Customer Reviews (17)

Great book!
I loved this as a kid and now it's great to share with the grandchildren. We watched the movie, saw the live show, listened to the music, so of course we must read the book now! The classic it always was.

Yes, it is by THAT Ian Flemming!
A wonderful book.I loved it as a child, and going back to read it as an adult I realize that there are a lot of things that I missed.I remember my teacher reading it aloud in class--wonderful!

The movie, although very nice, has only a superficial resemblance to the book.For one thing, it moves the time a generation or so back.For another, in the book both parents are alive, rather than Caracticus Pott's being a widower; consequently, there is no romance.

I could very well wish that a new movie be made, NOT a musical and following the original plot.

great for all ages
Just like when I was a kid at my moms knee listening to her read this to me I wsa again transported to another time. This audio is great. Kids and adults alike will fall inlove with this audio book. Some what diffrent than the moviestaringDick Van Dyke. which is always a welcome suprise.

A wonderful story for all ages
It is a charming and delightful story that you will love to read to your children.I read this book to my 6 year old.She loved it!! We both wish we could find more books about this wonderful family and car.

Not the movie--even better!
I remember the 1968 movie based on this novel fondly, but had never picked up the novel itself until just the other day. I was surprised at how different the book is. Although Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang herself is very similar in both, the plot of the story is much different. I enjoyed this simple little story, with Fleming's humorous asides, very much. Those asides reminded me of the "Series of Unfortunate Events" books I have read and I would be interested in learning if Lemony Snicket drew from Fleming's story style for his own series. This is a fun, quick story that most kids will enjoy. I do, however, fear that the admittedly crude illustrations in my original edition would not be as popular with modern children. ... Read more

Product Description

After a disastrous mission in Japan, ending in Bond's attempt to assassinate M, 007's life as an operative hangs by a thread. He is sent on a deadly mission in order to prove his worth, a mission to the heart of Jamaica to kill one of the most deadly hit-men in the world - Paco 'Pistols' Scaramanga. Will Bond be able to eliminate this skilled assassin before he becomes Scaramanga's next victim?

Customer Reviews (34)

Horrible
Seems like Mr. Fleming took the day (or week, or month) off when he wrote this one.Absolutely awful.Perhaps he was ill at the time, whatever the excuse, there IS no excuse for this sorry excuse of a book.Reads like something a high schooler would write.Scaramanga is the WORST Bond villain ever.Miss Goodnight is the WORST Bond girl ever.Bond fans, skip this one, it is literally unreadable bilge.

Fleming's Last 007
Ian Fleming would go to his home "Goldeneye" in Jamaica to write the rough draft for each Bond novel and thenreturn to London to polish it up before sumission to Jonathan Cape Publishers.Unfortunately, while he did write the rough he died before he could go back and polish it up.So what you have is this:after the events of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, having lost his memory and only a piece of paper with the word "Vladevostok" to guide him, Bond goes to Soviet Russia.Captured by the KGB and reprogrammed, over a year since he has disappeared has passed when he suddenly reappears and attempts to assasinate "M".An Explosive beginning and if only the rest of the book held up.It doesn't.Francisco "Paco" "Pistols" Scaramanga is a thug who disposes of his victims with a gold-plated single-action Colt Peacemaker.He is Russia's top killer in the Caribe and MI6 reprograms Bond and send him on his trail.A duel to the death in the swamp, a female assistant named Mary Goodnight.Not Fleming at his best, still a good read.

A Good Story Well-Told
First off, I must say that my experience w/ Blackstone audio books has been VERY positive. I've purchased most of the audio books in the Bond series, & so far I've only had problems w/ one of them (On Her Majestie's Secret Service).A couple of the discs had what appeared to be glue (from the packaging?) on them & would not play properly.When I first encountered the problem, I called the 800 number on the box, fully expecting to get an automated answering service w/ menu options.To my surprise, a very pleasant woman named "Carol" answered, assuring me that there would be no problem getting a replacement disc to me free of charge.The entire phone call was over in a few minutes & left me feeling very happy w/ the company & w/ my purchaseThank you, Carol!

As for the Blackstone Bond series audio books, Simon Vance does an outstanding job of narrating the books.Unlike some narrators I've encountered w/ other companies (such as Brilliance) who read descriptive passages AND dialogue using the SAME TONE so that it's difficult to tell which character is actually speaking, Vance gives each character his or her own voice and manner of speaking.It makes for a MUCH more pleasant & enjoyable listening experience.

Part of the fun of the original Bond novels is seeing how they compare to the films that bare their titles.In many cases, there's scarcely any similarity at all (and sometimes none whatsoever).However, I actually enjoy that.Having seen the movies so many times, it's great not knowing what will happen next in the books.Fleming definitely enjoyed meting out "poetic justice" w/ regards to eliminating his villains.I've read all of the Fleming Bond books, either on audio or in print, and they are all worth-while.Once I have the entire Blackstone audio series, I plan to start over from the beginning & "read" them all again in sequence.

