Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming ensured his immortality when he sat down while on holiday in Jamaica and started to write his first novel, allegedly to take his mind of his imminent marriage to Ann Rothermere in 1952.

Ian Fleming

The book was Casino Royale and by introducing the world to his hero, James Bond, Fleming created the most enduring icon of the 20th century.

His writing style was influenced heavily by his career as a journalist, full of detail that managed to ground the more fantastic elements in reality, even when that detail turned out, on occasion, to be incorrect.

While the literary character has long been overshadowed by his cinematic incarnation, it is time to redress the balance and introduce more of the book-reading world to Fleming’s works.

Ian Fleming’s life

Ian Fleming’s early life

European Education

Pre-war years

Naval Intelligence

Operation Ruthless

Introduction to Jamaica

Return to civilian life

The birth of James Bond

The road to James Bond on the big screen

American success

Failing marriage

The final years

Ian Fleming on Desert Island Disks

His books

The James Bond books

The Diamond Smugglers

Thrilling Cities

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Books on Fleming’s life

The Life of Ian Fleming (1966)
John Pearson

The James Bond Bedside Companion (1984)
Raymond Benson

Ian Fleming (1996)
Andrew Lycett

The Battle for Bond (2007)
Robert Sellers

Ian Fleming’s Commandos: The story of 30 Assault Unit in WWII (2011)
Nicholas Rankin

Goldeneye: Where Bond was Born: Ian Fleming’s Jamaica (2014)
Matthew Parker

Ian Fleming: A Personal Memoir (2015)
Robert Harling

The Man With The Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming’s James Bond Letters (2015)
Fergus Fleming (editor)

David Leigh founded The James Bond Dossier in 2002. A fan of 007 since the age of 8, he is also author of The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond. You can order a copy here if you don't own it already.


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