The first of The James Bond novels – Casino Royale was published in 1953 and the literary franchise as it is often referred to is one of the most successful the mid 20th century.
The protagonist codenamed 007 with a license to kill fetches up in exotic locations, fighting off ruthless villains and bedding beautiful women.
Only 4,750 copies were printed and one lucky woman found a copy in a car boot sale for ÂŁ1. She went on to auction the book for more than ÂŁ10,000. The woman said she had no idea of the value of the book and only bought it because of the love hearts design on the cover.
A heavy smoker and drinker, Ian Fleming died of heart disease aged just 56 in 1964.
Although he didn’t do well academically at Eton, he excelled at athletics and edited a school magazine. His lifestyle led to conflict with his housemaster, E. V. Slater, who disapproved of Fleming’s attitude, his hair oil, his ownership of a car and his relations with women. He left Eton early to go to Sandhurst Royal Military College. He spent less than a year there, leaving in 1927 without gaining a commission, after contracting gonorrhea.
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