Customer Reviews

James Bond's London

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This book gets high marks as it is invaluable for discovering exact London references to buildings (hotels, restaurants, etc) associated with James Bond (the films and Ian Fleming). The reviews that others have written about this book are right on the mark. Congratulations Gary.

Also of interest is Gary's Alfred Hitchcock's London. Check it out.

James Bond and London, the capital of Britain, go hand in hand. A James Bond adventure, whether it is cinematic or literary, would hardly be complete without some form of patriotism towards Mother England and off hand I can only think of a few adventures (mainly short stories) where no scenes talk place in Britain. This simple fact, coupled with the fact that every man wishes to be like James Bond, gives good reason for a book such as James Bond's London to be written.
Gary Giblin took up the challenge of writing such a book in January 1998. I shall not go into full details here as they're covered in Jordan Charter's interview located here. However, what started as a book entitled James Bond's Britain eventually had to be subdivided into two books. As a result of a lot or hard work James Bond's London was published in December 2001.

To begin with, James Bond's London isn't your average book, nor is it what I originally envisaged it would be; but that's not a bad thing, quite the opposite actually. What Giblin has presented is a travel guide to the world of James Bond in London. Quite simply, the book is the most useful source for anyone who wants to travel in the footsteps of James Bond, something, which could easily seem a mammoth undertaking.

Giblin has been very particular in the material that he has covered. By his own admission in an interview with CommanderBond.Net he has omitted literary material not written by Ian Fleming; of course indicating he is a purist to the work. Giblin has also omitted non-EON Productions cinematic material; again a sign of purity as there is only one true James Bond film series.

That said, the amount of material Giblin has included is still amazing. There a literally hundreds of locations that can be found in the novels and in the films. What is most amazing about the film locations is how many of them were used for non-British locations in the films. For instance the car park from Tomorrow Never Dies is actually in London and not Hamburg. Also, aside from locations that we read of and watch are locations where significant events of the Bond world took place. For instance, the birthplace of Ian Fleming or the former offices of EON Productions. If it's Bond related and it's in London you'll find it in "James Bond's London".

Thankfully, for those of us not well versed in travelling around London Giblin has an explanation of how to get to each location. Not only does he include the standard address, suburb and postcode but also details for getting there via the London Underground. As a part of this he's mentioned the platforms and the stations one should use and once leaving the station which streets one should follow.

The locations in the book are also well categorised. Rather than organising the locations by film, novel or perhaps relation Giblin has taken the initiative of organising them by location. So one could simply spend a day in a certain part of London and visit several Bond related locations. The guide makes it that simple.

As for the detail on each location Giblin has included quite a lot. To describe each location Giblin has used icons to begin with; for instance a clapperboard icon represents a film related location. As a part of the textual description for each location Giblin has not only included Bond related information but information on the locations non-Bond history. Readers will not only learn a great deal about Bond but a great deal about London too.

In passing good comments about the work that Giblin has done one must also highlight downfalls to "James Bond's London" - something that is not an easy task let me assure you. While I can find no fault in the material that Giblin has presented I must say that I was disappointed to find that the book was not offered in a hardback edition. However, in saying that one can definitely appreciate the fact that Giblin and the Daleon, whom published the book, made all attempts to keep the prices low. My only other complain is about one of the icons in the book; the skull and cross bone. The icon is disproportionate and according to Giblin this is a problem that occurred at the printers.

All in all James Bond's London is a must have for any Bond fan of any calibre. Gary Giblin has researched extensively into all aspects of the locations and the films and help from Bond legends such as Peter Lamont have made this a completely unique and factual reference guide.

Featuring gorgeous cover work by Jeff Marshall and thoughtful design layout
by Dave Worrall (The Essential Bond), "London" is jam-packed with a treasure
trove of 007-ly information. Giblin's comprehensive guide to London Bond
locations includes behind the scenes information on every 007 site in
Britain's capital.

Giblin's book provides fans with hundreds of hotspots for 007 literary and
movie action, plus family and friend locations from the legacy of Ian
Fleming, all in London (and we thought we did well to find Ian Fleming's
house and Planet Hollywood on our last England visit!). Giblin's book is a
breath of fresh air and definitely not the typical "Look at me, I copied
quotations from authors and films and made a fast guide to James Bond."
Giblin's incredible softcover volume runs nearly 200 pages. All Bond
locations inside are sorted by area of greater London, making it easy to
have a Bond-themed day in any section of this sprawling city. Directions to
each 007 spot along with the nearest underground station are thoughtfully
included. Extensive indexes also cross-reference locations by movie, book,
Bond's lifestyle, espionage themes, and more, so fans can develop their
favorite itinerary with ease. Items of "shaken and stirred special interest"
are also highlighted throughout.

Even if you aren't planning a London trip soon, you'll enjoy the anecdotes
and insights filling James Bond's London. Extras include a foreword by Peter
Hunt, a tribute to Ian Fleming by Christopher Lee, and a synopsis of 1959's
"James Bond of the Secret Service".

Gary Giblin's scholarship on this work is laudable, as he worked closely in
collaboration with everyone from Desmond Llewelyn and Oscar-winning designer
Peter Lamont to John Stears and the heirs of Ian Fleming on his new book.
His acknowledgements page reads as a who's who of the world of James Bond. A
fine trivia challenge on nearly every page and wonderful stills of
locations, the Bond actors and the EON production team round out this
fabulous book. Buy it!

As a James Bond fan, having just gotten home from a trip to London, I have to say, having this book with me was truly indispensable. I found myself looking up the places where the Bond films were shot, and the book give you the details on how to get there, including subway stops. As one person said, a map would have been real helpful, but the information is pretty extensive without it. I highly recommend it.

An excellent compendium of places and locations that have played a part in both Bond Books and Bond Films. The detail and descriptions are impecable and Gary's research has definately paid-off.

Particular note goes out to the two introductory writers, Peter Hunt and Christopher Lee, who both offer excellent background and depth.

One downside is that a map would have been quite effective to achieve the sense of geography and distance to these locations. As only a one-time visitor (so far!) to London, I don't quite know the relationships to the districts and locales, etc. In this case a map would have been quite helpful.

As a James Bond fan for over twenty five years, I found Gary Giblin's James Bond's London to be most informative and a well illustrated book of James Bond's history in London. Giblin's research of over 250 Bond locations is detailed and overflowing with facts that cover creator Ian Fleming,the James Bond films, and real life espionage locale. The next best thing to this book would be a personal tour of London given by Fleming himself! A comprehensive Bible for Bond fans of novels and film. Great forward by Peter Hunt and Christopher Lee!

The Bond Lover's Bible is how I would describe this book. It is highly detailed (with references to Bond books and films)and exceedingly well-structured, whilst looking up references around the capital is simplicity itself. The book should be far more widely known than it is - not only because it is so very good, but because its companion volume, the almost completed "James Bond's Britain", is apparently unlikely to make it into print on the strength of sales so far for "James Bond's London". Highly recommended!

Gary Giblin's book "James Bond's London" is a highly readable and useful guide for James Bond and/or Ian Fleming fans. Giblin's enormous love for the subject and the incredibly minute details to which his research extended are obvious. (So many film books nowadays are actually about the scholar who wrote them, and not about their title. Giblin's is a refreshing exception.) The way he divided locations into different categories and grouped them according to districts of London is very intelligent, and makes using the book as a guide very simple and enjoyable.

Giblin leaps to the forefront of Fleming/Bond reads,and joins the short list of the best,Pearson, Benson and Lycett.

Immerse yourself in this one!