Looking back over 50 years later the 1st edition artwork looks far more interesting that that used for the 2nd through 7th, perhaps this explains slow sales for the later editions. David Tayler designed both covers, perhaps it was a mistake to ask the same artist to redesign his own work?
The following editions / pricing variants have been found in our collections:
2nd printing 1963 with G328 to spine
3rd printing 1964 with G328 to spine
4th printing 1964 with G328 to spine
5th printing 1964
6th printing 1965
7th printing 1965
The 1st edition is not easy to find in good condition.
The 1st, 3rd, 4th and 7th printings have thicker paper, the books are about 18mm. The 2nd, 5th and 6th printings have thinner paper and the books are around 11mm thick. Unlike the thick paper versions of Live and Let Die the thick paper is not of a higher quality and darkens / foxes in a similar way to the thinner paper.
The 2nd through 7th printing have the later Pan logo but are not part of the “X series”. There are other differences between these cover artworks and the other “Painted” books in the series - look for example at the font used for “Ian Fleming” on the cover