Thunderball - Ian Lancaster Fleming 1961 - Jonathan Cape, London - First Edition A fine first edition of one of the most pivotal works of the James Bond series, and the first of the ‘Blofeld’ trilogy. It was in Thunderball that Fleming first introduces the world to the ultimate Bond villain - Ernest Stavro Blofeld. Though Bond and Blofeld never actually meet here, it is in this book that Bond first battles the schemes of SPECTRE, Blofeld's criminal organisation.

Filmed in 1965, starring Sean Connery as 007, Claudine Auger as Domino and Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo- SPECTRE's No.2. The later film ‘
Never Say Never Again’, with Connery again as 007, was loosely based on this story.

Appropriately housed in a bespoke black cloth clamshell case, lined in scarlet red felt, the spine with gilt stamped lettering and atomic bomb logo, ‘
Thunderball’ being the military term used by U.S. soldiers to describe the mushroom cloud seen during the testing of atomic bombs.
  The first of the ‘Blofeld’ trilogy, and followed by ‘On Her Majesty's Secret Service’ (1963) and ‘You Only Live Twice’ (1964).

Reference: Gilbert,
Ian Fleming - The Bibliography, A9a (1.1):- Book - First Edition, First Issue, Binding A. Publisher's cloth-effect paper over boards with embossed skeleton hand design to upper board, gilt titles to spine (titled in silver for Binding B). In first edition dust jacket illustrated by Richard Chopping, priced ‘15s.net’ to lower corner of front flap (later increased to 16s, firstly by the use of a sticker, and then by reprinting).

Octavo (book size 19.5x12.8cm), pp. 254 [2]. All corners of dust jacket with Jonathan Cape’s decorative clip.
  Condition: Fine, in near fine dust jacket with just a hint of rubbing to corners and flap folds.   Ref: 111371   Price: HK$ 18,000