Casino Royale (1953)
The first James Bond novel.
The dry riffle of the cards and the soft whirr of the roulette wheel, the sharp call of the croupiers and the feverish mutter of a crowded casino hide the thick voice at Bond's ear which says ‘I will count up to ten.’
Anyone who has ever gambled will find this tense and sometimes horrifying story of espionage and high gambling irresistible. So will readers who have never entered a casino. Connoisseurs of realistic fiction will particularly note the careful documentation of the Secret Service background, the chilling portrait of Le Chiffre, the authentic menace of SMERSH, and the sensual appeal of the girl in ‘soie sauvage.’
Author
Publication History
First Editions
- London: Jonathan Cape.
Later British Hardbacks
- London: Viking, 2002. ISBN 0-670-89993-3
- London: Penguin, 2008. ISBN 978-0-718-15383-0
- London: Folio Society, 2015.
British Paperbacks
- London: Vintage, 2018. With an introduction by Anthony Horowitz. ISBN 978-0-099-57597-9
Later American Hardbacks
- New York: MJF Books, 1994. ISBN 1-56731-056-7
- Shelton, CT: First Edition Library, 1995. Slipcased replica of the British Jonathan Cape first edition.
American Book Clubs
- New York: Macmillan.
American Paperbacks
- New York: Penguin, 2002. ISBN 0-14-200202-X
- Las Vegas: Thomas and Mercer, 2012. ISBN 978-1-61218543-9