The finale aboard the speeding train had some genuinely tense, even shocking moments.I really wondered what Bond was going to do and even doubted there was anything he COULD do.As always w/ these novels, it's also good to see Bond's CIA pal, Felix, join in on the "fun."I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Bond books (and the Blackstone audio books) to anyone enjoys action/adventure stories.

End Of The Line
A sad end to a great series, "The Man With The Golden Gun" has James Bond facing off against an assassin with sidelines in eco-terrorism and hotel management in Ian Fleming's last novel.

Published the year after Fleming's death in 1964, it is a matter of debate whether "Gun" was properly finished by Fleming or reworked by other hands. Clearly it lacks the same glossy polish of earlier Bond novels, retreading plot points in routine, humorless fashion. Sent to Jamaica to kill "Pistols" Scaramanga, a hired killer responsible for shooting several fellow agents, Bond blunders his way in no time at all into his target's confidence, despite the fact Scaramunga has been warned an English spy has been sent to kill him.

Hardly one to hide his light under a bushel, Scaramanga introduces himself to Bond as "The Man with the Golden Gun" and shows off his signature weapon by blowing away a couple of tame birds. "Mister, there's something quite extra about the smell of death," Scaramanga tells Bond in the way of a job interview. "Care to try it?"

If Fleming was challenging his readers to make sense of his overdone prose, I wasn't up to it. Another such moment happens when Bond reflects on alcohol: "The best drink of the day is just before the first one."

Adding to general confusion is Scaramanga's purpose in Jamaica. He's got a hotel there languishing amid the bindweed and interest rates, and while looking in, decides to see if he can raise some needed capital by laying waste to Jamaica's canefields and bauxite factories in exchange for Soviet and Cuban funding. Several mob guys and spies are on hand to basically listen to Scaramanga do his bad-guy Mickey Spillane thing and stare menacingly but impotently at his new English go-fer.

There is certainly an underbaked quality to "Golden Gun" that begs the question if Fleming completed more than a first draft. Many of the transitions are whiplash-abrupt. The opener gives us a brainwashed Bond attempting to kill M, but just a few pages later he is winging off on M's latest assignment. Bond hardly lands at Kingston Airport before learning of Scaramanga's plans thanks to the first of many improbable coincidences.

Bond makes some boneheaded moves over the course of the story, dithering ridiculously so Fleming or whomever can fill up some more pages. At one point, we learn he is being intentionally rude to Scaramanga and his killer crew in order to trip them up somehow. At another, he shows off his own gun skills by shooting a headdress off a frightened dancer. How this doesn't get him dumped off in a mangrove swamp is never clear, but it fills time.

Regardless, this is more a novella than a novel, and so lamely conceived it seems unlikely any of Fleming's normally diligent editing and revising could have made this anything other than the stinker it is. After taking on Blofeld and SMERSH, what's a gun-happy triggerman for hire?

The worst you can say about this book has already been said by "The JuRK" on this review thread: "The movie was better." Too true. Ian Fleming saved the worst for last.

Passable waste of time
Lightweight Bond book easily read in a couple of hours isn't awful, just a passable waste of time. ... Read more

Product Description
While his extravagant and glamorous lifestyle is well known, little has been published concerning Ian Fleming's contribution during the Second World War.

Customer Reviews (1)

Bond?James Bond?
Mr.Cabell surely had a somewhat difficult time finding enough information on Ian Fleming's WWII career to be able to write this book.He did a truly great job!His premise is sound and his research seems to be impeccable.He tells the reader, right from the start,that Fleming was not a super spy who won WWII on his own.Fleming was a thinker and planner and a damn good one His mind was such that he planned operations(some good,some not so good.some implemented,some not)during five years of WWII and then ten years later slid the ideas into the novels about his creation,James Bond.Was Fleming James Bond?No.Would he have liked to have been?I think so. ... Read more

Product Description
Tiffany Case, a cold, gorgeous, devil-may-care blonde, stands between James Bond and the leaders of a diamond-smuggling ring that stretches from Africa to London to the United States. Bond uses her to infiltrate this gang, but once in America the hunter becomes the hunted. Agent 007 is in real danger until help comes from an unlikely quarter, the ice maiden herself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (50)

Kinda Goofy
Not much can be said about the literary merits of "Diamonds are Forever". You read it because it's the original conception of an iconic fictional character. You read it for a quaint romp through 50s America as imagined by an Englishman. You read it to draw comparisons with the movie. Yet be warned, Bond doesn't really do much. The reader gets more details on Bond's eating, drinking, showering and napping habits than anything else. The "mystery" is on par with, say, a "Rockford Files" episode, conveniently solved before the final commercial break, the dialogue no more than a risque episode of "Leave it to Beaver". Overall it's a goofy and cute book, a harmless way to spend an afternoon.

Good Book! But the Item Picture should be updated.
I really enjoyed all the James Bond Novels, they are really a good read. Ian Fleming does and exceptional job of painting a scene for you with words.

