James Bond First Editions

[Autograph Letter Signed, mentioning 'The Prisoner of Zenda'].

HOPE, [Sir] Anthony (1863-1933)/

Trinity College, Cambridge, 27 October 1895. [Autograph Letter] Manuscript letter signed. To Mr, McClure, informing him thet: "I return tomorrow and am entirely at Mr. Sherard's disposal. I shall be pleased to see him... But I fear I have very little to tell him about 'Zenda' or anything else". One folio sheet of note paper, thirteen lines written in black ink. Two soft folds, near fine. Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope was a novelist and playwright best remembered today for his swashbuckling adventure novel 'The Prisoner of Zenda' (1894). Basis for David O. Selznick's Oscar-nominated movie (1937), starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and David Niven. This adventure story was enjoyed by Ian Fleming as a child, and Hope's chivalrous hero is a 'literary ancestor' of the debonair British agent 007 -The Rough Guide to James Bond (2002), p.47. From the comprehensive bibliographical archive assembled by Jon Gilbert. His encyclopaedic guide to the works of Ian Fleming (2012) won the 16th Breslauer Prize for bibliography. Item #71035

Gilbert pp.647-8.

Price: £250.00