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…
This week we welcome Jonathan Hopson from the V & A Museum in London, in from the cold, to submit his Field Report. What is your favourite Chopping cover and why? It’s a difficult choice, but For Your Eyes Only is exceptional. I admire the contrasting textures of paper, wood, metal and flesh. Chopping obviously enjoyed painting…
This week, the talented artist George Almond reminisces on his artwork he compiled in his tribute to Ian Fleming’s novel, From Russia, With Love. Arrival in Istanbul This one is part of a series I am especially fond of, and refer to as my “Legacy Collection.” It was done at a time of great experimentation for…
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…
On this day today, Ian Fleming’s sixth novel, Dr. No, is published. The novel was originally a screenplay written in 1956 for what would have been a television show entitled Commander Jamaica. It also marks the first appearance of both Major Boothroyd and Bond’s signature weapon, the Walther PPK. We examine this in comparions with…
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…
Article by Dr. Wesley Britton Most fans of the literary 007 know something about the history of the lost James Bond continuation novel, PER FINE OUNCE. Without question, the researcher who’s provided us with the most credible background information is writer and novelist Jeremy Duns. But now that we have Peter Vollmer’s new PER FINE…
1. What is your favorite Chopping cover and why? That’s a tough decision, but I think it has to be From Russia With Love. The flower motif that he used on all the covers makes most sense to me with that one and I love the juxtaposition between that and the gun. The Spy Who…
This week, we are especially happy to welcome Dr. Wesley Britton, whose multi-talents include a successful teaching and writing career. However, it’s his writing and research on Bondology that’s the reason he’s here and in the following interview, Wesley unravels some of the mysteries behind the original Per Fine Ounce, O.F Snelling and his thoughts…
There have been many portrayals of Ian Fleming on screen at this point with varying success; but has anyone ever nailed it? Will anyone ever be able to? After the recent lackluster and frankly inaccurate interpretation ‘Fleming‘, patience is running out and Fleming fans must be concerned about the likelihood of seeing him again for some…
Words by Revelator After reading Mathew Parker’s book it will be impossible to over-estimate the importance of Jamaica to James Bond. Beginning with Fleming’s wartime discovery of the island, Goldeneye: Where Bond Was Born is a chronological countdown of his years there, interlaced with a concurrent history of country. Goldeneye, Fleming’s Jamaican residence, mirrored the…
Words by Edward Biddulph There are two books that represent the holy grails for fans of Ian Fleming. One is Ian Fleming’s account of Kuwait and its oil industry, State of Excitement, which was suppressed by the Kuwait government. The other is what might have been the first continuation Bond novel, Per Fine Ounce, by…
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…
Artistic Licence Renewed 