Customer Reviews

The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been a Bond fan for over 20 years now, and though my favorite Bond is Sean Connery, I can appreciate each subsequent actor's ability to play the role and to put his own personal stamp on the history of 007. Deborah Lipp's 'The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book' is an excellent reference source for all things 007; it's an absorbing history that examines the entire Bond film series and a fun read to boot.

First, I enjoyed the layout of the book; though a great deal of it deals with lists and rankings, it's not presented in a strictly encyclopedic format (which always struck me as too random and out of context to be enjoyed). Instead, each chapter deals with each film in order of release. Each film is summarized, and then critiqued in a refreshingly subjective manner. Though I didn't always agree with the author's conclusions (She ranks On Her Majesty's Secret Service 18th out of 21 films and Diamonds Are Forever at #5) I found myself agreeing with most of her observations and criticisms, which were both astute and amusing. She then bullet points the highlights of each film, the low points, quotable quotes, noteworthy trivia, and most interesting goofs. I have to admit, the inclusion of lists that detailed the number of deaths, explosions, and what Bond eats and drinks was a little more than I needed to know, but no doubt there are fans out there that will appreciate such minutiae.

Each chapter also contains randomly presented lists or rankings of various aspects of the series as a whole. Among the many include The Ten Best/Worst Chases, Best/Worst Allies, Best/Worst Villains, Best/Worst Fights, Best/Worst locations and Best/Worst Teasers. There are also entries that discuss physical deformities as character traits and best use of establishing shots. And in all my years of watching 007 films, I never did know why he liked his Vodka martinis shaken and not stirred (I'm not a drinker). Now I know, along with how to play Chemin-de-fer.

This is the best all around reference book for the Bond films that I've seen, and even better is that it's completely up-to-date (there's a short chapter regarding the upcoming Casino Royale, but I chose not to read it yet). The only element I missed seeing was a detailed review of the musical scores for each film, as I'm an aficionado of them (my favorite composers being Bernard Herrmann, John Barry and Thomas Newman).

I highly recommend this book to all Bond fans. Entertaining and readable for the casual fan, densely populated with facts and trivia for the hardcore fan, it can appeal to all readers. I found the book to be informative and thought-provoking, and the author's wry sense of humor made me laugh numerous times throughout. A great companion to one of the greatest film series of all time.

The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book is interesting, though not "ultimate" for people who have been reading books about Bond for years. I have a collection of books on both the James Bond films and the novels and this has perhaps prejudiced my view. If you love a repeat of plots, an analysis and critique of all the Bond characters in film and enjoy statistics this may be the book for you. There is certainly an ample supply of lists and enough ratings to fill a graduate textbook on statistics. Having experienced the latter I feel I can say that.

Where the book suffers, and author Deborah Lipp is very upfront on this, is the personal opinions. She is very honest about this and actually has two ratings for every aspect of each film. Ms. Lipp relies heavily upon fan websites and suveys that either she or others have made. Then she expresses her own feelings, sometimes in agreement and sometimes the opposite. She is very candid that Bond fans, like Trekkies and Sherlockians (I am in all three categories) will disagree on a number of points. My biggest problem is that once she gets into a film she goes off into lists and ratings of which there are many. I would have preferred the listings to have been at the latter part of the book. At times there is no apparent reason why a list will pop up at the end of a particular film being described.

I will also confess that I did not take the author's suggestion to refer to certain sections as I felt moved rather than reading it straight from cover to cover. By the end I felt very bogged down and wished that I had only read it in parts, with an interlude between. There are many excellent books of analysis out there on the Bond films, encyclopedias in some cases, many with great pictures from the films. I would suggest the reader of this review check out the listing on Amazon. If you enjoy this book you will likely find others that you will like even better. I have had to do this for years as I have used the Bond films in the classroom and written articles about some of them.

I don't regret that I bought this. I have had the good fortune as a teacher to have met a number of the main stars Ms. Lipp has named, three of which have become close personal friends of my wife and myself and who I will be asking to autograph this book as they have others in my collection.

I do appreciate the very strong feelings the author has about various Bond films, we all do. I did not rate this book on whether I agreed with the author on every film, but on its usefulness to a long time fan.

The title is not just hype. This really is the ultimate book on James Bond movies; I can't imagine anything more authoritative or more entertaining. Whether you use it as a reference book, browse through it, or read it from cover to cover (as I did), it will reward you with a wealth of facts and informed opinion. This book is a great addition to anyone's movie bookshelf, and it's an absolute gotta-have for fans of James Bond - casual fans and super fans alike.

Deborah Lipp's strategy in organizing her material works extremely well. Each Bond movie gets its own chapter, which is divided into sections devoted to synopsis, analysis, and evaluation of the movie's strength and weaknesses, as well as a ranking of where the movie stands in the Bond canon. Interspersed with these discussions, you get irresistible nuggets of information: quotes, polls, rankings, milestones, facts & figures, high points & low points, cars & gadgets, goofs, awards, and more. I especially enjoyed the many Bond lists that Lipp compiled for the book, such as "Best Explosions in Bond Films," "Best Stunts," "Best Car Chases," and "Best Villains." Another highlight is an extensive survey of the actors who have portrayed Bond on screen, comparing the strengths and weaknesses of their performances.