I love the artwork on the cover of this edition of the novel, however, the picture is a little misleading. I only say this because the most current printings (the ones I received) have an Ian Fleming Centenary seal on the cover, which conceals a small part of the cover art. Not a big deal, but i do like my books to match. This is not his fault, or Amazons, but Penguins fault. That is the minor nit-pick i have about it.

I See the Movie in a Different Perspective
Overall, a good story.Diamonds are Forever is one of the more "forgettable" older Bond flicks.However, after reading this story I have a new appreciation for the movie (or at least the screen play writers).They made a very interesting adaptation for the movie - kinda interchanging the Bond character with the Windt & Kidd characters in terms of roles/mission.Of course the Blofeld character or SPECTRE does not exist in the book, so that part of the movie now stands out like a sore thumb compared to the book (it is a BIG weakness in the movie).But, in defence of EON productions, they had to remedy Bond seeking revenge for his wife's murder in On Her Majesty's Secret Service movie - so they merged the Blofeld story line into an adaptation of the Diamonds are Forever book story.An interesting fusion.I still do not think its the best Bond movie, but it is one of the better Bond books (I have read 6 so far - in order).

Nobody Does It Better
Having just finished this book I have to say it ranks as my second favorite Bond book falling in place right behind "Casino Royale".Thrilling, clever and well written it is a real page turner. Ian Fleming creates a world so jam packed with action and tense suspense that is as fresh today as it was upon its first publication.
And what characters! Tiffany Case is complex, smart and full of witty wise cracks. But she is even more, a woman with such deep wounds and profound depth that she is more than just window dressing, more than a "Bond Girl". She is a fine complement to play off of and with James Bond. And of course Bond himself never disappoints. Tough, street-smart, hard edged killer, yet Fleming makes him bleed and shows us the hard business end of what an international spy goes through physically and emotionally to complete his assignment.
Fleming is also a master at painting in the subtle details of a scene, from the feel of the desert environments to the glittering glamour aboard a luxury liner. One particularly favorite passage is his spot on description of a flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas as seen by Bond as he looks out the window. Ian Fleming did his research on all locations and really delivers the goods when it comes to placing the reader within that world.
A thrill ride for sure and even more.

Remarkably tame by modern standards of sex, violence, language, and action
Inconsequential but not as bad as expected Bond thriller is remarkably tame by modern standards of sex, violence, language, and action.

I decided to read a couple of Bond books based on the information fromThe Atlas of Literature that Fleming and John LeCarre were actually secret agents in WWII and the early Cold War who switched to fiction and peppered their writing with actual events, terminology, and methods.LeCarre seems to be the more serious writer of spy fiction. ... Read more

Product Description
12 Classics of English fiction , on 36 CDs , all in clever round hinged tin box 5-1/2 inches in diameter and 2-1/2 inches high, weighing several pounds ... Red, Black & silver with embossed title, and a two-way zipper allows it to open like a compact case or 45 record case from days gone by ... Each CD is in its own inner sleeve, inside the case, and they flip open to select once you have the lid up ... This set is designed in such a way that the lid cannot come off or get lost, it opens easily to remove or put back a CD ... The whole case is waterproof, dustproof, and protects your investment in audio literature for years to come ... Each sleeve is transparent, so you can easily see at a glance which CD you are selecting ... Some of the greats of the famed James Bond stories by legendary writer Ian Fleming, all put together into a beautiful self-contained case , by the incomparable Penguin audio classics ... ' The best books you'll ever hear ' ... Excellent way to introduce a young reader to the delights of literature ... or for an older one to relive the day ... these are read by two of the best voices in the British entertainment world ... with voices that lend authenticity and excitement to the thrilling spy novels. ... Read more

Product Description
Set of 14 James Bond favorites Packaged in decorative slipcase cover. Includes Casino Royale, Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger, Dr No, For Your Eyes Only, Moonraker, Thunderball, Live and Let Die, Octopussy, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, From Russia With Love, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, You Only Live Twice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

excellent book colection
whoever loves James Bond must get this wonderful collection ,brilliant ,but pricey ,all good stuff cost dough ,what we can do...

Bond.......James Bond
This set sold at our bookstore for $49.99, and one was left so I grabbed it.So far I have read Thunderball, Man with the Golden Gun, Goldfinger, Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker.Having read Ian Fleming years ago, I highly recommend his prose.If you are at your local bookstore and see this set, you really should buy it.

James Bond 007 Giftset
I bought this set for my husband's birthday - he's a long-time James Bond fan.He really likes it.

A must for Bond fans
I just received this set as a Christmas gift and I'm pretty sure my son and daughter-in-law did not pay $500 for it, so I don't advise buying it here. However, anyone who loves the Bond films should read the books. Over the years, I have read them all several times and now I have an excuse to read them again. A warning though: they are addictive and after you read them all you will wish there were more. Each one is a fast, fun read and they will go quickly. One more word of warning: If what you like best about the movies is the gadgets, you'll probably be disappointed. While Bond did have a briefcase with a couple of concealed weapons and he did drive an Aston Martin in Goldfinger, it wasn't tricked out with all of the gadgets like in the movie and there were no submarine cars or invisible cars, etc. You can read about a flying car in Fleming's Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang, but it's not a part of this set. If you want to know the real Bond, get this set and enjoy.

