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…
Michael VanBlaricum is the President of the Ian Fleming Foundation and we are delighted to be able to interview him and learn more about what the Foundation does and Mike’s vast personal Bond collection. 1. Can you tell us about how the Ian Fleming Foundation came into being and its mission? The Ian Fleming Foundation…
We are honored to welcome Frank Cottrell Boyce in from the cold to discuss his 3 sequels to Ian Fleming’s (only) children’s book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The first—Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again—was published inOctober 2011. The second, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time was released in September 2012 and the third sequel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang…
Words by Benjamin Welton Ever since Casino Royale first saw publication in 1953, commentators have noted that James Bond began his rise just as the sun was setting on the British Empire. Indeed, worldwide interest in British culture, especially the more garish, almost pulpy elements, found greater appreciation at the same time as Great Britain…
The use of real life people in novels is common so it’s surprising how little Ian Fleming has turned up – that is until fairly recently. His most famous appearance was in Solo author William Boyd’s masterpiece, Any Human Heart – but is that it? Not quite, we did manage to find more: Any Human…
We are privileged to welcome Matthew Parker in from the cold, to discuss his latest book about Ian Fleming and his beloved second home in Jamaica. Matthew is in the unique position as someone who has lived in the Caribbean and is a successful author of many books including about the Battle of Britain, the…
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