In celebration of the upcoming release of Carte Blanche, the new James Bond book by Jeffery Deaver, publisher Hodder & Stoughton has joined forces with Bentley Motors to create an exclusive special edition that will be available in a strictly limited number of 500 copies. These are available for order from today, Tuesday 26 April 2011, exactly a month before the book reaches retailers’ shelves.

The Bentley special edition of Carte Blanche encompasses the book in a polished aluminum case that evokes the Continental GT’s shape, with the metal skin designed to look like the car has risen from the desert sand. The book itself is wrapped in the same, high-quality white Nappa leather with red seams found inside the GT, while the pages are edged in red. In addition, the title of the book, the author’s name and the wings of the Bentley logo are embossed into the front and foil-blocked onto the spine, while the pages are said to have been “expertly cut and trimmed”.

The final topping of the special edition is a die-cut bullet hole that pierces pages of the book. Within the pages is a single polished 9mm bullet, individually marked with a number distinct to each of the 500 copies.

“The reader has the excitement of finding the bullet housed in the centre of the pages with the text positioned so that the reading experience is undisturbed,” said Bentley Senior Designer Brett Boydell. “I hope they find the book as exciting to hold and look at as the unfolding drama itself.”

The collector’s version of Carte Blanche is priced at £1,000 (about US$,1650 or €1,131 at today’s exchange rates) and is available for order through www.007carteblanchebentley.com.

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