Worth every penny
Of course you cannot get this at Costco for $15. Thats ridiculous. Don't take my word for it, try for yourself. Or search online at the Costco store.And No, I'm not a seller.

Its a nicely packaged set. All there. A must have for any Bond reader. The Bond books have things the movies tend to lack. They have depth of character. A greater sense of pace and even realism.

There are suprisingly few 007 book collections out there. This is nice and stylized. ... Read more

Product Description
When James Bond rescues a beautiful, reckless girl from self-destruction, he finds himself with a lead on one of the most dangerous men in the world: Ernst Stavro Blofeld, an evil genius who is conducting research that could threaten the safety of the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

A Good Story Well-Told
First off, I must say that my experience w/ Blackstone audio books has been VERY positive. I've purchased most of the audio books in the Bond series, & so far I've only had problems w/ one of them (On Her Majestie's Secret Service).A couple of the discs had what appeared to be glue (from the packaging?) on them & would not play properly.When I first encountered the problem, I called the 800 number on the box, fully expecting to get an automated answering service w/ menu options.To my surprise, a very pleasant woman named "Carol" answered, assuring me that there would be no problem getting a replacement disc to me free of charge.The entire phone call was over in a few minutes & left me feeling very happy w/ the company & w/ my purchaseThank you, Carol!

As for the Blackstone Bond series audio books, Simon Vance does an outstanding job of narrating the books.Unlike some narrators I've encountered w/ other companies (such as Brilliance) who read descriptive passages AND dialogue using the SAME TONE so that it's difficult to tell which character is actually speaking, Vance gives each character his or her own voice and manner of speaking.It makes for a MUCH more pleasant & enjoyable listening experience.

Part of the fun of the original Bond novels is seeing how they compare to the films that bare their titles.In many cases, there's scarcely any similarity at all (and sometimes none whatsoever).However, I actually enjoy that.Having seen the movies so many times, it's great not knowing what will happen next in the books.Fleming definitely enjoyed meting out "poetic justice" w/ regards to eliminating his villains.I've read all of the Fleming Bond books, either on audio or in print, and they are all worth-while.Once I have the entire Blackstone audio series, I plan to start over from the beginning & "read" them all again in sequence.

This is the second Bond novel in which Bond goes up against his arch-nemesis, Blofeld.Of all the Bond novels, it also perhaps MOST CLOSELY matches the corresponding film.Bond's downhill race from Blofeld's mountain hideaway, as well as his chasing of Blofeld down the bobsled run during the finale are quite exciting thanks to Fleming's gift as a writer and Vance's gift as a narrator.Although I knew what would happen from having seen the movie, I was a bit surprised by how quickly the events of the final pages played out.Though not as "sudden" as, say, LT Hearn's final moment in Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead, the book's concluding events seemed somewhat rushed.(On the off-chance that someone might read this review and does NOT know--via the film--what happens at the end, I'll refrain from saying more.)

The "Blofeld series" (Thunderball, On Her Majestie's Secret Service, and You Only Live Twice) were some of the titles I was most looking forward to reading, & they are all excellent.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Bond books (and the Blackstone audio books) to anyone enjoys action/adventure stories.

so very much better than the movie
In Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond is chasing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the villain from Thunderball.Bond has to do a bit of role-playing in this classic Bond thriller, and he plays the part of a professional from the College of Arms (an organization dealing with genealogies and family trees) with panache.The novel begins with a terrific display of suspense, as Bond is in eminent danger.This feeling also lasts through most of the novel.

This novel is set mostly in the Swiss Alps at a sort of combination ski facility/ scientific lab.Bond is posing as a man from the College of Arms because Blofeld has expressed interest in his heritage.The novel continues as Bond attempts to find out all that he can about Blofeld's strange facility on this Alp.

The first part of the book was not quite as exciting as I had been expecting, but it provided enough humor for me to be satisfied until it got to the more action-filled sections.However, this book provided more than humor and action.The plot was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it.The skiing scenes were especially suspense-filled and exciting, Bond's romantic interests complemented the plot, and the characters were full and vibrant.

I decided to read a Bond novel after having watched several of the movies (you know how they all come on tv at once,) and I am glad I did.This novel was surprisingly good even though my expectations were high.This book is better than the movies because instead of mere sound-byte-intensive humor, it provides a real humor that I found to be much more affable than the movies.Also, Bond is portrayed somewhat differently than in the movies.I found that the action scenes were just as vivid as they are in the movies, something that is not often successfully managed by authors.I believe that any Bond fan should read the books, not just watch the movies.Trust me, they are at least equally enjoyable.

I think that this book is at least comparable to today's suspense novels, and my only complaint is that I was not around in the 60's to read it when it was a new and, I suspect, rather progressive novel.

