The Folio Society has released THUNDERBALL the Double-O-Seventh in the series of Bond novels with illustrations by Fay Dalton. Thunderball is the Bond that has everything: exotic locations, super villains, thrills, double-crosses and Bond at his sharpest and most capable. It introduces one of Ian Fleming’s greatest villains – the nefarious Blofeld – and one of his…
This week we welcome one of the youngest Bond experts on the planet, who has brought his own fan’s eye view to the page in his new book ‘James Bond: Behind the Tuxedo’. Originally from Spain, it was a serendipitous encounter in London that started it all. 001. How and when did you begin your…
This week we welcome a fine gentleman in from the cold to discuss his love of Fleming and appreciation of Richard Chopping’s iconic dust jackets. What is your favourite Chopping cover and why? Without a doubt, Thunderball. It incapsulates the world of Fleming’s Bond so perfectly. I remember the first time I saw it in…
After another successful BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Thunderball, we grabbed a few precious minutes with Martin (who along with his wife Rosalind Ayres) is architect behind the James Bond BBC radio plays. Martin, tell us about how these adaptations began. During the centenary celebration of Ian Fleming in 2008, we (Jarvis & Ayres Productions)…
We are delighted to welcome one of the standard bearers of James Bond online in from the cold. Peter Lorenz is not only a collector of James Bond artwork but a talented artist in his own right who discusses his craft with us. How do approach your painting and what are your favourite mediums? My…
This week we welcome the return of our Field Report series and spoke with Kent native Mark Ashby, about his literary Bond collection! 1. What is your favorite Chopping cover and why?: Thunderball. I love the simplicity. It is a cleaner and more direct image than some of the other Chopping’s. The others seem a…
We are delighted to welcome back in from the cold, the former SIS officer and author Nicholas Anderson, to talk about his new (and final) book in his explosive NOC trilogy out on May 1 and available for pre-order now – NOC Three Times: Knock-On Effect. What has been the over-arching experience been like writing and…
This week we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Christopher Moran in from the cold. He is the author of Classified: Secrecy and the State in Modern Britain and was a historical consultant to the International Spy Museum in Washington DC, assisting on the popular exhibition ‘Exquisitely Evil: 50 Years of James Bond Villains’, sponsored by the makers of…
2015 has been a bonanza year for Ian Fleming fans with multiple book releases about his life and a surge in interest in James Bond’s creator. One book that might have slipped under the radar for some, is the established author Andrew Cook’s The Ian Fleming Miscellany. A small volume in comparison with the more…
To many literary Bond aficionados, Mr. Duns’ research into the world of James Bond and Ian Fleming provides indispensable intelligence to Bondologists. Here we catch up with him on the eve of his new spy thriller – Spy Out the Land out on January 14, 2016. Has Ian Fleming influenced your own thriller writing, notably your…
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 week we talked with Edward Milward-Oliver about Raymond Hawkey, the award-winning graphic designer and author who had a close association with Ian Fleming as well as Len Deighton. Artistic Licence Renewed: We have a special interest in the work of Richard Chopping, in particular his nine jackets for Ian Fleming’s novels. Raymond Hawkey’s work, with…
Since 2010, Gerry Wadsworth has been painting in watercolor and for the past two years has been working on “An Homage to James Bond” – a series of visual interpretations of books of Ian Fleming and the James Bond films. We welcome him in from the cold to answer to debrief. What ignited your passion…
This week we welcome Craig Arthur in from the cold, all the way from his native New Zealand. Craig is a spy writer and Bond fan of nearly 30 years. 1. What is your favorite Chopping cover and why? Probably ‘Thunderball‘. The detail of the playing card is incredible, along with the sense of menace…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
It is our delight to put some questions to one of the best spy thriller writers working today. Spy novelist Charles Cumming, is the author of 7 books and counting with his latest ‘A Colder War‘ the second installment of the Thomas Kell series. Charles was kind enough to take some time during the busy…
Artistic Licence Renewed 