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The covers presented
on this page are displayed in the order they were first released in the
USA, not in the original publication order of the Ian Fleming novels in
the UK. As such this provides a far more interesting historical context to
the publishing history of the James Bond novels in paperback in the USA. |
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Berkley Books (an imprint
of Penguin Random House) released
an incomplete series of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels in the USA starting
in May 1982. They featured a solid colour background and a small
silhouette of Bond in a different firing position on each cover. The
covers of the Fleming titles now matched those of the first four John Gardner series
of James Bond continuation novels then also being published in paperback in the
US by Berkley. A later 1985 reprint of FOR YOUR EYES ONLY added the text ‘FEATURING “FROM A VIEW TO A KILL”’ to tie-in with the final film
of the series to star
Roger Moore as James Bond. An alternate version overprinted with a white
flash bearing the text ‘DON'T MISS THE NEW JAMES BOND MOVIE A VIEW TO A
KILL STARRING ROGER MOORE’ appeared once the film was on release in the US
with its amended title. An
edition of Ian Fleming's CASINO ROYALE with a yellow cover and different
silhouette was also given away free with purchases of John Gardner's NO
DEALS, MR. BOND in 1986. |
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US
Berkley Paperbacks – John Gardner continuation novels |
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The first four John
Gardner titles were published at the same time the complete Ian Fleming
series were reprinted by Berkley Books and have a black silhouette of
James Bond on the cover. Each paperback is also linked with the text “Ian
Fleming's Master Spy James Bond in...” above the title of each novel. |
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US
Berkley Paperbacks - John Gardner continuation novels
[reprints] |
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The first four John
Gardner James Bond novels were later reprinted to coincide with the
publication of WIN, LOSE OR DIE and BROKENCLAW, this time with their cover
artwork revised to include a three-coloured silhouette of James Bond,
which had been introduced with the paperback publication of SCORPIUS in
1988, before returning to unique artwork from THE MAN FROM BARBAROSSA in
1991. |
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US
Paperbacks – other movie tie-in editions [various publishers] |
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US
Jove Paperbacks - Raymond Benson continuation novels |
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With a new James Bond
continuation author came a new publisher. Jove Books published Raymond Benson's
first full-length James Bond novel ZERO MINUS TEN in paperback in July
1998, followed annually by each new title in the series. Independent
publisher Jove Books (formerly known as Pyramid Books and now part of the
Penguin Group) had earlier issued the movie tie-in paperback for
Moonraker (1979) [featuring a new version of Daniel Gouzee's poster
artwork re-interpreted by seven-time James Bond poster artist Robert
McGinnis], and eight Ian Fleming novels in the early 1980s. Raymond Benson's own novelizations of the screenplays to
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and
Die Another Day (2002) were published by Berkley Books. The
uniform set of Raymond Benson novels returned to using a silhouette of
James Bond on the cover; one of which was identical to that seen on the
1982 Berkley edition of GOLDFINGER, and used again on Jove's THE MAN WITH
THE RED TATTOO paperback, but this time reversed. |
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US
Pegasus Paperbacks – Raymond Benson anthologies |
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In 2008 Raymond Benson's
1997 short story BLAST FROM THE PAST (which first appeared in PLAYBOY
Magazine in January 1997) was published by Pegasus Books in The Union
Trilogy, an anthology which included three of Benson's later novels: HIGH TIME TO
KILL (1999), DOUBLESHOT (2000) and NEVER DREAM OF DYING (2001). A second
anthology entitled Choice of Weapons followed two years later which
collected ZERO MINUS TEN (1997), THE FACTS OF DEATH (1999) and THE MAN
WITH THE RED TATTOO (2002); and added two short stories LIVE AT FIVE
(1999) [which first appeared in TV GUIDE, November 13, 1999], and
MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DOOM (1999) [which first appeared in PLAYBOY Magazine in
January 1999]. |
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US
Pegasus Paperbacks
John Gardner reprints – Cover art by Dan Mogford |
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In 2011 Pegasus Books
began reprinting editions of John Gardner's James Bond novels with
uniform covers. The series was also published in the UK by Orion Books to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of the publication of his first 007 adventure LICENCE RENEWED.