One of the best Bonds.
I've always ranked the first Bond book, "Casino Royale", as the best of the series. "On Her Majesty's..." is also one of the best -- perhaps because it has much in common with "Casino". Bond returns to the gambling tables of Royale; he enjoys various foods and drinks; he falls very hard for a girl, with potentially tragic results; and he comes across as very human, rather than the Superman of the movies (contrast the effortless skiing ending in a parachute jump or some other stunt in a typical Bond movie with Bond's desperate, exhausting downhill escape run that is a highlight of this book).

One of the best Bonds.

Fleming reclaims Bond
One of the last of the original Bond Books, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is also one of the best.Picking up a year after the end of Thunderball, this book finds James Bond again battling the nefarious schemes of Ernest Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE and, most importantly, falling in love with the beautiful, resourceful, and ultimately tragic Tracy.Though the usual intrigue is well-presented by Fleming, he also makes it clear that Blofeld's plan is hardly meant to be taken all that seriously.(Without ruining it for those who might never have read the book or seen the surprisingly faithful film adaption, it all comes down to Blofeld hidden away in Switzerland, pretending to be an allergist, and brainwashing English farm girls.No, it doesn't make a lot of sense but Fleming obviously had so much fun presenting it that most readers won't take offense.)The heart of this book -- and this Fleming treats with an admirable seriousness that should take his critics by surprise -- is the love story between Bond and Tracy.In Tracy, Fleming has created perhaps his most fully realized "Bond girl."Vulnerable yet resourseful and more than capable of taking care of herself (and, at times, perhaps even more so than Bond himself), its hard not to fall in love with this character and when Bond finally does decide to reject all others for her, its impossible to disagree with his logic.Its a compelling, rather touching love story and, even though most Bond films know how its going to end, the ending still packs a heavy impact.

As for Bond himself, after being a rather predictable presence in Thunderball, he's back in full form as a full realized, interesting character in this novel.On Her Majesty's Secret Service was written after the release of Dr. No (Ursula Andress even makes a cameo appearance at the time) and one can sense that, with this book, Fleming is reestablishing his claim on the character.From the intentionally ludicrous evil scheme to the frequent excursions into Bond's head (revealing him hardly to be the ruthless, unflappable killer that filmgoers though him to be), Fleming comes across as a reenergized writer in this book -- determind to let all the new Bond fans out there know who is really in charge of their favorite secret agent's destiny.The result is one of the best of the original Bond books and one of the best spy thrillers I've read in a long time.

a compelling and brillant story
You know what ? This is a great book !
Being a french reader, I waited that I'd improved my english in order that I could really appreciate such good novels.
Ian Fleming is excellent at slowly revealing the psychology of his main character. And Fleming write with a skill and sureness of touch that go straight to the essential, without any "fioritures".
I do recommend this book to anyone who simply want to be appealed by good stories. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: IAN FLEMING AND JAMES BOND
I enjoy anything about Bond and any information about Ian Fleming.James Bond has
been the foundation of my interest in series characters since 1965 when I purchased Thunderball, my first Bond novel after seeing the movie.

James Bond for sale
James Bond is the synthesis of every man's dream: good in fighting, drinking and loving. A tremendous opportunity to know a little better the man behind the character.

Good book about the author
I bought this book at the Imperial War Museum at their exhibit of Fleming and Bond. It is a good reflection of the information there, for anyone who couldn't see the exhibit, and even for those who could.

For the uninitiated into Ian Fleming's world....
As one who studied Fleming's work extensively as a graduate student and later publishing a thesis on the writer's impact on pop culture of the period, I must admit I was a bit skeptical about yet another bland and redundant Bond "coffee table" book for the masses.Happily, this is not the case with "For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond" by Ben Macintyre, written on the centenary of the author's birth.Highly readable and enjoyable and chock full with full-color photos of props used throughout all 21 Bond films, this book is a comprehensive survey of not just of Bond's impact on fiction and the cinema, but a real in-depth analysis of the man who breathed live into one of popular culture's most endurable icons.

Much is written about Fleming's childhood, adolescence, education at Eton, relationships with family (brother Peter, noted travel writer), his military career, his closest friends (Ivar Bryce and Noel Coward), his love-hate relationships with wife Ann, and the author's affairs with numerous beautiful women which oddly resemble Fleming's fictional alter-ego.For those who wish to learn more about Bond and the writer who created him, this tome is a great springboard into the Bond phenomenon which has spanned over forty years. ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing James Bond: charming, sophisticated, chillingly ruthless and very deadly. The first three Bond stories have the decadence, violence and thrilling pace that mark all the Bond stories. ... Read more

Product Description
'I am going to write the spy story to end all spy stories' One morning in February 1952, a journalist called Ian Fleming sat down at his desk and set about creating a fictional secret agent. James Bond was born and would go on to become one of the most successful, enduring and lucrative creations in literature. But Bond's world of glamour and romance, gadgets and cocktails, espionage and villainy wasn't entirely drawn from imagination: Fleming's background and his experiences as an intelligence officer during the Second World War were all formative parts in the creation of the world's most famous spy. Packed with astonishing detail and written in Macintyre's inimitable style, For Your Eyes Only is the most enlightening, enlivening book on the creator of the spy who not only lived twice, but proved to be immortal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Trouble With Diamonds
Ian Fleming started his writing career as a journalist before discovering his imagination was both an easier and more lucrative source to work from, yet always strove to play reporter in the guise of presenting background in his James Bond novels. Fleming's one attempt at a non-fiction book thus held promise, yet fails to deliver.

