The Man with the Golden Typewriter: The Bond Letters

Author(s): Fergus Fleming

Literary

On 16 August 1952, Ian Fleming wrote to his wife, Ann, 'My love, This is only a tiny letter to try out my new typewriter and to see if it will write golden words since it is made of gold.' He had bought the golden typewriter as a present to himself for finishing his first novel, Casino Royale. It marked in glamorous style the arrival of James Bond, agent 007, and the start of a career that saw Fleming become one of the world's most celebrated thriller-writers. And he did write golden words. Before his death in 1964 he produced fourteen bestselling Bond books, two works of non-fiction and the famous children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Fleming's output was matched by an equally energetic flow of letters. He wrote constantly, to his wife, publisher, editors, fans, friends and critics, charting 007's progress with correspondence that ranged from badgering Jonathan Cape about his quota of free copies -- a coin was tossed and Fleming lost - to apologising for having mistaken a certain brand of perfume and for equipping Bond with the wrong kind of gun. His letters also reflect his friendships with such contemporaries such as Raymond Chandler, Noel Coward and Somerset Maugham. This entertaining and engaging compilation traces the arc of Fleming's literary career and details the inner working of James Bond. Set against the backdrop of his Jamaican retreat, Goldeneye, and a troubled marriage, Fleming's letters are filled with wit, humour and occasionally self-doubt. They reveal an intimate portrait of a man, an era and a literary phenomenon.

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Product Information

The witty and engaging letters of the man who created the world's most famous spy - James Bond

Fergus Fleming is Ian Fleming's nephew, He is also the author of several other non-fiction books including Barrow's Boys, Killing Dragons and Ninety Degrees North.

General Fields

  • : 9781408865484
  • : Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • : Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • : 0.634
  • : October 2015
  • : 234mm X 153mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : October 2015
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : 1 x 8pp B&W plates
  • : 400
  • : 823.914
  • : en
  • : Export/Airside
  • : Paperback
  • : Fergus Fleming