The Bond Files: The Definitive Unofficial Guide to Ian Fleming's James Bond [Mass Market Paperback]

Andy Lane (Author), Paul Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998

James Bond is a cult figure with world-wide popularity. Bond novels are still being written, and the film franchise, featuring Pierce Brosnan in the lead role, has been a big box-office success. This book aims to feature all that Bond's dedicated fans could want to know. It presents coverage of all 18 films starring Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan, and looks at every novel to feature James Bond, including an examination of each of the unofficial films.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: Virgin Publishing (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753502186
• ISBN-13: 978-0753502181
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,805,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Movies > Guides & Reviews
  • #84 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Movies > History & Criticism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A James Bond Bible for the Hardcore Fan, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bond Files: The Definitive Unofficial Guide to Ian Fleming's James Bond (Mass Market Paperback)

This really is the best coverage of all the Bond adventures. It has every movie, spoof, comic, TV show, even the James Bond Jr. cartoons. This is the perfect way to brush up on facts. And since the authors don't work for Gildrose, they don't always have to be nice about Bond. Where else can you find everything from the plot of an obscure short story to critism of Sean Connory's wardrobe from Never Say Never Again. Truely this is the James Bond Bible.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I musht be dreaming, June 27, 2000

By 

Mr. A. Pomeroy (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bond Files: The Definitive Unofficial Guide to Ian Fleming's James Bond (Mass Market Paperback)

Although it's a purely text-only paperback, an totally unauthorised, this fantastic reference work scores highly on account of the fact that it doesn't just cover the films - it has everything from the novels (and not just the Ian Fleming ones) to the comic strips that were published in the Daily Express, to the 'James Bond Junior' cartoon series, to 'Casino Royale', both television play and film. It even has a small chapter on the cultural impact of Bond, and the various Bondalikes, from light spoof such as 'The Man from UNCLE' to more serious works from Len Deighton and John Le Carre. It's a shame that this wasn't made bigger, really - although it could easily have become unworkably huge, there isn't much to explain exactly why Bond has appealed to us for almost half a century, and how he has changed to fit the times.

As far as the book goes (and that's pretty far), it's perfect - wisely, the authors don't try to 'rate' any of the Bondibles, although they do go so far as to suggest that some of the later John Gardner novels are less impressive than his earlier ones. The attempt to keep up with the constantly-shifting Bond biography is amusing, too - Fleming's Bond was born between the World Wars, and would now be enjoying retirement, something which seems unlikely to happen to 'our' Bond any time soon.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books about Bond!, February 7, 2001

By 

Jenni Grubb "Jenni" (Virginia Beach) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bond Files: The Definitive Unofficial Guide to Ian Fleming's James Bond (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a quick pick at an airport one day and I was amazed at all the goodies inside. If you've ever wanted to know every language that Bond ever spoke, what gadget or gizmo he used in which movie, or all the aliases he's ever used, this is the book for you. "The Bond Files" is a great book with all kinds of facts, trivia, and information for each story, comic, and movie. The authors even review the opening title sequences and have a nice synopsis of each movie. They don't miss much with this book.