This month Gerry Wadsworth dove into the short story Octopussy looking for treasure… Put yourselves in the shoes of Major Dexter Smythe, Royal Marines (Retired).… You’re living the life of luxury off stolen Nazi WW2 gold bars by selling bits of them to Chinese import/export merchants. You live on the island of Jamaica in a…
In the wake of the announcement of Bond 25 at Ian Fleming’s Goldeneye retreat where the 007 books were written, it seems appropriate to revisit the road to Bond 25 and the roots of Fleming’s writing which remain in the films. This history is contained in the paperback of Matthew Field’s and Ajay Chowdhury’s “Some…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
Article by Revelator: Philip Larkin is perhaps was the first critic to connect Major Smythe to Fleming, and at first glance, Smythe’s similarities to Fleming are many and obvious. Both are in their mid-50s and dealing with a sagging belly, heart trouble, and a soured marriage. Either could be described as “the remains of a…
Widely regarded as the greatest English poet to arise after the second world war, Philip Larkin was, like his close friend Kingsley Amis, a fan of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. In the following article, published in the July 8, 1966 issue of The Spectator, he reviews the final Bond book. These two stories, according to…
Since Octopussy and The Living Daylights was published postumously, it allowed Chopping free reign, and so he filled the painting with his visual trademark, flies. The first edition, published by Jonathan Cape on June 23rd 1966, only contained the two titular short stories. Over the years, later editions have included two more short stories: The…
Artistic Licence Renewed 