Listen to a conversation between legendary American crime novelist Raymond Chandler and James Bond inventor Ian Fleming recorded by the BBC in 1958. The talk ranges from Mafia hits to the nature of villainy to the difference between English and American thriller.
posted by Bookhouse
on Jun 12, 2011 -
25 comments
I have, by now, got rather fond of Mr. James Bond. I like most of the things about him, with the exception of his rather deplorable taste in firearms. In particular, I dislike a man who comes into contact with all sorts of formidable people using a .25 Beretta. This sort of gun is really a lady's gun, and not a really nice lady at that. If Mr. Bond has to use a light gun he would be better off with a .22 rim fire; the lead bullet would cause more shocking effect than the jacketed type of the .25. -
The letter that changed James Bond's gun, and gave his armourer a name.
posted by Artw
on Jun 2, 2011 -
102 comments
In the 1920's, there was a series of race cars developed by Count Louis Zborowski, Chitty Bang Bang I through IV. Though in the film version of
Ian Fleming's book the name came from the sound the cars made, there is some conjecture that the name is based on a
bawdy WWI song. Zborowski died before finishing Chitty Bang Bang 4, (also known as the Higham Special). The car killed its next owner in a particularly grisly fashion and was buried on the spot by his horrified friends.
[more inside]
posted by 445supermag
on Dec 18, 2010 -
19 comments
He wrote the childrens book
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a travel guide called
Thrilling Cities, a study of
Diamond Smugglers... and created
James Bond.
Ian Fleming, who died of a heart attack at 56, was born
a century ago this past May. He led a fascinating life. Born the
son of an MP, educated at
Eton and
Sandhurst, he served in the
Black Watch, and then in
Naval Intelligence. His time in naval intelligence
led to his most famous creation, and the writing of
Casino Royale.
An immediate best seller in the US when President Kennedy listed 1957's
From Russia With Love as one of his favorite books, Fleming
eventually wrote twelve novels and nine short stories
featuring 007, leading to
one of the most successful movies empires of all time. Fleming returned the favor, suggesting to Kennedy over a dinner ways in which
the CIA could work to discredit Fidel Castro. Not only a prolific writer, Fleming was also a talented bibliophile and collector,
amassing a collection of books
now held by the
Lilly Library at
Indiana University, Bloomington.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow
on Aug 6, 2008 -
36 comments
The Real-Life Vesper Lynde. Known to history as Christine Granville, Krystyna Skarbek was first Polish nobility and later Churchill's favorite spy. Undaunted by weather, Christine skied over the
Tatras from Hungary to Poland to gather intelligence and participated in the liberation of France. She was awarded the
Croix de Guerre, but found herself ill-suited to normal employment, and worked as a saleswoman at Harrods and as a telephonist before becoming an oceanliner stewardess. Along the way, Christine met
Ian Fleming, who may have
based his first "Bond Girl" on the intrepid spy. Want to know more? Read her recently republished
biography or
order her file from the Briish National Archives.
posted by Medieval Maven
on Aug 6, 2006 -
6 comments
