Here is a post with a slight difference. And, yes, there’s still a movie memorabilia connection…..

This is a selection of vintage James Bond paperbacks by Ian Fleming, as collected by my late father. I’m not sure if he ever read them (he certainly could not remember doing so), but these date back to 1961 so have been in the family for a long time. They are not first editions, sadly, but still vintage UK copies from Pan Books, and the illustrated covers (by an artist named Pat Owen) pre-date the first of the Bond movies.

The Thunderball cover, which is from slightly later in the 60s, has a neat twist – it comes with two die-cut bullet holes in the front! By this time, the franchise’s lead character took top billing, as you can see from the copy of The Spy Who Loved Me, which is from the same edition.

The On Her Majesty’s Secret Service cover is from 1969, and was released as a tie-in with the movie, hence the photo of George Lazenby as Bond which is similar to (although not exactly the same as) one of the US one-sheet posters.

Now, a confession: I’ve not read any of these books. Actually, that’s a lie – I tried reading both Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only years ago when the respective films came out to see how different they were to the movies (neither of which kept much of the books bar the occasional character name or reference). But I must admit I couldn’t get into them. I think my image of James Bond has been so defined by the movies that it is difficult for me to put that aside and read Fleming’s original stories with fresh eyes. I would however like to try again sometime.

These old paperbacks are quite collectible, but I have no intention of parting with them, so at some point hopefully I will sit down and actually read them!