Monday, April 22, 2013

Michael VanBlaricum and John Cork interviewed on NPR

This is an excellent interview with Michael VanBlaricum of the Ian Fleming Foundation and Bond author and filmmaker John Cork about the literary James Bond.

You can read the article and listen to the interview at Illinois Public Radio website, or CLICK HERE to listen to just the interview itself.

Monday, April 15, 2013

007 going 'SOLO' in Africa and the USA

A surprise in today's press release announcing the title of William Boyd's new James Bond novel, Solo, was the additional news of the major locations featured in the book: Africa and the USA.

Funnily enough, it was exactly a year ago that The Spectator suggested that Boyd's Bond could be set in Africa based on comments the author made at the Oxford Literary Festival that year. Looks like the first rumor out of the box proved to be true. (Funny how often that happens.)

This is actually 007's second trip to Africa in a row. A large part of Jeffery Deaver's Carte Blanche was set in South Africa. Of course, Carte Blanche was a contemporary adventure while Boyd's novel is set in 1969, so I expect we will be visiting a very different Africa in Solo.

However, I'm even more excited by the news that 007 will be traveling to the USA in Solo. Can you believe that the literary James Bond has not set foot in the U.S. since Raymond Benson's The Facts of Death in 1998? In that book Bond traveled to Texas. Exactly where Boyd is taking Bond in the American portion of his book is not yet known. The last time Bond visited America in the classic Fleming timeline was The Spy Who Loved Me (1962).

At today's London Book Fair unveiling, Boyd said, "He goes on a real mission to real countries and the world he's in is absolutely 1969. There are no gimmicks, it's a real spy story. . . there is a very precise reason why I chose that year."

Hmmm....

Solo will be released by Jonathan Cape in the UK on September 26, 2013 (Amazon.co.uk) and by HarperCollins in the U.S. on October 8, 2013 (Amazon.com).

Note: The image here is fanart.

JAMES BOND IS BACK IN 'SOLO'

William Boyd announced the title of his new James Bond novel today at The London Book Fair: SOLO. Here is the official press release:


William Boyd announces title of new Bond book
at The London Book Fair


William Boyd, whose James Bond continuation novel is set to be one of this year’s publishing highlights, has today announced that his book will be called Solo
The announcement came on the opening day of The London Book Fair, where Boyd is Author of the Day. 
He explained his choice of title: 
‘Sometimes less is more. For me as a novelist the simple beauty of Solo as the title of the next James Bond novel is that this short four-letter word is particularly and strikingly apt for the novel I have written. In my novel, events conspire to make Bond go off on a self-appointed mission of his own, unannounced and without any authorization - and he’s fully prepared to take the consequences of his audacity. 
‘The journey Bond goes on takes in three continents – with the main focus honing in on Africa. It’s what happens to Bond in Africa that generates his urge to “go solo” and take matters into his own hands in the USA. 
‘Thus far and no further, at this stage…’ 
He continues: ‘Titles are very important to me and as soon as I wrote down Solo on a sheet of paper I saw its potential. Not only did it fit the theme of the novel perfectly, it’s also a great punchy word, instantly and internationally comprehensible, graphically alluring and, as an extra bonus, it’s strangely Bondian in the sense that we might be subliminally aware of the “00” of “007” lurking just behind those juxtaposed O’s of SOLO…’ 
Very little else has been revealed about the book at this stage, other than that it will feature a veteran secret agent, with Bond aged 45. It will be published on 26 September in the UK by Fleming’s original publisher, Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Vintage Publishing, part of The Random House Group, in hardback, ebook and audio editions. HarperCollins will publish the book in Canada and the U.S. on 8 October. 
Quote from Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd: 
‘Ian Fleming had a great aptitude for naming his books and his Bond titles have become true classics. Solo is a simple yet striking title which fits perfectly alongside the other books in the Bond canon. The announcement of the title marks the lead up to the launch of William Boyd’s novel in September, which we and the Fleming family are looking forward to immensely.’ 
Quote from Richard Cable, Managing Director, Vintage: 
‘We are delighted to be announcing Solo as the title for the new James Bond novel on the day on which William Boyd is celebrated as Author of the Day at London Book Fair. The few of us with the good fortune to have read Solo can testify that Will has written an absolutely brilliant book and we look forward with mounting excitement to a huge worldwide publishing event on September 26th. The timing of the announcement is particularly apt as we mark the 60th anniversary of Jonathan Cape’s first publication of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale.’

Solo... I think I love it. Not an obvious Bond title, but still very Bondian. Elegant, but also tough. And I love one word titles. We haven't had a one word title on an adult Bond novel since Doubleshot in 2000.

