First Edition Copy of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale and More Fine Manuscripts from Christie’s

In Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, the codename M refers to the head of MI6 (the British Secret Intelligence Service). Though there are a few people who may have served as the inspiration for M, the most likely is Admiral John Godfrey, who was Fleming’s superior at the Naval Intelligence Department. Fleming also visited the Estoril Casino in Portugal with Godfrey, and this visit inspired his novel Casino Royale. A first edition, first impression copy of this novel is up for bid in the Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts auction at Christie’s. Though it is uncertain to whom the book was actually signed, the author’s inscription reads: “To M, these pages from my memoirs! Ian.”

Other books in the auction include an early, single-edition copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a complete set of Sir Isaac Newton’s contributions to the Royal Society’s Philosophical Transactions, which features his new Theory of Light, an early complete set of the novels of Jane Austen, and more. Beyond books, there is also the personal rosary beads of John F. Kennedy, a signed photograph of Robert E. Lee, and a framed signature from Alexander Hamilton. View any of these lots and register to bid on Christie’s website.