A collection of rare James Bond books once owned by "the real 007" will go on sale Wednesday at an auction. They are expected to fetch $40,000. Not bad money for a couple of books.
Apparently the novels were part of the collection of the suave English spy’s creator Ian Fleming’s friend, Sir Fitzroy Maclean. The set includes every Bond novel from 1953 onward, plus a rare first edition of the original Casino Royale book.
The collection will be auctioned at Lyon and Turnbull auctioneers in Edinburgh on Wednesday. It has been said that Sir Fitzroy may possibly be the inspiration for James Bond.
He had been a friend of Flemings since their Eton days. A some-time diplomat, Tory MP, founder member of the SAS and friend of Sir Winston Churchill, Fitzroy was one of the great British adventure heroes of the 20th Century. He died in 1996.
Telegraph.co.uk quotes Simon Vickers of the auctioneers as saying, "Sir Fitzroy is one of the men thought to have inspired the character of Bond. He certainly fits the bill and when asked during his life about the link he wouldn’t confirm or deny it."
"He was a friend of Fleming’s and they moved in the same circles." Source