Solo will be released by Jonathan Cape in the UK on September 26, 2013 (Amazon.co.uk) and by HarperCollins in the U.S. on October 8, 2013 (Amazon.com).

WILLIAM BOYD interviewed at The London Book Fair

William Boyd will reveal the title of his new James Bond novel TODAY at 11:30AM (GMT) at The London Book Fair. While we wait for that, here's an interview with the author.



I will post the title here on The Book Bond around 7AM (PST).

UPDATE: JAMES BOND IS BACK IN 'SOLO'

Sunday, April 14, 2013

WIN LOSE OR DIE and BROKENCLAW released in U.S.

Pegasus has released (a few weeks early) their next two John Gardner James Bond reprints, Win, Lose or Die and Brokenclaw.


Pegasus appears to have skipped over Licence To Kill. Perhaps the U.S. publisher isn't going to reprint the novelization as Orion did in the UK? The next two books, The Man From Barbarossa and Death Is Forever, are scheduled for release on February 6, 2014.


Visit our special Gardner Renewed page for links and release dates for all the Gardner-Bond reprints in the U.S. and UK.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

60 YEARS OF CASINO ROYALE

It was 60 years ago today on April 13, 1953, that British publisher Jonathan Cape released Ian Fleming’s first novel, Casino Royale. The book introduced the world to secret agent James Bond 007, and has never gone out of print. Below are some Casino covers from the last 60 years. Happy birthday, Mr. Bond!

Friday, April 12, 2013

University of Illinois celebrates THE BIRTH OF BOND

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the publication of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, The University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library is hosting a special exhibition called The Birth of Bond. The exhibition opens today and runs through July 5, 2013. Click here for more details.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the publication of Casino Royale, the Rare Book & Manuscript Library will showcase a great 'thwacking' portion of the publication history of Casino Royale and also broadly represent the print history of Ian Fleming's important writing career. 
The special exhibit includes a manuscript copy of Fleming's earliest surviving short story, dozens of editions, translations, and even parodies of Casino Royale, as well as Fleming's letter stating he is bludgeoning his friends into actually buying his book. Also highlighted are selections from Fleming's notable journalism career, the first editions of all the "Bond" books, original cover art for the 1955 British paperback, and a typescript manuscript of Casino Royale
Banker, wartime spymaster, foreign news editor, children's author (the creator of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), and himself a bibliophile, the creator of "Bond—James Bond," left an indelible mark on 20th-century culture. This exhibition traces the influence of Fleming's creation of Bond forward to our own century.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

NEW JAMES BOND BOOK TITLE TO BE REVEALED ON MONDAY

William Boyd will announce the title of his forthcoming James Bond continuation novel at The London Book Fair this Monday, April 15, at 11:30am.

The announcement will be part of The Author of the Day event at the English PEN Literary Café. Invited press will have a brief opportunity to ask questions of William Boyd about the choice of title. A book signing will follow the event.

"I’m both delighted and honoured to be one of the Authors of the Day at The London Book Fair," says Boyd. "It’s a rare and rather wonderful pleasure to find oneself for a few hours at the very centre of the international publishing industry and LBF always provides the warmest of welcomes to writers."

A press release officially announcing the title will follow at midday. Of course, I will get the new title up here on The Book Bond ASAP.

William Boyd's James Bond novel will be released by Jonathan Cape in the UK on September 26, 2013 (Amazon.co.uk) and by HarperCollins in the U.S. on October 8, 2013 (Amazon.com).

Thanks as always to Four Coleman-Getty.

UPDATE: JAMES BOND IS BACK IN 'SOLO'

Sunday, April 7, 2013

IAN FLEMING in Spring 2013 Fine Books and Collections

The Spring 2013 issue of Fine Books and Collections features James Bond creator Ian Fleming on the cover. Inside is an article on "The Birth of Bond" by the mighty Mike VanBlaricum of the Ian Fleming Foundation (the man who helped me build my own collection of Fleming Firsts).

Thursday, April 4, 2013

THRILLING CITIES and THE DIAMOND SMUGGLERS released

Ian Fleming's two non-Bond books Thrilling Cities and The Diamond Smugglers have been re-released in the U.S. and UK. Vintage has released the books in the UK with cover that matches their recent Vintage Classics editions. In the U.S. Amazon has followed suit with covers that match their new Ian Fleming paperbacks.


Click to visit The Book Bond's Classic Fleming page where you'll find links to purchase all the new Ian Fleming editions in the U.S. and UK, including the new Thrilling Cities and The Diamond Smugglers.

Monday, April 1, 2013

LINK: James Bond returns in new book... of poetry

Nope, not an April Fools joke. Double O Section has discovered there's a new James Bond book out there. Click on the headline to have a read about The Last Temptation of Bond.


Purchase The Last Temptation of Bond at Amazon.com.

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