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Goldfinger (James Bond (Original Series)) Paperback – October 16, 2012
Auric Goldfinger is the richest man in England―though his wealth can’t be found in banks. He’s been hoarding vast stockpiles of his namesake metal, and it’s attracted the suspicion of 007’s superiors at MI6. Sent to investigate, Bond uncovers an ingenious gold-smuggling scheme, as well as Goldfinger’s most daring caper yet: Operation Grand Slam, a gold heist so audacious it could bring down the world economy and put the fate of the West in the hands of SMERSH. To stop Goldfinger, Bond will have to survive a showdown with the sinister millionaire’s henchman, Oddjob, a tenacious karate master who can kill with one well-aimed toss of his razor-rimmed bowler hat.
The text in this edition has been restored by the Fleming family company Ian Fleming Publications, to reflect the work as it was originally published.
- Print length295 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateOctober 16, 2012
- Dimensions5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101612185509
- ISBN-13978-1612185507
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“A superlative thriller from our foremost literary magician.” ―New York Herald Tribune
“Fantastic…Nobody else does this sort of thing as well as Mr. Fleming.” ―Sunday Times
“Maniacally readable.” ―Observer
“Goldfinger…will not let [Bond’s] close admirers down.” ―Manchester Guardian
“Outrageously improbable, wickedly funny, wildly exciting.” ―Manchester Evening News
About the Author
Ian Fleming was born in London on May 28, 1908. He was educated at Eton College and later spent a formative period studying languages in Europe. His first job was with Reuters News Agency where a Moscow posting gave him firsthand experience with what would become his literary bête noire―the Soviet Union. During World War II he served as Assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence and played a key role in Allied espionage operations.
After the war he worked as foreign manager of the Sunday Times, a job that allowed him to spend two months each year in Jamaica. Here, in 1952, at his home “Goldeneye,” he wrote a book called Casino Royale―and James Bond was born. The first print run sold out within a month. For the next twelve years Fleming produced a novel a year featuring Special Agent 007, the most famous spy of the century. His travels, interests, and wartime experience lent authority to everything he wrote. Raymond Chandler described him as “the most forceful and driving writer of thrillers in England.” Sales soared when President Kennedy named the fifth title, From Russia With Love, one of his favorite books. The Bond novels have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide, boosted by the hugely successful film franchise that began in 1962 with the release of Dr. No.
He married Anne Rothermere in 1952. His story about a magical car, written in 1961 for their only son Caspar, went on to become the well-loved novel and film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Fleming died of heart failure on August 12, 1964, at the age of fifty-six.
Learn more about Ian Fleming at www.ianfleming.com.
Product details
- Publisher : Thomas & Mercer; James Bond edition (October 16, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 295 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1612185509
- ISBN-13 : 978-1612185507
- Item Weight : 12 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #160,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,120 in Espionage Thrillers (Books)
- #22,203 in Mysteries (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Ian Fleming's James Bond
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About the author

Ian Fleming was a British author and journalist. His first novel, Casino Royale (1953), introduced spy hero, James Bond, agent 007, to the world. It was the first of fourteen James Bond books which have gone on to sell over 60 million copies worldwide and be translated into 20 languages. Beginning with the movie adaptation of Dr No in 1961, the series also sparked the longest-running film franchise in history. Both Fleming and his fictional counterpart have become synonymous with style, glamour and thrilling adventures, as well as universally recognised phrases such as “My name’s Bond, James Bond” and “shaken and not stirred”.
Fleming was born in London in 1908. In the 1930s he worked at Reuters news agency before joining Naval Intelligence as an officer during the Second World War. His talent for writing fast and engaging prose, along with his knowledge of espionage and his fertile imagination led to the creation of James Bond, arguably one of the most-famous fictional characters of all time. He also wrote children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Fleming was married to Ann Rothermere with whom he had a son, Caspar. He died in 1964.
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I was raised on James Bond films for most of my life (Live and Let Die was my first), but never read the books. It took me a little while to get used to the significant difference between cinema Bond and literary Bond. The best way I can describe the difference is the Bond in the books acts much more like a spy in the Cold War genre sense. By that I mean he is frequently using guile, subterfuge and infiltration in the books, far more than he does in the movies where he is more like the action hero "fly in the ointment." Have no fear, there is still plenty of action in the books, but that usually comes after Bond has positioned himself to be working on the inside of the villain's world, I am a big fan of John LeCarre and Len Deighton and their Cold War espionage masterpieces. I had not realized how close the James Bond books, the ones actually by Ian Fleming anyway, mirror that style of methodical espionage and counter espionage.
