October 26th, 2011
by M
One thing clear from reading about the life of Ian Fleming is that while he found it difficult to apply himself to his career during peacetime, his role as personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence during the Second World War brought out the best in him. It was during this time that Commander [...]
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August 11th, 2011
by M
After the disappointment of Devil May Care, written by Sebastian Faulks and published in 2008 to coincide with the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth, I didn’t even pre-order Carte Blanche. However, when a number of glowing reviews were published I relented and decided to read it after all. Working in author Jeffery Deaver’s favour were [...]
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July 12th, 2011
by Edward Biddulph
This article is by guest writer Edward Biddulph. It is clear from the words given to M, and the description of James Bond reading the book, that, rather than simply referencing the title, Ian Fleming read in detail Alan Moyle’s guide on naturopathy, Nature Cure Explained (1950), before he wrote Thunderball (1961), the adventure in [...]
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July 8th, 2011
by M
In 1981 John Gardner was asked by Glidrose Productions (now Ian Fleming Publications) to write a series of new James Bond novels. The former Royal Marine had been a successful author since the 1960s, firstly with a series of light hearted thrillers and later with more series spy novels. Gardner’s first James Bond book was [...]
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March 1st, 2011
by M
As many of you know I recently published a book about James Bond’s drinks, available from Lulu.com, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. While browsing Lulu.com I came across another James Bond related book and ordered it immediately. Licence to Cook was written by Edward Biddulph and contains a selection of recipes from Ian Fleming’s books; it also [...]
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January 27th, 2011
by M
This book is a must have for anyone who is serious about the James Bond novels. I loved the first edition, but was unhappy with the translations. John Griswold read the review and contacted me, suggesting that I help him with the translations for this edition. Of course I jumped at the chance and so [...]
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January 24th, 2011
by M
The James Bond Bedside Companion by Raymond Benson was first published in 1984 and covers all aspects of the Bond phenomenon. From Ian Fleming’s life to the writing of the books and the film series, The James Bond Bedside Companion also includes sections on the character of James Bond, weapons used and injuries sustained. Although [...]
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January 24th, 2011
by M
This book was written by Kingsley Amis under the pseudonym of Lt-Col-William (“Bill”) Tanner, the name of the Chief of Staff in the British Secret Service and one of James Bond’s best friends. Firmly tongue-in-cheek it claims to be manual to become a 007, hence the subtitle “Every Man His Own 007″ and is broken [...]
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January 24th, 2011
by M
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was written by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books, for his son Caspar. Inspired by a series of racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski in the 1920s powered by aero engines, the story features an inventor – Commander Caractacus Pott – who renovates an old car, which starts [...]
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January 24th, 2011
by M
Thrilling Cities comprises of a series of articles written by Ian Fleming on two trips in 1959 and 1960 for the Sunday Times and published in book form in 1963. The articles were written with the aim of helping the reader find the type of excitement absent from more traditional travel writing, written from the [...]
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