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. There are of course some great books out there, so please leave a comment at the end of the post…
Philip Larkin, the greatest English poet of the second half of the past century (and a genuine Bond fan), reviewed Licence Renewed in the June 05, 1981 issue of The Times Literary Supplement. His review is really about Fleming’s legacy, and he makes the case–with more eloquence and insight than anyone since–for why Bond-continuation novels…
Article by Edward Biddulph During his career as the author of the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming received hundreds of letters from his readers. Readers wrote to express their admiration for the latest novel or to point out errors or an incorrect reference to some luxury product. Some readers simply wrote to ask for Fleming’s…
The remarkable lives of Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl criss-crossed each other for many years; the impact of both have and will, be felt for many more years to come. Cut from similar cloth, they had a lot in common and enjoyed each other’s company with a dash of friendly rivalry thrown in. Donald Sturrock author…
There is much more focus on Ann Fleming these days with the airing of the BBC series ‘Fleming’, with Ann portrayed by Lara Pulver. It’s probably time, that Ann got a fair crack at the whip so to speak, but we shall see how accurately this turns out to be. To really get an insight…
by Benjamin Welton I’ve sat in enough literature classrooms to know the refrain well. A young woman full of earnest conviction but enough neo-Marxist and Lacanian theory to sink a dreadnought will speak up and say “I cannot relate to this.” During one such case, a peer of mine took it step further by claiming…
With kind permission from Revelator: Here’s a little treat to kick off 2014. In 1981 a thick reference book was published, titled The Dictionary of National Biography, 1961-1970 and containing biographies of notable figures who had died during that decade. As one of the best-selling authors of century, Ian Fleming was naturally included, and the editors wisely…
There seems to be a never-ending cycle of Bond and Ian Fleming documentaries and docu-dramas but finding a good one can be tough. Many have missed the mark in terms of accuracy and acting. Making this task even more difficult is the availability of some of them. Well, after exhaustive research and picking up the…
Ian Fleming named his James Bond character’s CIA agent friend after Ivar Bryce’s middle name, Felix. His surname was named after another of Fleming’s friends, Tommy Leiter. Ivar Bryce was born in 1906. His father had made a fortune trading guano, the phosphate-rich deposit of fish-eating seabirds which had been widely used as a natural fertilizer.…
President John F. Kennedy was a fan of Fleming’s books. In March 1961, Hugh Sidey, published an article in Life Magazine, on President Kennedy’s top ten favourite books. It was a list designed to show that Kennedy was both well-read and in tune with popular taste. It included Fleming’s From Russia With Love. Up until this time, Fleming’s books had…
Article by Edward Biddulph Fleming is famous the world over for his writing, and there is increasing appreciation of his experiences during the Second World War. Fleming’s interest in books, however, is not so widely known, despite his listing of ‘first edition collecting’ under ‘Recreations’ in Who’s Who, and his founding of The Book Collector…
Bond Bound: Ian Fleming & The Art of Cover Design looks at all Ian Fleming’s books including the children’s story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Thrilling Cities – his collected travel journalism. However much of the exhibition charts the the role of artists and designers in creating and defining the Bond look. The covers of Bond…
Ian Fleming at times, had as many slings and arrows as his creation had to deal with and the debate about the severity of these flaws still rages on today. Here was Fleming’s take on Bond from the Thunderball blurb: “Bond is not a hero, nor is he depicted as being very likable or admirable. He is…
7:30am – Get up with the birds, bathe in the ocean before breakfast. Come back for a proper breakfast with scrambled eggs and sit in the garden until 10am. 10am – Sit in the bedroom and type 1500 words without looking back. 12:15pm – Snorkle in the baylooking for lobsters, come back and have a couple of…
In June 1955 Raymond Chandler was visiting the poet Stephen Spender in London when he was introduced to Ian Fleming; Fleming subsequently sent Chandler a copy of Live and Let Die. He loved the book and offered to endorse it, which he often refused to do in the United States. Chandler wrote to Fleming with his endorsement: “Ian Fleming is probably…
In August 1954 he flew to the US for research his next novel – Diamonds Are Forever – visiting Saratoga Springs after his friend, William Stephenson, sent him a magazine article about the spa town. In the US, Fleming travelled with two friends, Ivar Bryce and Ernest Cuneo, whose name was changed to ‘Ernie Cureo’ for the role of Bond’s…
After finishing the first draft of Casino Royale, Ian Fleming rewarded himself with a Royal Quiet Deluxe Portable gold-plated typewriter. Fleming bought the gold-plated version from a New York dealer in 1952 as a trophy and wrote to his friend Ivar Bryce in New York asking him to bring the typewriter over on his next trip…
Ian Fleming had many homes from home but none more so than at his great friend’s farm in southern Vermont. He used to visit his friend Ivar Bryce at Black Hole Hollow Farm right on the border between New York and Vermont. Fleming’s first visit to Vermont was to visit Bryce who he had first met…
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