LONDON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A copy of "Casino Royale," which introduced the world to British secret agent James Bond, is expected to sell for nearly $20,000 at a London auction.
Roddy Newlands, an Ian Fleming expert at London-based Bloomsbury Auctions, which will run next week's auction, said interest in buying first editions of Ian Fleming novels shot up since the latest Bond film, "Casino Royale," was released, the Daily Mail said.
Newlands said "Casino Royale," of which only 4,728 copies were printed in 1953, is "an exceptionally important book because it is the first."
The 1953 copy of the book, still in its original dust cover, has the previous owner's name and the bookseller's stamp inside the front cover. Newlands said if the book were in better condition, it could sell for as much as $30,000.
If Fleming had signed it, "it would be the Holy Grail for James Bond collectors," he said.
First editions of other Bond thrillers such as "Moonraker," "From Russia With Love," "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "The Man With The Golden Gun" also will be auctioned, along with a copy of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," signed by one-time Bond portrayer George Lazenby.
