's Casino Royale was first published by Jonathan Cape on April 13, 1953, it was a sensation. No matter what any 'expert' says (myself included), a book is only worth what someone is willing to pay and no one can say for sure what a book will or will not sell for. Author’s note: Values here are estimates based on experience and are only meant to be a guide.

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