This particular book is actually one of the closest to the movie that I've read so far. It contains all the same characters you've come to know and love including Oddjob, Pussy Galore (in a dramatically different role than the film) and, of course, Goldfinger himself. The plot is very similar as is the progression of the film. Most of the changes made for the film are oriented toward getting in more action and suspense, i.e. the crotch laser which is not in the book.
It is a pretty quick read. One odd side effect I've had from reading these books is a longing for a return to the world that could sustain such black and white differences between good and evil.
Great fun and highly recommended.
What I've always liked better about the Bond books over the Bond movies is the character development Fleming puts into Bond. It's fantastic for the reader to get a glimpse inside Bond's thought process, which the reader gets a lot in this novel, perhaps even too much so while Bond is tailing Goldfinger in his car throughout Central Europe.
Of course this novel has it's deviances from the movie, and it enhances the story purely do to the more dialogue between Bond and Goldfinger, especially at the "hood's convention," as Mr. Solo so aptly puts it in the movie. There are also noticible differences in the character of Pussy Galore, which serve for some very interesting dialogue and interior monologue for Bond.
I liked this book very much, and I believe it stands up well with the entire collection. In fact, I would rank it number 4 in my list of favorite Bond books. That is the only reason I gave it 4 stars, because I do not believe it holds up to On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Casino Royale (Thunderball being #3). Those novels are fantastic, but Goldfinger is also excellent.
So, it was with much anticipation that I dived into a copy of the Ian Fleming novel of the same name. I was not disappointed.
Much maligned by Bond fans in general, I actually list `Goldfinger' as one of my favorite of all the Fleming James Bond books. It has all the elements I love - the trademark `Fleming sweep' keeps the novel moving at a fast pace, the villain is deliciously colorful and dastardly and the structure is impressive. Split into the three sections: Happenstance, Coincidence and Enemy Action (Goldfinger's theory on his three meetings with 007), the structure is more clearly evident and works well within the overall framework of the book.
The plot of the novel follows the same path as the movie, except in one crucial detail. In the 1964 movie, Goldfinger (in cahoots with the Chinese) plots the detonation of a nuclear device inside the gold depository at Ft. Knox. In the novel Fleming has the villain scheming to steal the gold - a highly impractical scheme but still an enjoyable caper.
I remember upon first reading the novel how impressed I was with the chapters revolving around the game of golf. I find the colorful description and the game of wits between Goldfinger and James Bond especially suspenseful. It's interesting to note that these scenes in the movie are also among my favorites in the series (and even inspired Sean Connery to take up the game of golf).
`Goldfinger' is well worth a read. It's fast moving, has some great characters and a well drawn plot structure. I am frankly surprised it has received such a drubbing on amazon and Bond sites. Pick it up!
Top reviews from other countries
Auf die Buchreihe, genauer gesagt auf "Goldfinger" - ich war erstaunt übrigens, der dritte Bond - Film aber der siebte Roman Ian Flemings - wäre ich möglicherweise ohne eine aktuelle Schularbeit, die sich darauf bezieht, gar nicht gestoßen. Zwar wusste ich schon lange von den Buchvorlagen, sonderliches Interesse hatte ich zuvor jedoch nie daran. Und das, so muss ich mir rückwirkend eingestehen, ist sehr schade. Denn noch bevor ich "Goldfinger" zu Ende gelesen hatte, war ich bereits so begeistert davon, dass ich mir gleich zwei weitere Bücher der Reihe gekauft habe. Diesmal aus purem Eigeninteresse und nicht, weil ich die Bücher "gezwungenermaßen" lesen muss. Ich denke, das alleine spricht schon für sich.
