The original special edition Bond books: Easton Press's 'luxury' collectors' editions
- Peter Crush
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Here in the UK, Easton Press's luxury Fleming books are rare items. Most collectors won't have actually handled one. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about and bought one:
On 3rd April, 2005, MI6 – the UK unofficial James Bond 007 website – announced (rather ambivalently, it must be said), that a ‘new’ set of Ian Fleming books was available from US-based Easton Press.
The books – 5.25" x 7.75" – featuring full-leather bindings, gilt detailing, and colour frontispieces of the original jacket artwork by Ken Lewis, Pat Marriott and Richard Chopping.– were marketed as luxurious collectors’ versions of their already popular FEL facsimiles (see my previous blog on these here) – and luxurious they very much were.
Not only were these full-leather bindings, but the detailing was exceptional.
Elements of note include them featuring decorative raised ‘ridges’ (or bands), that used to be found on traditional leather books.
Originally, these bands were actually structural in hand-bound books, comprising cords wrapped around the spine.
Each book also has silk moiré endpapers (see pic left), 22k gold accents, gilded page edges, a silk ribbon page marker, and even came supplied with some Easton Press ex-libris book plates that owners could stick in (see pic left).
Construction of the books used the myth sewing process, using concealed muslin joints was used to ensure only the highest-quality binding.
One source I’ve also found claims they were printed on acid-neutral archival paper.
Originally retailing at $54.70 each (Gilbert p.578), these books were sold exclusively through the Easton Press website or via their catalogue (ie not via bookstores or other outlets), and they have long-since sold out.
Today though, full-sets are priced at £4,000+.
A mysterious set still...
But just like the mystery that surrounds the production, print-runs and generally availability of the FEL books that proceeded them, it has to be said, that these leather-bound books also fit this same mould.
For such a striking set of books, it’s once more the case that very little is really known about them.
There is debate, for example, about just how many even exist, and whether there was only a single run of these books made or more than this.
From my own research, I’ve found that while they initially launched in 2005, it appears that Easton Press did offer them again – in their Spring 2008 catalogue.
A Bond forum contributor I’ve managed to find from 2008 wrote this: “I just got the Easton Press Spring 2008 catalog in the mail and I am happy to say that they are offering the complete James Bond series of books by Ian Fleming. I just missed out on these the last time they were offered.”
What’s not known is whether the 2008-offered set was a second printing, or just it selling off existing first printing stock. As for how many were printed in the first place, we just don’t know.
For UK collectors, most of whom will have never have seen or even handled one in the flesh, this is a shame – because I believe this mysterious set probably deserves having some focus on them.
Annoyingly, all previous links that promoted this set at the time now cease to work, which only adds to these books’ secrecy.
But while the oldy-worldy leather-binding look might not suit everyone’s tastes, this set does – I feel – have something very unique about it.
So what more do we know?
At the very end of 2025, I finally bought my first (and so-far ‘only’) copy of one of these books – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
While the title of the book mostly swung it (it’s probably my favourite book – and you can’t have too many copies of your favourite, yes?), for a long time now I’ve been wanting to get my hands on one of these just to see what all the fuss was about,
So, can any more light be shed about these elusive collector edition books?
Yes!
There’s been some debate, for instance, about whether these leather-bound books are indeed ‘exact’ replicas of the original Capes in the same way that the FELs were, or not.
The FELs duplicated the original Fleming set, to the smallest degree – ensuring that even the typesetting, and spacing matched, so that each book was the exact same length as the original, and the final word on each page was the same.
If you do a big a background digging, you will see that these leather-bound books are occasional listed for auction, and I’ve found a line from one auction house that reads as follows – that “These were printed from the same plates as the Jonathan Cape first British editions.”
In other words, they're saying that these-too are exact, faithful reproductions, just like the FELs.
From what I can see from my own book (and from comparing the contents pages in other Easton Press Collector’s Sets), this is exactly the case.
(See pic below showing the first page of chapter one - the Cape book on the left, the Easton Press book to the right):
If you take a look at the photos here, you’ll see that the books are the same size as the Capes, and match exactly how the Capes are typeset.
The frontispiece artwork of the Chopping jacket is a really lovely touch; there is no half title, but just the title page, and then immediately after this, the page opposite the contents page does indeed confirm printing in 2005, and on acid-neutral paper (although no edition number).
I have to say that the paper feels very nice indeed – it has a good thickness, good texture – not exactly glossy, silky smooth, but rather with a bit of definition under you fingers. It doesn’t feel like it will soil easily, while the gilt to the top, bottom and fore-edge page block really sets it off nicely.
This is a book that feels luxurious, balanced, and just nice to hold.
The leather is always warm to the touch and just feels high quality all-round.
The front and back board-stamped gilt is deep, almost debossed (ie indented), and there is absolutely no sign of it flaking off, or tarnishing.
Whatever foil was used, it was high quality and the hot metal stamping was done extremely well to fix it to the grainy leather. Trust me, as someone who produces their own rebinds, on very grainy leather, I know just how hard getting gilt on can be.
There is a slightly waxy feel to the leather, but to my mind this makes it feel supple with no sign of it drying out or getting coarse. It’s just a really lovely book to handle and hold.
Will I buy more?
The single book I've bought has definitely surprised me.
Having not really given them much attention in the past, now that I have one, I can see their appeal.
The danger, of course, is that as soon as you get one of a set, you sort of feel morally obliged to try and get the rest!
I think I may have to resist this urge. I do like them, but do I really ‘love’ them? I’m not sure.
If I saw any others a bargain prices, I would certainly jump in. This would, of course, then start to put me down a path of collecting the others.
So...I don’t know… I would say never-say-never.
They are not easy to find at very decent prices, so a set built up by buying a book here and there will end up costing a lot.
On the flip side, what I would say, is that if you do get the chance at snapping one up, I would – especially if you have a favourite Bond book that you want a special edition of.
They’re not that common, they look nice, and they feel nice, and so I think that makes them nice things to own.
Sure, they’re not essential, but hey, if collectors only bought essential books, they’d have nothing else to lust over….
Comments