Ian
Fleming ensured his immortality when he sat down while on
holiday in Jamaica and started to write his first novel,
allegedly to take his mind of his imminent marriage to Ann
Rothermere in 1952.
The book was Casino Royale and by introducing the
world to his hero, James Bond, Fleming created the most
enduring icon of the 20th century.
His writing style was influenced heavily by his career
as a journalist, full of detail that managed to ground the
more fantastic elements in reality, even when that detail
turned out, on occasion, to be incorrect.
2008 marks the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth an event
that is being celebrated by events ranging from a new James
Bond book to an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. While
the literary character has long been overshadowed by his
cinematic incarnation, it is time to redress the balance
and introduce more of the book-reading world to Fleming's
works.
Follow the links below to read more about the world of
James Bond from the pen - or at least typewriter - of Ian
Fleming.
James Bond novels
Casino
Royale (1953)
Live
And Let Die (1954)
Moonraker
(1955)
Diamonds
Are Forever (1956)
From
Russia With Love (1957)
Dr No (1958)
Goldfinger
(1959)
For
Your Eyes Only (1960)
Thunderball
(1961)
The
Spy Who Loved Me (1962)
On
Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963)
You
Only Live Twice (1964)
The
Man With The Golden Gun (1965)
Octopussy
And The Living Daylights (1966)
Non-fiction
The Diamond Smugglers
Thrilling Cities
Children's books
Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang
