# Is "For Your Eyes Only" by Ian Fleming a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 1960) is identified by: First edition, first impression (Gilbert A8a, 1.1): copyright page states 'First Published 1960' with no reference to later printings. True first is the UK Jonathan Cape edition, London, 11 April 1960.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression (Gilbert A8a, 1.1): copyright page states 'First Published 1960' with no reference to later printings
- Publisher's black boards (a cloth-effect paper) with an eye-and-eyebrow device blocked in white on the upper board and titles in gilt on the spine
- 252 pages; published 11 April 1960 in a first printing of 21,712 copies
- Gilbert records binding variants for this title, so the standard reference should be consulted for state
- The Richard Chopping trompe-l'oeil jacket (the eye intended as Bond's) has the printed price present at the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian Fleming |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression (Gilbert A8a, 1.1): copyright page states 'First Published 1960' with no reference to later printings |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression (Gilbert A8a, 1.1): copyright page states 'First Published 1960' with no reference to later printings. Publisher's black boards (a cloth-effect paper) with an eye-and-eyebrow device blocked in white on the upper board and titles in gilt on the spine; 252 pages; published 11 April 1960 in a first printing of 21,712 copies. Gilbert records binding variants for this title, so the standard reference should be consulted for state. The Richard Chopping trompe-l'oeil jacket (the eye intended as Bond's) has the printed price present at the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the UK Jonathan Cape edition, London, 11 April 1960. The first American edition followed from Viking Press, New York, 1960 (yellow and green cloth, red spine lettering, price present at the jacket flap). Both are collected; Cape holds precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The First Edition Library (FEL) facsimile — black boards, white eye device, gilt spine, issued with jacket and slipcase — is a well-known trap; FEL slipcase markings and modern paper distinguish it.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *For Your Eyes Only* by Ian Fleming a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/for-your-eyes-only
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.