The James Bond Bedside Companion by Raymond Benson Read Free Book Online Page A

could use some flair. Hamilton, of course, knew Ian Fleming, and arranged for the two men to meet. A series of articles for the Sunday Times concerning diamond smuggling was the result, all told to Fleming by Collard (who was using a pseudonym of John Blaize).
    Fleming flew to Tangier to meet Collard, and the two men spent two weeks in a hotel room fleshing out the manuscript. The articles involved the IDSO's solving of several smuggling cases. Fleming's talents as a thriller writer added that extra touch of drama to the facts which made the articles a success.
    The British and American editions of FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE were published within weeks of each other that spring. It was an immediate success, and Richard Chopping's jacket design received special attention. Featuring Geoffrey Boothroyd's Smith & Wesson with the sawed-off barrel and a rose, the jacket won several prizes. Chopping would design the jackets for all but one of the remaining Bond books. FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE received tremendous critical support as well. The London Times called it "Mr. Fleming's tautest, most exciting and most brilliant tale." Anthony Hartley in Spectator said that "Mr. Ian Fleming's latest thriller will be another shot in the arm for addicts. . ." In America, James Sandoe of the New York Herald Tribune Book Review wrote that it was "the best thriller we have had since whatever you may admire most of the admirable Ambler." Only Anthony Boucher of the New York Times was not enthusiastic, referring to it as "a halfguinea dreadful." FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE, though, is easily one of Fleming's best novels, and is still cited today as a favorite among fans.

Richard Chopping's award-winning dust jacket cover to FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE, published by Jonathan Cape, Ltd. in 1957. (Photo courtesy of Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. Reprinted by permission of Jonathan Cape, Ltd.)

That summer, Fleming was invited to compete in the Bowmaker Professional-Amateur golf tournament at the Berkshire Golf Club. He had loved golf most of his life, and was an avid player. He partnered the three-time Open champion Peter Thomson at the tournament, and was pleased with his performance. Fleming also frequented the Royal St George's golf course at Sandwich, an exclusive club whose members included royalty. It was from here that Fleming pulled the background for the famous golf match between James Bond and Auric Goldfinger, that he would use in his next novel.
    The diamond smuggling articles ran in the Sunday Times that autumn. They were published in book form by Jonathan Cape in November under the title THE DIAMOND SMUGGLERS. Fleming said that he personally felt it was a good story until all the possible libelous material was cut out. There had nearly been an injunction brought against him and the Times by De Beers. The book received mixed reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. Most critics lauded Fleming's skill with words, but found the book "sketchy." Nevertheless, it proved to Ian Fleming that he could write something besides James Bond. And with the sales of his books beginning to skyrocket, Ian Fleming found that the Bond phenomenon was now snowballing on its own—he no longer had to push it himself.
    GOLDFINGER was written at Goldeneye in January-February in 1958. This is the longest of the Bond novels, with an original typescript of 270 pages. Its working title was THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD, and the first draft was only moderately changed.
    Ian Fleming suddenly became controversial that March when DOCTOR NO was published in England. The book was subjected to a vicious attack by Paul Johnson in the New Statesman:
    The nastiest book I have ever read. . . By the time I was a third of the way through, I had to suppress my strong impulse to throw the thing away, and only continued reading because I realised that here was a social phenomenon of some importance. . . Fleming deliberately and systematically excites, and then satisfies the