Lipp's love of movies shines through every page. Her writing style is witty and literate, and her knowledge of 007 lore will blow you away. "The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book" is sure to become the standard work on 007 movies. Every Bond fan and every movie lover should put this book in their shopping carts.

While there will be several James Bond books available around the time of the new Bond movie (Casino Royale) release, I recommend you get this one.

This book is very easy to read (even for people who only like photo books), and is extremely well-researched. The author very cleverly mixes in "Top Ten" and "Best/Worst" lists within each chapter describing a particular Bond movie in detail.

The author makes clear her prejudices and preferences for various films, characters, moments, etc., but balances this to a large degree with citings, quotations, and comments from fan pollings. A sore spot with other Bond books (avoided here) was the feeling their authors were trying to get in good with EON Productions (Owners/Producers of the Bond movie franchise) or other Bond movie P.R. people.

Of course, I don't agree with every opinion in this book (come on, "on Her Majesty's Secret Service" ranked in the LOWER third of Bond movies?); when presented in an entertaining manner (like in this book), these opinions are great for movie buff/Bond fan dispute, discussion, and debate --- what a good read is supposed to accomplish.

Five stars.

Deborah Lipp is a New Age author, Wiccan High Priestess, and now a James Bond movie aficionado of the highest order. Proof positive that not all fans of 007 are overgrown school boys with tastes for bullets and bikinis. Her "Ultimate James Bond Fan Book" is a joy to behold despite the fact that the word "Ultimate" is boastful nonsense. Readers looking for a serious discussion of Ian Fleming's novels won't find it here. You're better served by Raymond Benson's "James Bond Bedside Companion" (an out-of print classic). Still, this is a book for fans, James Bond MOVIE fans, and within this light-hearted framework Lipp has a ball.

She discusses every Bond film from "Dr. No" to "Die Another Day" with a quick plot synopsis, highly personal (and witty) reviews, and a near dizzying assemblage of Bond movie trivia and factoids. But what sets Lipp apart from other James Bond enthusiast is her free form style. Her "Best and Worst" lists, for example, are not found in separate sections but interspersed within each review seemingly at the spur of the moment. This may drive some people nuts but for me only adds to the jazzy feel here. Her opinions are fascinating and well reasoned. Even when I disagreed with her (she bucks conventional thinking and yawns at "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," a coveted favorite, and loves "Diamonds Are Forever," for many a silly 70's romp) I always had the feeling I was having a grand dialog with an old friend about a mutual obsession. For that reason alone this book will become a dog-eared must among my Bondian library.

Unlike other books about the Bond films, this one does not just review what the movies are about, but compares, contrasts, and critiques them over the last 40+ years. Perhaps a better title would have been "The Ultimate James Bond MOVIE Fan Book." There is minimal discussion of the literary 007 here. I enjoyed the ranking system, although some of the time I don't agree with the author's opinions, which Lipp admits may occur straightaway. Nonetheless, it's entertaining reading taking the movies from a different perspective. My only significant complaint is the complete lack of photographs, but these can be found elsewhere. For example, if you can't remember Stromberg (Curt Jergens) from The Spy Who Loved Me, you aren't going to see a picture of him in this tome. With the recent release of the Ultimate Editions on DVD, this is a timely and handy companion.

This is a well-laid out and planned book which is saying something right there. Sometimes a 'fan-book' is so effusive on the subject that there is no organization, but not this book--while is trivia galore, lists and rankings it is a fun informative treatise as well. My favorite Bond will always be Sean Connery, for the sheer masculinity, but I always LOVED Bond's of any kind as the ultimate adventure escapism outlet for those of us who daydream about spies, otherworlds and pirates. I had a great deal of fun reading this book and at times laughed out loud--it is a very entertaining read for ANY fans of the adventure genre in general.

The fun thing about the assessment of every movie is that you will naturally agree or disagree with the rankings, but even more, you will learn things you overlooked in the movie. Like what Bond actually eats...I mean I don;t even remember any single thing about food in Bond movies, yet there were nuances that were important to specific scenes etc. Fun stuff.

Personally I had heartfelt warmth for OHMSS simply because I wanted to be Ms Tracy Di Vicenzo (i.e. Diana Rigg) so I would put this movie higher...and all the COnneries absolutely at the top of course.

I enjoyed the Chapter on Casino Royale...a film that actually blew me away and was the first great Bond I felt since Connery left.

Very very highly recommend this book for film buffs, Bond buffs or for anyone who needs a new amazing coffee table book. Suitable to be given as a present.

I've read a number of books about Bond, but this may be my favorite. I love reading fans' opinions on the series and this is a very opinionated and articulate fan. I may not agree with all her views like her odd love for Diamonds Are Forever, but they sure are fun to read about. And the book contains some enjoyable facts and trivia (though this should not be seen as the ultimate reference guide to the Bond films) about the movies as well.

While this isn't exactly a coffee table book, you'll need a cup to get through it. Critical opinions are not necessary -- viewers form their own. However, the photos are great and the trivia is fascinating. I have about two dozen books on Bond and this sits at the top of the shelf in between THE TWILIGHT ZONE: UNLOCKING THE DOOR TO A TELEVISION CLASSIC and CHRISTOPHER LEE: TALL, DARK AND GRUESOME. Looking for an enjoyable read? You bet. Looking for a definitive guide? Close enough.

A detailed coverage of bond movies. Great read, well researched and a must for all bond fans.