Seventy years ago, on April 13, 1953, Casino Royale was published in the UK. I hope you all celebrate appropriately, with whatever beverage you prefer shaken, not stirred.
Here's today's email from Ian Fleming Publications. No, I will not be buying the $750 Folio Edition of Casino Royale:
To our agents in the field,
Bond lit a cigarette and settled himself in his chair. The long game was launched and the sequence of these gestures and the reiteration of this subdued litany would continue until the end came and the players dispersed.
These words are taken from Casino Royale, Chapter 11, ‘The Moment of Truth’. And so it is the moment of truth for Ian Fleming Publications as today, 13 April 2023, their official editions of the Fleming books are published. This is not a covert operation: please find them everywhere that books are sold.
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Everyone here at HQ will be taking a slight break from adventures and matters of national and literary security today to raise a glass of Taittinger to Ian Fleming and James Bond. We hope all our agents will join us.
Enjoy the new paperbacks and eBooks – and also be sure to support our allies at The Folio Society who are celebrating 70 years of 007 in their own inimitable fashion with their beautiful anniversary edition of Casino Royale. It features some exclusive new illustrations by Fay Dalton, a new introduction by Kim Sherwood and is a must-have.
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His mouth felt suddenly as dry as flock wallpaper. He looked up and saw Vesper and Felix Leiter standing where the gunman with the stick had stood. He did not know how long they had been standing there. Leiter looked faintly worried, but Vesper smiled encouragement at him.
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Now, here's my contribution to the debate on the next James Bond. I suggest that the 14 Fleming books be re-filmed as book-accurate, high-end, period-piece miniseries, while the film series continues with the grown-up daughter of Bond from No Time to Die set in the present day. Or maybe star the granddaughter of Bond, since if we establish Bond operated in the '50s and '60s a granddaughter would be more appropriate. Besides, Bond's daughter in No Time to Die was named Mathilde, which is a terrible name for an action hero.
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The cover design for the new editions is quite nice. Certainly an improvement over some of the cover art we have seen in the past.
I've been a long time advocate of doing accurate adaptions of the Fleming books. Your idea of a mini-series rather than big screen adaptions seems the most likely way for that to happen, especially now with the various streaming services banking on original content.
Ian Fleming’s Original James Bond Looked Nothing Like the Start of a Sexy Movie Franchise
Story from Den of Geek
My sister was born April 13. 1952. I can hardly wait to point out to her that she's older than James Bond. She'll be so thrilled.
The cover design for the new editions is quite nice. Certainly an improvement over some of the cover art we have seen in the past.
I've got all the books, in various conditions from various eras, through John Gardner's last, and a sprinkle of a few beyond that. I haven't been impressed with much of the cover art or trade dress.
I've been a long time advocate of doing accurate adaptions of the Fleming books. Your idea of a mini-series rather than big screen adaptions seems the most likely way for that to happen, especially now with the various streaming services banking on original content.
Perry Mason is so well done that a period Bond by those folks would be gorgeous. And updating Bond never seems to quite click with me. He's a product of his era (and Ian Fleming's worst habits). Sometimes I feel that way about other fictional characters, like Captain Marvel and Superman. Definitely Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan and Conan.
Story from Den of Geek
This was the most interesting line in it to me:
“When I wrote the first one in 1953, I wanted Bond to be an extremely dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened,” Fleming told The New Yorker in 1962, two years before his death. “I wanted him to be a blunt instrument.”
That sounds like revisionism to me, as Bond was so very much an idealized version of Fleming himself, and I doubt Fleming thought of himself as dull. But if not, it's an interesting thought experiment to see if that's how Bond behaves in the early books.
There's also a related story comparing No Time to Die to You Only Live Twice, and noting a lot of the latter found in the former. I've seen No Time to Die, I've very likely seen You Only Live Twice the movie, but haven't yet read You Only Live Twice the book. Once I get to the book, I'll watch both movies for a comparison.
My sister was born April 13. 1952. I can hardly wait to point out to her that she's older than James Bond. She'll be so thrilled.
My oldest brother was also born in 1952, but in June.
I'm older than Dr. No the movie, younger than Dr. No the book. I'm going to put that on my driver's license under "Age."
Hey, I was born in 1948. None of the Bond books were written, Dwight Eisenhower was still a general, Richard Nixon was still a congressman and Queen Elizabeth was still a princess.
Always thought they should've made the Hulk movie a period piece/
doc photo said:
Updated versions of these characters never rings true for me. They just weren't made for these times.
Captain Comics said: