One of the most striking props in any Bond film was the Faberge egg that Roger Moore pursues in the film Octopussy. The Egg seen in the film ‘Octopussy’ is, in fact, a hybrid of the Imperial Coronation Coach Egg, made in 1897. However, the plot idea for the Fabergé auction originates from Ian Fleming’s…
They say never judge a book by its cover, but book covers do a much of the heavy lifting to help to sell a book. None more so than Richard ‘Dicky’ Chopping’s iconic artwork for Ian Fleming’s Bond novels. His first commission for them was From Russia With Love and up until then, the previous covers…
By Raymond Benson Peter Janson-Smith passed away on Friday, April 15, 2016, at the age of 93. He was a giant in the world of British publishing, a major figure in that arena for nearly seventy years. Serious James Bond fans will know him as Ian Fleming’s literary agent, the man who spearheaded the exploitation…
Edinburgh Spy Week is in its sixth year of celebrating spy fiction, film and history. This year a Bond theme runs throughout the week (5th to 12th April), so three of the Spy Week team, Simon Cooke, Penny Fielding and David Sorfa, sat down to talk about Casino Royale. 001. Casino Royale was a new kind…
To celebrate the anniversary of the publication of You Only Live Twice, we take a closer look at Fleming, Bond and Sean Connery’s experiences in Tokyo. Article by Graham Thomas Fleming came to Tokyo in 1959 and 1962, Bond arrived in 1963 or maybe early 1964, and Connery in 1966. In the early 1960s about…
Diamonds really are forever! Today Lexington Books published “The Many Facets of Diamonds Are Forever.” Edited by Florida Atlantic University professor of English Oliver Buckton, and featuring ten original essays written by established scholars, bloggers, and new emerging critics, the book is the first to examine every aspect of Ian Fleming’s fourth James Bond novel…
The Folio Society has released THUNDERBALL the Double-O-Seventh in the series of Bond novels with illustrations by Fay Dalton. Thunderball is the Bond that has everything: exotic locations, super villains, thrills, double-crosses and Bond at his sharpest and most capable. It introduces one of Ian Fleming’s greatest villains – the nefarious Blofeld – and one of his…
We have two more calls for papers for the annual SAMLA conference in November 2019 in Atlanta. Please send 250-word proposals, brief bios, and A/V requirements to Oliver Buckton (obuckton@fau.edu) and Matt Sherman (baconbond@gmail.com) by May 15th, 2019. James Bond as Popular Icon: Goldfinger at 60 (and 55) Goldfinger—the seventh James Bond novel by Ian…
This week we welcome one of the youngest Bond experts on the planet, who has brought his own fan’s eye view to the page in his new book ‘James Bond: Behind the Tuxedo’. Originally from Spain, it was a serendipitous encounter in London that started it all. 001. How and when did you begin your…
Article by David Salter Ian Fleming, like his alter ego James Bond was a Londoner. Born here in 1908, he lived and worked here all his life, until his death in 1964. This long attachment was broken up by his schooldays at Eton, childhood days at the family home, Joyce Grove in Oxfordshire, his time…
Article by Alice Dryden When I turned forty last year, I decided I deserved a proper midlife crisis. Since I already ride a motorbike, a tattoo seemed like the sensible option. It was something I’d been considering for a while, but never quite pulled the trigger on. One problem was that I have a lot…
Article by Frieda Toth Let’s say you want to recreate Bond experiences, and you have a lot of cash. Vegas may be the first place that comes to mind: the thrill of the roulette wheel, the beautiful women bringing you martinis, the sense of danger that comes with a lot of money tossed about casually…
