Man with the Golden Gun 3rd U.S. Hardcover Printing

The Man with the Golden Gun, Ian Fleming, third U.S. hardcover printing, published by the New American Library, originally priced at $4.50.

This book was donated to us by one of our generous patrons.  Apparently our patron paid $10 for it, and apparently the bookseller believed, mistakenly, that it was printed in 1969.

Perhaps if the seller had known this printing was a few years older, it may have charged a little more.  Although the copyright page doesn't specify the year of this printing, there are three clues in the book that disprove that it was printed in 1969.

First, the copyright page shows that The Man with the Golden Gun was copyrighted in 1965. There's no way that Fleming's last Bond novel, published during the height of Bondmania, would have taken 4 years to reach its third printing.

Second, this printing lists all of the Bond books published up until that time.  If this was printed in 1969, the list would have also included Octopussy, which was published in 1966.  But this list ends at You Only Live Twice.

Third, there's an inscription in the book dated 1966.  

Presumably Bruce A. McLeod knew what year it was.