John Gardner's James Bond Titles Re-Issued

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2011-06-10

30th anniversary john gardner james bond books

Just confirmed, John Gardner's James Bond titles will be re-printed and published by Swordfish starting with the first three novels this month.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

Orion Publishing Group celebrates 30th anniversary of John Gardner’s James Bond titles.

Swordfish, the new imprint from The Orion Publishing Group, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of John Gardner’s first James Bond novel with the publication of his first five Bond titles in a highly collectable hardback edition. Featuring the original cover art, the first three titles - Licence Renewed, For Special Services and Icebreaker - will all be published in a distinctive new livery on 23 June 2011 (hardback, £16.99 each/eBook at £8.99). Role of Honour and Nobody Lives For Ever will follow suit on 7 July 2011 (hardback, £16.99 each/eBook at £8.99). All of John Gardner’s Bond novels will be released in paperback in 2012.

John Gardner served with the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Marines before embarking on a long career as a thriller writer, and in 1981, almost 20 years after Ian Fleming’s death, he was asked to revive Agent 007. Between then and 1996 Gardner wrote fourteen Bond novels and the novelisations of two Bond films. In Gardner’s novels, James Bond and his traditional Fleming allies continue their adventures in the 1980s, with all the latest technology and weaponry.

Rowland White, Non-fiction Publishing Director and Publisher of Swordfish, says:

“As I grew up in the 1980s, John Gardner’s Bond was, to a large extent, my Bond. I missed out on the chance to anticipate the publication of a new Bond from Ian Fleming. Instead I looked forward to my next fix of 007 from the hand of John Gardner. It’s a huge pleasure and privilege to now have the opportunity to publish new editions of these classic thrillers on the Swordfish list.”

Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd said:

“We are delighted that the 30th anniversary of the first Gardner Bond novel is being celebrated with such a lovely edition. I can’t imagine a more fitting tribute to one of our longest serving and most dedicated Bond authors.”

Simon Gardner, the author's son, said:

"My father, John Edmund Gardner, was extremely proud to have been asked to take on the role of Bond continuation novelist, and if he were alive today he would be overjoyed to see his Bond novels back in print for a new generation of fans to enjoy. On behalf of the family, I would like to say how pleased we all are that The Orion Publishing Group are re-printing these first five novels, complete with their original jackets. It is very exciting that these will be released under Orion's new imprint, Swordfish. We all find it hard to believe it is the 30th anniversary of the publication of Licence Renewed."

The deal for British and Commonwealth Rights was negotiated by Rowland White, Non-fiction Publishing Director and Publisher of Swordfish, with Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

About the James Bond novels:
• Over 100 million Bond books have been sold (and over half the world's population has seen a Bond film!)

• Ian Fleming wrote 14 James Bond books: Casino Royale (1953); Live and Let Die (1954); Moonraker (1955); Diamonds are forever (1956); From Russia with love (1957); Dr. No (1958); Goldfinger (1959); For Your Eyes Only (1960); Thunderball (1961); The Spy Who Loved Me (1962); On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963); You Only Live Twice (1964); The Man With The Golden Gun (1965) and Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966)

• Fleming's other works include the children's favourite, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964), which was made into a film and stage musical, The Diamond Smugglers (1957) and a collection of travel writings called Thrilling Cities (1963)

• The most recent Bond novel, Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver, was published in the UK on 26 May 2011 by Hodder & Stoughton.

• Charlie Higson is author of the Young Bond books which are published by Puffin

• Samantha Weinberg, writing as Kate Westbrook, is the author of The Moneypenny Diaries which are published by John Murray.

• Other authors of official James Bond novels include Kingsley Amis, Raymond Benson and Sebastian Faulks.

• All of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond books are published by Penguin in the UK and the US.

• Ian Fleming Publications Ltd is the Fleming family owned company that owns the literary copyright of the James Bond books.

About John Gardner:
Before becoming an author of fiction in the early 1960s, John Gardner was variously a stage magician, a Royal Marine officer, a journalist and, for a short time, a priest in the Church of England. In the early ’60s he wrote a series of highly acclaimed comic novels featuring a cowardly secret agent called Boysie Oakes,before moving on to more serious books: particularly those featuring Big Herbie Kruger - an outstanding fictional character of the Cold War. In all, John Gardner had 53 novels to his credit – many of them best-sellers and Maestro was, notably, a New York Times Book of the Year.

Read more about John and his books on the official website maintained by his son Simon: www.john-gardner.com

Our sincere thanks to our friend and John Gardner's son, Simon Gardner, for letting us know.

IMAGE BELOW:
The original cover for John Gardner's first five James Bond novels: Licence Renewed (1981), For Special Services (1982), Icebreaker (1983), Nobody Lives Forever (1986) and Role of Honour (1984).

Orion Books press announcement celebrating the 30th anniversary of John Gardner's James Bond titles:

www.orionbooks.co.uk/news/orion-publishing-group-celebrates-30th-anniversary-of-john-gardner-s-james-bond-titles

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