Was das Buch, oder die Buchreihe allgemein, so besonders macht ist in erster Linie, dass sie sich in der Charakterzeichnung des Protagonisten James Bond von der Filmreihe in einigen Punkten maßgeblich unterscheidet. Besser die Filmreihe von ihr, sollte man fairerweise wohl sagen, denn die Bücher waren ja zuerst da. Und diese sind insbesondere im Hinblick auf den Charakter des James Bond sehr tiefgehend. Dies merkt man sogar schon auf den ersten Seiten von "Goldfinger". Es wird ein James Bond präsentiert, der über seine Taten reflektiert, bedauert, obwohl er weiß, dass er sich dieses in seinem Job eigentlich nicht leisten kann. Schon hier stellt sich eine wahnsinnig glaubhaft beschriebene Gefühlswelt des Protagonisten dar. Viel vom in den Filmen oft unerschütterlichen Actionhelden, den nur wenig so leicht aus der Ruhe bringt und der auch in den gefährlichsten Notlagen noch einen coolen Spruch herausposaunt ist hier jedenfalls nicht vorzufinden. Das war als Kenner der Filme für mich natürlich erst einmal befremdlich, gleichzeitig fand ich es aber unglaublich gut und es verhilft in hohem Maße, sich sofort in das Buch und seine Hauptfigur hineinzudenken. Und diese Ausarbeitung der inneren Welt des James Bond findet nicht nur zu Beginn des Romans statt, sondern zieht sich wie ein roter Faden hindurch und so erleben wir einen 007, welcher durchaus uns allen bekannte Gefühle wie Trauer, Wut und sogar Angst empfindet. Mehr als in den Filmen wirkt er im Buch, so eigenartig die Formulierung auch klingen mag, wie einer von uns. Wer hätte das anhand der Filme wohl erwartet? Hierbei sind vor allem, ohne diese in irgendeiner Weise schlechtreden zu wollen, die alten Filme gemeint, denn es ist nun einmal Fakt, dass der moderne James Bond wesentlich menschlicher dargestellt wird als in den alten Bond - Filmen, wodurch er so gesehen auch näher an den Büchern ist als jemals zuvor.
Um aber wieder auf das Buch zurückzukommen, es ist auch, trotz des gleichen Titels, nur teilweise mit dem Film "Goldfinger" zu vergleichen. Klar, einige Szenen kommen bekannt vor, etwa das Golfspiel zwischen Bond und seinem, vor allem im späteren Teil, Feind Goldfinger und letztlich läuft die Geschichte auch auf den selben Höhepunkt, den Showdown in Fort Knox, hinaus, dennoch entwickelt sich der Weg dorthin im Film zum großen Teil ganz anders als im Buch. Auch ist das Buch wesentlich weniger actionlastig als seine filmische Umsetzung, dennoch aber nicht langweilig. Möglicherweise ist "Goldfinger" hierbei aber auch eine Ausnahme. Ich habe bereits "Live and Let die", den zweiten Bond - Roman, gelesen und in diesem kommt, wenn auch ebenfalls nicht in dem Maß der Filme, wesentlich mehr Action als bei "Goldfinger" vor. Wie dem auch sei, so liest sich "Goldfinger" oft mehr wie ein Krimi und weiß als dieser aber auch hervorragend zu unterhalten. Kritisieren könnte man am Buch höchstens, dass vielleicht doch durch die erst gegen Ende richtig aufkommende Action das ein oder andere Mal ein Hauch von Langatmigkeit entsteht. Hierzu trägt aber sicherlich auch bei, dass einiges ausufernder als vielleicht nötig geschildert wird, etwa das bereits erwähnte Golfspiel, welches sich, wenn ich es richtig in Erinnerung habe, über an die 15 bis 20 Seiten hinziehen dürfte. Wer nicht eingefleischter Golf - Fan ist, wird da schnell ins Überfliegen geraten, zumal auch viele Fachbegriffe verwendet werden, die man wohl nur versteht, wenn man sich in diesem Sport gut auskennt. Wo wir gerade beim Thema Verständnis sind: Die englische Ausgabe ist mit entsprechenden Kenntnissen dieser Sprache sehr gut zu lesen, sicher wird man nicht jedes einzelne Wort oder jeden Satz verstehen, doch weiß man im Grunde immer, was gerade geschieht. Der Originalton von Ian Fleming aus dem Jahr 1959 ist jedenfalls sehr angenehm zu lesen und ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass die Bond - Bücher etwa in der deutschen Übersetzung nicht ganz so viel Spaß machen, weshalb ich die englische Fassung auf jeden Fall empfehlen würde.
Insgesamt ist "Goldfinger", abgesehen von bereits angesprochenen leichten Durchhängern ein unterhaltsamer und kurzweiliger Spionage - Thriller mit Spannung, einem leichten Action - Anteil und einer Hauptfigur, die nicht wie der unbesiegbare Held der Filme wirkt - sondern schlicht und ergreifend sehr menschlich.