"The Diamond Smugglers" is based on a series of conversations Fleming purports to have with a diamond-smuggling investigator he names "John Blaize." I say purports because Blaize's words, both as quoted by Fleming and in an introduction supposedly penned by Blaize, sound very much like Fleming. "The trouble with diamonds is every stone carries the germ of crime in it," Blaize explains.

The trouble with "The Diamond Smugglers" is not so much its sense of unreliability but that it's boring. Instead of capers, we get a geography lesson of coastal Africa. The device of channeling the narrative second-hand creates an automatic disengagement with a series of unimpressive tales about investigations undertaken for the great diamond mining interests of the time by what came to be known as the International Diamond Security Organzation, or IDSO. From what can be gathered but is never directly said in this book, the IDSO didn't exactly accomplish very much, yet Blaize adopts a stultifying self-congratulatory tone from beginning to end.

Smugglers, Blaize tells us in his introduction, "will hear of this book and read it, out of fear or vanity, to see if their activities have been revealed or their names mentioned." Or perhaps for a laugh at the authorities who tried so fruitlessly to root them out.

Stories include an investigation into how Liberia, not one of Africa's more diamondiferous nations, became a clearinghouse for diamond export. In one case, a small-time smuggler who keeps a diamond in a vaseline jar is snitched out by a pretend-friend angling for promotion. At one point, the IDSO tries to run a double agent, but he comes back with nothing.

When another double agent dies in a plane crash just as he is on the verge of cracking a case, Blaize labels it "curious" and leaves it be. We are told of great criminal figures who spirit away some diamonds and melt into the shadows, but Fleming and Blaize assure us we are safer not knowing their names.

As journalism, this wouldn't merit a segment of "60 Minutes." The book is only worth reading for the view it gives us of James Bond's creator switching gears, apparently while researching his Bond novel "Diamonds Are Forever." The best parts are when Fleming sets the stage for his conversations with Blaize, in levanter-battered cafes or beaches, where we get that sense of place Fleming conveyed so well. Some humor, too: At one point, in Morocco, Fleming and Blaize avert suspicions about what they're up to by pretending to have a captured coelacanth, a "living fossil" fish whose discovery was all the rage at the time, in a bathtub.

Fleming pronounces himself impressed at the end with this real-life "secret agent," calling him "a professional to his fingertips." Yet the only thing John Blaize has in common with James Bond are his initials. Otherwise he comes across as a boring bureaucrat with some dusty second-hand stories to throw up. Fleming, in passing them on so breathlessly, seems to have been a bit of a dupe.

VERY INTERESTING
This book by Flemming is interesting and well written. I like it because it is non-fiction and is a true story (unlike his Bond novels). A real Flemming fanatic will love this wonderful book. I rate it a 4 star book anda piece well done.

Very Well Written
Ian Fleming is wonderful in this non-fiction story of diamond smuggling in the late fifties.Very well written.Fleming did his homework on this one.Claims to have written it with a chap called John Blaize, of adiamond organization.Went to Africa to research it with Blaize.Verygood, because it is true, unlike his Bond novels.

Analysis of the diamond black market by the spymaster.
Back in the 1950's, the smuggling of diamonds from Africa took on the proportions of a James Bond novel.In this non-fiction account of those times, Fleming outlines the successful counterintelligence effort which wasused to bring the rampart smuggling under control.

A bit dry, but Flemingfans will appreciate the Bondesque style the story is recounted in. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great collection of stories
This is a perfect book for a house full of teenage boys on their way to the beach! One big book full of action, car chases, and bad guys - a video game on paper for them. I was very happy to find this on Amazon! It arrived quickly and in good condition.

Iam Fleming's James Bond: From Russia, with Love. . . .
This is actually the second copy of this book I have purchased and a much cleaner copy than the first, with less discoloration of the pages. This one is destined to be a gift. It is a very economical format for several of the Fleming novels.


Until the fairly recent film version of Casino Royale, no serious treatment of the novel exited on film.If you've seen it, there may be few surprises in store in the novel.Read it anyway; it's short.

For those who have only seen the movie versions of Diamonds Are Forever, Dr. No, and Live And Let Die, I heartily recommend this collection. Live And Let Die pairs Bond and Leiter for only the second time, so Bond is still rather rough around the edges compared to his later suave self. Or maybe I have it backward.The Bond in Casino Royale and Live and Let Die is so very young, so sure of his own toughness, yet so easily hurt. The older Bond in Goldfinger is cynical, hard, tired.Witty, yes.Capable of making love to a Lesbian, yes.But capable of love?

