Anthony Horowitz will be in conversation with Sir Trevor McDonald where he will be discussing his writing work on James Bond and will be reading an exclusive extract from the new Bond novel due for publication in September. He and Trevor will be talking openly about their extensive writing and media careers, and there will…
By Jon Pettigrew This Two Act play neatly book ends the start of the James Bond books and the beginning of the end for Ian Fleming. He dies young, but his alter ego lives forever. He only lives twice, you see. The settings make one feel that we are there, in the warmth of Jamaica at Goldeneye and we…
We are thrilled to unveil new branding today with the help from a fellow agent in the field, Mr. Gary Cook from Honeypot Designs. Calling up the spirits of Richard Chopping and Ian Fleming, Gary has conjured up sufficient quantities of ‘beauty and death’. Don’t forget to check out all his wonderful designs on Facebook,…
We are delighted to invite Peter Vollmer in from the cold to discuss this latest spy thriller based upon a ‘lost’ manuscript for a James Bond continuation novel by Geoffrey Jenkins. How did you come to write Per Fine Ounce? Eventually, I found an agent in the US who also happened to be the agent…
Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, Secret Agent 007, stands before the audience, Pink Gin in hand, a terrified look in his eyes…At 42 he is about to do the thing he most fears; he is getting married! It is 1952 and Fleming is putting the finishing touches to the first Bond book, Casino Royale…
Words by Benjamin Welton Born Frank Morrison Spillane in Brooklyn, Mickey Spillane cultivated a type of working-class snarl that was always directed at those numerous critics who frequently labeled him popular culture’s chief cheerleader for Fascism. In turn, Spillane took potshots at his supposed betters, and once quipped that: “Those big-shot writers … could never…
If you’re a James Bond or Ian Fleming fan, then you probably appreciate a well-made drink; just perhaps not in the bibulous daily amounts of Bond or Fleming! Despite the reputation of James Bond as a vodka drinker, Ian Fleming – who was a known bourbon and gin drinker – toured the drinks cart comprehensively in his novels.…
Words by Edward Biddulph My ambition is to own every Bond-related book that exists, but I realise the task will be unending, as there is a constant flow of new books, and a deluge with the release of each new Bond film. There are books to suit every cultural standpoint, and books that examine the…
Glidrose Productions (now Ian Fleming Publications) planned for a series of James Bond novels to be published under the pseudonym of Robert Markham. Celebrated South African novelist and award-winning Sunday Times correspondent Geoffrey Jenkins was asked to write an original James Bond 007 novel in 1966, following on from The Man with the Golden Gun.…
1. What is your favorite Chopping cover and why? My case for my kindle cleverly resembles Richard Chopping’s “Thunderball” cover thanks to a piece I read here: Luxury Kindle Covers featuring Richard Chopping’s original artwork I actually bought a kindle as a result of realizing that I could wrap it in a Chopping cover and…
This week, we are so delighted to welcome the artist and illustrator George Almond in from the cold, to talk about his remarkable illustrations that he did to accompany John Griswold‘s James Bond Annotations and Chronologies. He also has provide artwork for various James Bond magazines including Bondage Magazine and 007 Magazine. 1. Was Richard Chopping…
First published on The Trebuchet Britain – it could be argued – invented the archetypal spy novel. Born out of political fears and insecurities during two World Wars and a subsequent Cold War, heroes and anti-heroes were dreamt up by a distinguished line of novelists including Erskine Childers, John Buchan, Eric Ambler, Somerset Maugham and Graham…
We are delighted to invite artist Freyja Dean to answer some questions about her stunning work on the book bench for the National Literacy Trust’s ‘Books About Town’ project. The campaign raised money for their charity supporting children’s literacy in collaboration with Wild in Art. Freyja was asked by the Ian Fleming estate to illustrate…
Words by Jack Lugo In 1940 Ian Fleming, then a Lt. Commander in British Naval Intelligence, designed a secret operation, which if successful might have helped the Allies crack the German naval enigma codes. Famous cryptanalyst Alan Turing had been among the codebreakers working at Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park. While…
A special treat for our readers this week, as we welcome renowned historian and documentary producer Henry Chancellor in from the cold. In the canon of James Bond reference books, Henry’s book in collaboration with Ian Fleming Publications, stands as one of the best. We asked him how this book came to be. 1. Why…
There are literally hundreds of books about Ian Fleming and James Bond, so here at Artistic Licence Renewed, we have made life easier for you and winnowed it down to the pick of the litter. Earlier in the year we published a Top 10 Books on Ian Fleming and James Bond part 1, so it…
2014 has been a great year for Artistic Licence Renewed and it could not have happened without many helping hands. This blog is a labor of love and from humble beginnings, has been welcomed into the Bond community by you all and we thank you all. Our agents in the field have contributed fabulous work…
Chicago is the kind of city that James Bond would have loved. He might well have needed to go there more often on assignments but there always seemed to be enough trouble off the coast of Miami to pull him away. Ian Fleming however made it there and used it for inspiration for some his…
With the exciting news recently that literary James Bond will be re-appearing in the comics medium, we took the opportunity to go back in time to the original run of Bond comics in the Daily Express beginning in 1958. Words by Benjamin Welton Some stories are just too cutesy, or too damn perfect to be…
This week, we’re very pleased to welcome Jack Lugo in from the cold to submit his Field Report. Jack is a budding fiction writer and rather flatteringly has cited Artistic Licence Renewed as an inspiration for his latest story. You can read that at the bottom of this post! 1. What is your favorite Chopping…
Artistic Licence Renewed 