The artwork was a last-minute replacement for that originally chosen for
the series. Garish cartoon-like paintings of the Bond girls by Michael Fusco (also seen on the two
Pegasus Raymond Benson anthologies) were originally announced, but wisely replaced with
the Dan Mogford artwork also used on the UK Orion covers. The flames on the
skull featured on LICENSE RENEWED are slightly different on the US version,
and there are also some
minor colour variations between the UK and US series, but otherwise the
artwork is identical. The Pegasus covers include the name of
the contemporary author providing the new introduction for the first two
novels, and a brief UK newspaper endorsement. The Pegasus paperbacks use the American spelling of LICENSE
RENEWED and ROLE OF HONOR, and the alternate title for John Gardner's
final Bond novel COLD FALL. |
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PENGUIN ‘Bond Re-jacketed’ US Paperbacks 2002-2008
Cover design by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey |
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A new complete series
of all Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and short story collections
were published in the USA by Penguin Books starting with CASINO ROYALE
in August 2002. With striking retro-style covers by Roseanne Serra and
Richie Fahey, the series marked the first time that all paperbacks had
been printed in the US with matching covers. It was also the first
time the UK texts were available in the US, including the uncensored
version of LIVE AND LET DIE. Two versions of CASINO
ROYALE were published in 2006 overprinted with the text ‘SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE’, and later ‘NOW A
MAJOR MOTION PICTURE’. To mark the Ian Fleming Centenary in 2008 the
series was reissued again with a medallion logo. A new
paperback was also added to the series which collected all Ian Fleming's
short stories in one volume under the title QUANTUM OF SOLACE
The Complete James Bond Short Stories.
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The new anthology was
published to tie in with the US release of Daniel Craig's second James
Bond film, and was only available in the USA and Canada. Penguin Books
promoted the new book (and the fourteen already available) with a poster
featuring the Richie Fahey artwork seen on the cover of the new title. |
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On September 28, 2010
Penguin Books published The Blofeld Trilogy (pictured above
right), an anthology
paperback which contained THUNDERBALL, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
& YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. Already published by Penguin in the UK a year
earlier, the anthology was reissued as The Spectre Trilogy in
2015, to tie in with the return of Ernst Stavro Blofeld's crime
organisation in Daniel Craig's fourth James Bond film, although no US
edition was printed under this title. The ‘Bond Re-jacketed’ series
itself
(with the exception of QUANTUM OF SOLACE The Complete James Bond
Short Stories) was not published in the UK until October 26, 2006
when Penguin Books issued the complete set on the same day.
It should be noted
that the US editions were issued as trade paperbacks (129mm ×
198mm) and therefore slightly larger than their UK mass market
counterparts (110mm × 178mm). The UK paperbacks also all have their
spines numbered 1-14, and featured new introductions by contemporary
authors. |
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US
Penguin Paperbacks 2010 |
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For the 75th
anniversary of Penguin Books in 2010 FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE was issued
as part of the ‘Penguin Inks’ series with a wraparound cover designed
by renowned tattoo artist Chris Garver (1970- ).