Live And Let Die pits Bond and Leiter (later Bond alone) against Mr. Big, a powerful gangster.There is plenty of early '50's Americana here, including racial prejudice; Mr. Big is a black man.It isn't as bad as it might be.I wouldn't be recommending the book if it were. Just be forewarned.If words offend you, this isn't for you.If you like historical accuracy, read further.

Felix is crippled during the course of this novel.I remembered the episode from when I first read the novel when I was in college, many, many years ago, but the impact was still shocking this time around.Fleming does good impacts when people Bond cares about are involved.

The female character isn't as real for me as many others are.Solitare is her name, I think.She is credited with having second sight.She is the, um, damsel in distress for whom Bond must battle dragons yet again, the prize to be won at the end of all his labors.

Diamonds Are Forever is perhaps the most technically perfect of Fleming's Bond novels and my favorite of the lot. The only thing it has in common with the movie is the title. The female character, Tiffany Case, is a real living, breathing human being with behavior that fits her history.Bond falls for her like a ton of bricks.We don't blame him.We fall for her too.

Bond is still suffering a little from youthful overconfidence.He sells American gangsters short, but as it turns out, not much short at that.They just don't have veddy much going for them, ectually.(Bond never uses that last word, we're told.Thank God.)Still, if Leiter and Tiffany hadn't been around. . . .

Commander Bond is seldom prudent, but he's hardly ever just plain reckless.Well, read it and see what you think.I enjoyed it immensely.Tons of Americana: famous resturants, gangsters, Pinkerton's, horse racing, a casino, a ghost town complete with steam railway, desert escape.

Dr. No has No Nukes, does have Quarrel, whom we met in Live And Let Die, does have Honeychile Ryder, a marvelous female character much like her movie manefestation.This is another winner in spots. I read what I like and skip what I don't. I don't like Bond's and Honeychile's capture and eventual meal with Dr. No.It's labored.It's awkward.Everything after that is gravy.

From Russia with Love: this is probably Fleming's best.I just like Diamonds for my own reasons. From Russia is a fine novel, however.

Goldfinger:a lot of folks like this.I don't.I even like The Man with the Golden Gun (not included under this cover) better than Goldfinger.I even like Thunderball better, including the saga of Hero, and that's admitting quite a lot.I like Moonraker much, much better.(What a pity the movie was ever made. . .but that's a different matter.)

I'm a Bond addict, usually re-reading the canon every six months or so with a different emphasis each time.I re-read favorites more often just for enjoyment and always see something I had never noticed before.Many critics point out Fleming's shortcomings as an author, and it's true that he has definite limitations.But he broke new ground with much of what he did and gave the world a synonym for the urbane, drop-dead handsome, not nearly fearless, patriotic, loyal, nothing-is-impossible spy.

We Americans believe in never giving up the fight as long as there is one more breath left in us.So does Fleming's James Bond, even if he is a Brit. ... Read more

Product Description
It is now 40 years since the premiere of the very first Bond movie, "Dr No", with a youthful Sean Connery as 007: perhaps the most charismatic - and certainly the most durable - movie hero ever. The latest addition to the series will no doubt try and outdo all its predecessors in the scale of its pyrotechnics and special effects. But James Bond was invented by one man, Ian Fleming, a wartime intelligence officer and Sunday Times newspaper man who lived to see the beginning of the Bond cult, but not its astonishing growth into a multi-million-dollar industry. John Pearson knew him well, as his assistant at the Sunday Times when Fleming was writing its "Atticus" column, and in 1966, after Fleming's death, wrote this autobiography. It remains a definitive account of how only Ian Fleming could have dreamed up James Bond, for his own life as colourful as anything in his fiction - indeed, it shows how the Bond books were nothing less than a covert autobiography.Glamorous, ruthlessly womanising, charming and debonair, leading an exotic, globetrotting life from wartime Algiers to his beachside house, Goldeneye, in Jamaica, Fleming was nevertheless as elusive and opaque as his fictional hero - a man whose icy reserve few could breach. For this edition of the autobiography, John Pearson has added a new introduction, in which he looks at the extent to which the character of Fleming survives even immortality beyond its creator's wildest dreams. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Man with the Golden Typewriter
John Pearson's biography of Ian Lancaster Fleming tells all about the checkered career of this writer. Fleming's grandfather became a millionaire through his banking investment trusts in American railroads. Fleming's father was a banker, country squire, Member of Parliament, and Major. Young Ian was the second son and a difficult child who had troubles at schools. Fleming was sent to Europe to learn French, German, and Russian; all practical skills for his future as a reporter (spy trials in Moscow) and Commander in Naval Intelligence during WW II. Fleming set up an "Intelligence Commando" to quickly seize information from freshly captured enemy command posts. "Advance Unit 30" was commemorated in the "AU 30" license plate on Goldfinger's limousine. Great success came around 50 with his action novels, and the films of these stories. These films have been successes for over 40 years, even when they repeat earlier stories and the action scenes therein.

