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  1. "James Bond's" Collection Of Fleming Books Up For Auction

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-09-01
    Ian Fleming's 'Thunderball'

    Ian Fleming’s Thunderball

    A collection of Ian Fleming first editions once owned by a man labeled as being a real-life James Bond are going up for auction this week.

    The Telegraph reports that a collection of 007 novels owned by Sir Fitzroy Maclean, a lifelong friend of Fleming, are expected to sell for more than £20,000.

    Maclean was a founder member of the SAS and trusted friend of Sir Winston Churchill. A friend of Fleming’s since their days at Eton, his wartime exploits included working inside the Soviet Union in the 1930s.

    Maclean, who died in 1996, was also suspected at times of being a British spy (which he denied)and was also an associate of the double-agent Kim Philby and is said to have suspected him.

    His Bond novels, which include the ultra-rare Casino Royale and every subsequent novel, will go under the hammer at Lyon and Turnbull auctioneers in Edinburgh on Wednesday, 3 September.

    ‘Sir Fitzroy is one of the men thought to have inspired the character of Bond,’ said Simon Vickers of the auctioneers. ‘He certainly fits the bill and when asked during his life about the link he wouldn’t confirm or deny it. He was a friend of Fleming’s and they moved in the same circles.’

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