Published on June 29,
2010 Ian Fleming's 1957 James Bond novel was a standalone release as part
of a series of titles from Penguin Books, who commissioned tattoo
artists and illustrators to re-imagine the covers of six modern
classics. |
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FROM RUSSIA WITH
LOVE
29th June 2010
Cover art by Chris Garver |
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US
Thomas & Mercer Paperbacks 2012
Cover
design by Michael Ferguson |
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CASINO ROYALE |
LIVE AND LET DIE |
MOONRAKER |
DIAMONDS ARE
FOREVER |
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FROM RUSSIA WITH
LOVE |
DR. NO* |
GOLDFINGER |
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY |
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THUNDERBALL |
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME |
ON HER MAJESTY'S
SECRET SERVICE |
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE |
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THE MAN WITH
THE GOLDEN GUN |
OCTOPUSSY AND
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS* |
THRILLING CITIES
26th March 2013 |
THE DIAMOND
SMUGGLERS
26th March 2013 |
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*Note that the Thomas
& Mercer 2012 edition of DR. NO was the only US paperback to use the
abbreviated UK title on the cover to date. Similarly the Thomas & Mercer
paperback of OCTOPUSSY AND THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS also used the UK title
in full - all previous US paperbacks bore the title OCTOPUSSY. The
Thomas & Mercer edition paperback edition of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
also dropped the comma - although this had been an anomaly throughout
the publishing history of the novel in the English language. Even the
1963 film adaptation dropped the comma from its title. |
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In April 2012 Amazon
Publishing announced that they had acquired a ten-year license for the
North American rights to the entire list of James Bond books by Ian
Fleming in print and e-book. Along with the iconic series, Fleming's two
works of non-fiction, consisting of a collection of travel writings called
Thrilling Cities (1963), and his 1957 expose of the illegal precious
stones trade The Diamond Smugglers, were also included in the
agreement. The titles were all reissued by Amazon Publishing's Thomas &
Mercer imprint on October 16, 2012; with the two non-fiction titles
following on March 26, 2013. The new series featured stark black & white
avant-garde covers designed by Archie Ferguson, with only the title and
‘007’ logo picked out in red. On May 21, 2013 Thomas & Mercer issued
The James Bond Collection a paperback anthology containing CASINO
ROYALE, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and DR. NO.
In a similar deal the
Random House Group reported the James Bond backlist was returning to its
publishing roots in the UK, with Vintage Books (the sister imprint of
Jonathan Cape, the original publisher of Ian Fleming's novels in hardback)
acquiring a ten-year license for exclusive rights to the novels in the
English language with the exception of North America. |
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US
Paperbacks – James Bond continuation novels
and licenced spin-offs 2009 to date |
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US
HarperCollins Paperbacks 2023
Cover design by Mark Robinson |
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CASINO ROYALE
William Morrow Paperbacks
23rd May 2023 |
LIVE AND LET DIE
William Morrow Paperbacks
27th June 2023 |
MOONRAKER
William Morrow Paperbacks
11th July 2023 |
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
William Morrow Paperbacks
15th August 2023 |
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FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
William Morrow Paperbacks
12th September 2023 |
DR. NO
William Morrow Paperbacks
17th October 2023 |
GOLDFINGER
William Morrow Paperbacks
14th November 2023 |
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
William Morrow Paperbacks
12th December 2023 |
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THUNDERBALL
William Morrow Paperbacks
16th January 2024 |
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
William Morrow Paperbacks
13th February 2024 |
ON HER MAJESTY'S
SECRET SERVICE
William Morrow Paperbacks
19th March 2024 |
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
William Morrow Paperbacks
16th April
2024 |
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THE MAN WITH
THE GOLDEN GUN
William Morrow Paperbacks
18th June
2024 |
OCTOPUSSY AND
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
William Morrow Paperbacks
9th July
2024 |
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After the ten-year
licensing agreement with Amazon Publishing expired in 2022, Ian Fleming
Publications announced that the rights to the James Bond novels and other
books by the author had now reverted back to themselves. New paperback
editions of Ian Fleming's novels were published in the UK by IFP, but the US distribution would be from HarperCollins via their
William Morrow paperbacks imprint. The cover designs by Mark Robinson are different to the UK editions, and
featured lazy stock photographic images with a matching colour scheme to
represent the theme of each novel. CASINO ROYALE was the first novel to be
issued as a trade paperback in the USA on May 23, 2023 with subsequent
novels at regular monthly intervals thereafter. However, the full series of novels
and short stories were available as eBooks from May 23, 2023. It should be
noted that DR. NO now carries the abbreviated UK title on the cover.
All titles now carry the
generic disclaimer: “This book was written at a time when terms and
attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were
commonplace. A number of updates have been made in this edition, while
keeping as close as possible to the original text and the period in which
it is set.” |
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