[FOURIER] - [MILLET (Les)].-Livre Rare Book
The Spy Who Loved Me: 2 x Associated British Picture Corporation ABPC reader's reports both unfavourably assessing the novel's potential for film adaptation
réf. 74488N.p. London: Elstree Studios 1961. Literary and cinematic critique Elstree Studios' unfavourable report of Ian Fleming's The Spy Who Loved Me written four months before publication from page proofs submitted by publisher Jonathan Cape. Pp.3 typed report on ABPC letterhead rectos only reader's delivery stamp to first page dated 13 December 1961. Together with A SECOND REPORT dated 2nd January pp/1 clipped to a copy of the original. This additional report ultimately in much the same vein was likely commissioned as the placement and imminent filming of Dr. No would have been known in film circles. Perforations down left edge from office binding. Very well preserved. The tenth James Bond title The Spy Who Loved Me was published on 16 April 1962. The reader's report notes that Cape submitted page proofs of the novel to the studio on 11 December 1961 and that Common submitted his report to the studio two days later. His verdict was not complimentary: 'The main story of the night at the motel obviously won't stand up by itself so a second subject is brought in by way of flashback's to the heroine's previous life. But the contrivance is forced. It gives the reader a bit more to go on that is all. The total effect is still that of a story broken-backed and not full adequate. No recommendation.' The man who wrote the Elstree reader's report was Jack Common 1903-1969. A regular moonlighter at Elstree's Reading Department Common was a working class socialist novelist and essayist from Newcastle who became friends with George Orwell when both were writing for The Adelphi magazine early in their careers. Common rose to edit The Adelphi in 1935-6 but could never make an adequate living from his published writing despite critical acclaim and in the last years of his life wrote Elstree innumerable reader's reports before his death from lung cancer in 1969. N.p. [London: Elstree Studios], 1961 unknown
Adrian Harrington Rare Books · Royaume-Uni2 500,00 £GB≈ 2 975,20 €
