London: A rare collection of James Bond novels - owned by the man who is said to have inspired the super-spy character - is expected to fetch $36,000 at an auction that began Monday.

The books were owned by former diplomat, soldier and conservative politician Sir Fitzroy Maclean widely believed to have been the role model for James Bond, reports contactmusic.com.

Author Ian Fleming was a friend of Maclean's and is believed to have based the super-spy on him.

"Sir Fitzroy is one of the men thought to have inspired the character of Bond. He was a friend of Fleming and they moved in the same circles," said Simon Vickers of Lyons and Turnbull auctioneers.

Maclean, who died in 1996 and was a close friend of Winston Churchill, owned every Bond novel Fleming wrote, including a first edition of his 1953 debut "Casino Royale".

The books are to go on sale Wednesday at an auction house in Edinburgh, Scotland.