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Ian Fleming. Notebook Containing Autograph Notes for You Only Live Twice. No place, [circa 1962]....
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Description
"You only live twice. Once when you are born and once when you think you are about to die."
Alternate epigraph to the James Bond novel You Only Live Twice in author Ian Fleming's hand
Ian Fleming. Notebook Containing Autograph Notes for
You Only Live Twice. No place, [circa
1962]. Pocket notebook, Mayfair Series ("A John Dickinson
Product"). Pictorial paper wrappers printed in gray, bound with
staples. Measuring 4 x 6.25 inches; lined paper. Thirty-nine
pages with the author's autographed notes, chiefly in blue and
black ink with a few in pencil, split between the front and back of
the text block. Minor edgewear with some losses to spine and
corners, small closed tear to the bottom edge of the lower wrapper,
staples lightly rusted, some pages unevenly toned at the rear of
the text block."Fleming was never a predictable man. Inwardly, and sometimes outwardly, he was actuated by a spirit of contradiction, and his consistencies were lifelong and numerous." In keeping with this tradition, not long after Fleming traded in his smoking and drinking habits for "planting his lupins and growing old gracefully," he changed his mind and took off with Bond on another adventure to Japan. Fleming had already begun to flesh out his next novel, carrying this notebook full of questions and curiosities about Japanese language, culture, food, and oddities; the trip was financed by Glidrose Productions, featuring a twelve-day tour following the outline of Bond's next adventure-"Travel folder would have done justice to the Folio Society"- and highlighting a number of key sites that Fleming was eager to see, including luxurious modern trains, pearl diving girls, a live volcano, and "any terrifying manifestation of the horrific in Japan," (Pearson).
As they traveled, Fleming added to the notes here, filling in answers to his questions, commentaries on the sights, and, as always, glimmers of dialogue and action for 007's next adventure. Written at a time when Fleming's health was beginning to deteriorate, these notes feature a fascinating glimpse into the mindset of Fleming, and therefore Bond, on life, death, and all the chaos within:
"1) Don't draw your gun unless you can see both the other man's hands.
2) Don't waste your time on women who wear a bracelet on their left ankle.
3) Beware of motorcars with 2 women in the front seat.
4) Don't play cards against married couples, unless they are drunk.
5) See the brand name on the bottle
6) Avoid people who call you 'Old Boy,' and all politicians.
7) Never eat scrambled eggs unless you make them yourself.
8) Talk secrets only in the open air
9) Don't buy anything that eats
10) Beware of people who smell and tread carefully in the company of moustaches, side-burns, or beards.
11) Have nothing to do with correspondence in coloured ink - particularly when variegated.
12) Cut down on your drink when your eyes get red and on your smoking when your breath feels short. Don't worry about cirrhosis of the liver or cancer.
13) Live until you're dead."
These notes also feature a poignant alternate epigraph to what we see in the published version of the novel: "You only live twice. Once when you are born & once when you think you are about to die."
Gilbert A12; Pearson, The Life of Ian Fleming, 1966.
Provenance: Sotheby's, London, July 20, 1989, lot 174.
Auction Info
2022 July 16 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6258 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2022
16th
Saturday
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