Bond Strikes Camp
London: [Privately Printed for Connolly at the Shenval Press], March 1963. From the Bart Auerbach Collection. Large 8vo. Surrealistic frontispiece reproducing a Max Ernst illustration. 16 pages. Original green wrappers, printed paper label. Front cover a little wrinkled from original fixing of the label, covers with a couple of slight, faint stains, but in very good condition. Item #409165
First edition, limited to 50 numbered copies signed by Connolly (this is no. 5) of a ribald burlesque of his close friend Ian Fleming's James Bond books. The story: at "M"'s orders 007 poses as Miss Gerda Blond to sexually entrap the Russian General Apraxin, who has a penchant for men dressed up as women; but in the end Apraxin turns out to be none other than "M" himself in disguise ("I'm sorry, James. It was the only way I could get you.") This is the dedication to Ian Fleming, inscribed by Connolly next to the printed dedication ("To Ian"): "from Cyril / 'the Inspirer from the Inspired' – Mar. 63." In addition, helow the frontispiece, Connolly has written "[Max Ernst]" and has captioned it: "Bond's trained eye detected the insignia of a foreign order."
In a copy of 'Bond Strikes Back' sold at Sotheby's in London (12 December 2002, lot 357), Connolly wrote a long account of the work's conception and publication: "[It] began as a conversation piece at dinner with [the publisher] Hamish Hamilton ... Fleming heard about it & was always urging me to write it down. I did this when the films started appearing and the ballyhoo was at its height... The m.s.s. was read aloud to Mr. and Mrs. Fleming by the fire in my library ... [and] received in total silence by Ian... The limited edition went to press before the 'London Magazine' [appearance]... Most of the copies were given away... it is much the rarest of my works – Ian was cross that there were so few copies." (BA).
Price: $17,500.00