Fleming had an important career as a journalist before his fame as the author of "James Bond". He often used the names of friends and relatives for characters in his books. "Quarrel" was based on Red Grant, whose name was used for the killer in "From Russia With Love". When these novels gained popularity after 1961 "James Bond" was criticized for his cruelty, hedonism, and amorality. When you read this biography you will understand the basis for this fictional character. Fleming was a model for some of these deeds, but "James Bond" is the fantasy character Fleming wanted to be (pp.177-178). The last half of this book covers Fleming's last twelve years, when he found fame and fortune as an author. The continuing films keep his memory alive, unlike John Buchan or E. Philip Oppenheim.

The existing censorship at the time prevented any mention of Ian Fleming's meeting with J. Edgar hoover in July 1941. Fleming brought Dusko Popov, Yugoslav playboy, Nazi spy, and British double-agent to tell of Popov's orders to spy on Pearl Harbor. Hoover wasn't interested, and Popov was then forced to leave the country.

An Enlightening Work
This book is the best account of the author of the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming's, life yet. Written in 1965-1966, it is the one and only biography of Fleming that was written with true research by the author. Pearson's biography is also drawn on personel expiriences (he worked with Fleming on the Sunday Times for many years). Many excerpts of interviews with people who knew Fleming, or stayed at his house Goldeneye, have been included, and statements by close friends are plentifull. This book is to be read for pleasure, other biographies of Fleming (e.g. Andre Lycett's Ian Fleming: the man behind James Bond) are to be navigated through using an index. An excellent book.

Glosses over some aspects of his life
This book was written while Fleming's wife Anne was still alive, so out of respect for her, many details of his affairs during their marriage were left out. Otherwise, this is a fantastic account of the life of this amazing man, the details of his career in Naval Intelligence during WWII are fascinating. The little points you see here and there that are later reflecting in one of his Bond novels are always neat to pick up on.

art imitates life ... and embellishes it with fantasy
For Ian Fleming, writing was an escape from the restraints of real life. One spring in 1952 he sat down at his typewriter and began 'Casino Royale', first of the James Bond thrillers. He drew upon his six years of wartimeservice as personal assistant to the director of naval intelligence inWhitehall. Research followed the initial burst of writing; he was not shyabout consulting experts. Over the next eleven years he wrote a book ayear. Gradually the lifestyle he prescribed for himself and his hero -- 60cigarettes a day, whiskey or gin -- took its toll, and he saw the beginningof real success just about the time he succumbed to "the ironcrab" -- heart disease. The books took real incidents, real places,and real parts of his own personality and turned them into enduringfantasies -- popular not just with people familiar with these settings butwith those for whom they seemed realistic in detail but far removed frompersonal experience. ... Read more

Product Description
Molecular orbital theory is used by chemists to describe the arrangement of electrons in chemical structures. It is also a theory capable of giving some insight into the forces involved in the making and breaking of chemical bonds—the chemical reactions that are often the focus of an organic chemist’s interest. Organic chemists with a serious interest in understanding and explaining their work usually express their ideas in molecular orbital terms, so much so that it is now an essential component of every organic chemist’s skills to have some acquaintance with molecular orbital theory.

Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions is both a simplified account of molecular orbital theory and a review of its applications in organic chemistry; it provides a basic introduction to the subject and a wealth of illustrative examples. In this book molecular orbital theory is presented in a much simplified, and entirely non-mathematical language, accessible to every organic chemist, whether student or research worker, whether mathematically competent or not. Topics covered include:

• Molecular Orbital Theory           
• Molecular Orbitals and the Structures of Organic Molecules        
• Chemical Reactions — How Far and How Fast   
• Ionic Reactions — Reactivity     
• Ionic Reactions — Stereochemistry       
• Pericyclic Reactions     
• Radical Reactions        
• Photochemical Reactions             

This expanded Reference Edition of Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions takes the content and the same non-mathematical approach of the Student Edition, and adds extensive extra subject coverage, detail and over 1800 references. The additional material adds a deeper understanding of the models used, and a includes a broader range of applications and case studies. Providing a complete in-depth reference for a more advanced audience, this edition will find a place on the bookshelves of researchers and advanced students of   organic, physical organic and computational chemistry.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ordering "Thrilling Cities"
You're not going to find Ian Fleming's "Thrilling Cities" at your local Border's, and aren't much more likely to come across a copy at a used bookstore, either--even a good one.It is exactly the sort of book that I look for on Amazon.For something like $15.00 (I forget now the exact price) I got a clean hardback copy, in good condition (the bookcover was not wholly intact--but hey, it's unusual to get a 45 year old book that maintains a shred of its cover).I was completely happy with the transaction.(The book itself is of interest to those really interested in Fleming, and offers an interesting perspective on late 1950s travel and mores, but I wouldn't recommend it widely.) ... Read more