The rich history of James Bond book cover jackets include such established artists as Richard Chopping, Raymond Hawkey and Trevor Scobie. For Anthony Horowitz’s 2015 Bond novel Trigger Mortis, the publishers chose a very different path in many ways. Not only did they choose to make the cover interactive, whereby it could be cut up to…
In conjunction with the suitably named New Bond Street Pawnbrokers, who specialise in brokering luxury assets, we have culled some of the top brands from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels in a handy infographic!
Review by Jonathan Hopson ‘Who was Robert Harling?’ asks Fiona McCarthy in her foreword. The answer is a man of mystery who played many roles – type designer, advertising executive, sailor, commando, novelist, architectural critic, magazine editor, lothario in fedora and tight trousers. Fellow typographer Ruari McLean summed him up as ‘one of those people…
Article by Matthew Woodcock ‘This organisation – do you know what it’s called?’, asks Bond in his latest screen appearance. ‘Its name is SPECTRE’, answers Dr Madeleine Swann. Later in Spectre, the head of this shadowy organisation, Franz Oberhauser, as he is named at this point (played by Christoph Waltz), reveals to Bond that they…
This competition has ended Artistic Licence Renewed has 3 signed copies of Ian Fleming’s nephew Fergus Fleming’s new book – The Man with the Golden Typewriter – to give away! View a sample of the book here: http://issuu.com/bloomsburypublishing/docs/the_man_with_the_golden_typewriter_ Terms and Conditions: 3 winners will be picked at random and we will ask you to provide your address…
Review by Craig Arthur © 2015 The previous three James Bond continuation novels prior to Anthony Horowitz’s Trigger Mortis did not elevate the literary Bond brand. Sebastian Faulks’s Devil May Care showed contempt for actual Fleming aficionados, evident in the hubris of his assertion that he was ‘writing as Ian Fleming’. Every aspect of Devil May Care is…
Article by Jack Lugo / Young Bond illustrations by Kev Walker courtesy of Ian Fleming Publications. Fans of Ian Fleming’s literary James Bond may be hesitant to delve into the Young Bond series, but allow me to do my best to dissuade anyone from dismissing this brilliant and cleverly constructed YA series. Whatever fears you may…
The Trigger Mortis audiobook will be released on 8th September 2015 on CD and download format. Hardback and eBook editions will be available the same day British actor, producer, director and writer David Oyelowo is to narrate the audiobook edition of the forthcoming official James Bond novel,Trigger Mortis, by bestselling author Anthony Horowitz. He follows…
To mark the publication of one of the most anticipated books of the year, an interactive 1950s style pop-up experience is being placed within Waterstones Piccadilly for one week only. There will be a costumed actor, secret codes and clues to solve, a hidden door leading to an antechamber (no spoilers here!), and mysterious phone…
After a long search of intelligence gathering, Artistic Licence Renewed managed to track down the artist Trevor Scobie, who was responsible for three of John Gardner’s James Bond book covers in the 1980s. We are particularly thrilled to present this look back on these jackets by Trevor. *** “One of my first commissioned book jackets…
Article by Craig Arthur *** A quirk of the combination of Ian Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy story collections in the new Quantum Of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories, is that the book begins and ends with Bond day-dreaming about a woman named Solange. In the opening story, From a View…
Now pay attention literary 007 fans … this just in from top brass. Today marks what would be Ian Fleming’s 107th birthday and it could not be more fitting than for Ian Fleming Publications in conjunction with Orion Publishing, to announce the title of the new James Bond continuation novel – Trigger Mortis! The author,…
Additional quotes by Michael May; Illustrations ©George Almond where indicated courtesy of http://www.007magazine.co.uk/ Last month we ran down 10-6 in our series on literary Bond that deserves more screen time. This week, we wrap up our list with 5-1. Let us know if you agree or would suggest more? 5. The Havelock murders in Jamaica and Vermont shoot-out scene…
While working for The Sunday Times, Ian Fleming came up with the idea to have a variety of esteemed writers to write about The Seven Deadly Sins, with each choosing the sin of their choice. This never materialized while Fleming was working there, but in 1962 the idea flowered and The Seven Deadly Sins was published featuring contributions…
Article by Craig Arthur with permission, originally published in 2007 James Bond was not the first fictional secret agent with a liking for martinis. W. Somerset Maugham’s Ashenden also drank them. “I move with the times,” Ashenden explains in Maugham’s story ‘His Excellency’. “To drink a glass of sherry when you can get a dry…
On this day in 1962, ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, the ninth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series is published. To celebrate this event, film journalist and screenwriter Matthew Chernov reviews the latest audio book version – read by Rosamund Pike — and explains why this book holds a very special place for him.…
Additional quotes by Michael May; Illustrations ©George Almond where indicated – Courtesy of http://www.007magazine.com With each new James Bond film (including the upcoming SPECTRE) there is always speculation about how much source material is left to use. In some cases, merely the title of one of Fleming’s books was used, with the original story left…
Article by Benjamin Welton Although the Bond novels officially began with Casino Royale, 1954’s Live and Let Die is the true beginning of the Bond canon. The novel has all the right elements — Jamaica, a whiff of Caribbean culture and superstitions, a larger-than-life villain, and an enchanting female who is Bond’s equal in more…
This week we welcome Nicholas Anderson in from the cold. Nicholas (his nom de plume of course) is a 19-year veteran of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (known also as MI6). In 2002-2007 he was recalled a second time to active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now retired and resides in the French…
The legacy of the ‘Bond continuation novel’ began in 1968 with Kingsley Amis‘ ‘Colonel Sun’, published by Jonathan Cape on this day – March 28th. Kingsley had been a Bond fan “ever since he discovered the first paperback, ‘Casino Royale’, on a railway bookstall” (The Times Educational Supplement) and had already written the seminal The James Bond Dossier, and…
Artistic Licence Renewed 