Ian Fleming's James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies for Ian Fleming's Bond Stories (New Edition) [Paperback]

John Griswold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2006

****Updated and expanded including many illustrations by George Almond. Plus clearer translations of foreign terms. Ian Fleming's James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies for Ian Fleming's Bond Storiesofficially approved by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd (formerly Glidrose), with a Preface by Andrew Lycett and Forewords by Zoë Watkins, Publishing Manager, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.; Raymond Benson, author of The James Bond Bedside Companion, six original 007 novels, and numerous non-Bond novels. This book is the result of analysis of each of Fleming's James Bond novels. Within are glossaries of applicable terminology and references with detailed chronologies of events including annotations. Detailed chronologies of events are represented at a day-of-week, month, day, year, and time-of-day level.Glossaries contain translations of foreign terms, annotations, and other information of interest such as detailed information on the origin of Saramanga's name (The Man with the Golden Gun). Maps have been created for many of the novels along with in-depth information concerning specific topics such as, the Moonraker bridge game and the Goldfinger golf game. In many instances, monetary amounts have been converted to their 2001 purchasing power equivalent. Differences found between published versions and the original Fleming manuscripts archived at Indiana University's Lilly Library have been noted.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Griswold brings a life-long interest in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and short stories to the writing of this book. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Deborah and their two cats, Ted and Trevor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 476 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425931006
• ISBN-13: 978-1425931001
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,030,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book That Should Have Been Great, December 30, 2006

By 

DAVID WHITE (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ian Fleming's James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies for Ian Fleming's Bond Stories (New Edition) (Paperback)

John Griswold has done James Bond fans a real service with this volume. However, he has done himself a disservice in the presentation. The good points are numerous - the chronologies, the details, the research, the definitions and much more. Where he has gone wrong is in the needless repetition, the annoying underlining of entries and the lack of information. He deliberately does not give away information in the chronologies in order to not 'spoil' the plot - no one is going to resort to a book like this without having read the stories beforehand, so withholding detail is useless. The alphabetical entries should have been amalgamated (not separated into the various novels) and all characters and places should have been included. His decision to present fictional and non-fictional characters in a different format is pointless - fictional cahracters could just as easily had an asterisk attached. The novels in which they occurred could have been indicated by a series of initials. He makes reference to 'The Encyclopaedia Sherlockiana' and should have followed this format. Similarly, the chronologies should have been presented in one block.
To sum up - I love this book for what the author has done, but am disappointed in what he has not done. A new edition with the suggested improvements would make it THE James Bond (novels) reference book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for any Ian Fleming/007 follower., January 22, 2007

By 

Gary J. Firuta (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ian Fleming's James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies for Ian Fleming's Bond Stories (New Edition) (Paperback)

Did you ever read a book and, when the author off-handedly throws in an expression or a reference to something obscure, wonder if it is a bit of fact or fiction? What does that foreign phrase translate to? What would be that monetary amount be at today's rates? Was there really a full moon on that day?
Well, Ian Fleming was well-known for being the master of detail when he wrote the 21 adventures of James Bond; and John Griswold has written what must be considered the absolute companion for the literary world of Secret Agent 007.
Mr. Griswold seems to have explored every possible detail of FlemingBond and has produced a table book that is both academic for the hardcore fan and, yet, entertaining for the novice that just wonders what all the fuss was, and still is, about Mr. Fleming's writings that made him one of the most famous authors of the 20th century (and, with the release of the latest motion picure heavily based on the first novel, a merit that now stems into the 21st century).
With researched detail that would rival Mr. Fleming, author John Griswold shows us that there is much more fact than fiction in the incredible world of James Bond. Full of surprises, the book is a labour of love that should be both informative and fun for anyone.
Nobody has done it better!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Reference Must, October 24, 2007

By 

Gary Giblin (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ian Fleming's James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies for Ian Fleming's Bond Stories (New Edition) (Paperback)

Other reviewers have commented on the layout and look of this volume, suggesting that it is unprofessional or unattractive. As someone who has authored niche market books on both Bond and Hitchcock, let me just say that it's a miracle such books are published at all. If they contain valuable information, as this one does, that's great for fans and more serious exegetes. If they happen to look great, too, well, that's a bonus. Mr. Griswold's book sits on my desk for immediate and accurate information about the Fleming Bond adventures. He has meticulously researched the novels and their arcana (and, boy, could Fleming heap on the arcana) and I couldn't begin to imagine how many hours he spent doing that. (Well, actually, I probably could.) If you are interested in digging deeper into Fleming's world, if you like trivia, if, you, like me, wish people would say, as Fleming did, "Casino ROYal" (not "royAL"), then you will like Mr. Griswold and his work. If you want a more superficial, "been there, done that" picture book, then, yes, look elsewhere. All in all, a worthwhile project. Well done, John.