50 Years of James Bond: On the run with 007

By: FSWL team

Published:
2012-05-31

Publication of Life 50 Years of James Bond: On the Run with 007, from Dr. No to Skyfall by the Editors of LIFE.

Fifty years (and five billion dollars in ticket sales) ago, the dashing Scottish actor Sean Connery declared suavely that he was "Bond, James Bond." Thus began a cinematic series unlike any other. In November 2012, Skyfall (2012), the 23rd movie in what is seen as the authorized line of Bond films, will be released, with Daniel Craig (the sixth Bond) again in the lead role. The world will once more stream to the theaters for another dose of Bond.

LIFE was on the scene in the swinging '60s when James Bond became a cultural icon (in fact, when LIFE put the gold-painted actress Shirley Eaton on the cover in 1964, they helped him along), and now LIFE tells the whole story in this commemorative book.

Ian Fleming, a high-ranking officer in British Naval Intelligence during World War II, dreamt up his MI6 spy, code number 007, in 1953, and a decade later, with Dr. No, From Russia with Love (1963) and the smash Goldfinger (1964), saw his creation take on a life entirely his own.

All the fun of Bond is in the LIFE book: The movies; the reminiscences by the stars; the LIFE photo shoots; the knockoffs and spoofs (“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.;” “Get Smart;” “I Spy;” the first Casino Royale); the artifacts (a model of Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 was one of the best-selling toys of 1965); the trivia and inside information on M, Q and Moneypenny – anything a Bond fan would want, packed into one book and then shaken, not stirred. James Bond was, back in the day, one of those cultural phenomena tailor-made for LIFE: It was bright and colorful and vibrant. Today, it still is. Happy birthday, and welcome back, Commander Bond.

Book details:
Hardcover: 176 pages, over 100 photos
Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1618930311
ISBN-13: 978-1618930316
Dimensions: 10 x 10 inches
Cover price: 27.95 USD

About the authors:
The editors at LIFE vigorously carry on the traditions of excellence in photography, in journalism, and in telling the story of our country and our world which began with LIFE magazine in 1936 by founding editor and publisher, Henry R. Luce. They have published books on a broad range of subjects, including New York Times bestsellers One Nation, LIFE Picture Puzzle and The American Journey of Barack Obama.

Other Ian Fleming and James Bond related books published in 2012 and featured on FSWL:
>007 - The James Bond Archives by Paul Duncan (November)
>A Brief Guide to James Bond by Nigel Cawthorne (September)
>All About Bond by Terry O'Neill (October 1)
>Bond on Bond by Roger Moore (April 10)
>Bond on Set: Filming Skyfall by Greg Williams (October)
>Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan by Mark O'Connell (September 3)
>For Your Ears Only: The Voice of the Stars by Nikki van der Zyl (October)
>Ian Fleming: The Bibliography by Jon Gilbert (October)
>Ian Fleming and SOE's Operation POSTMASTER by Brian Gordon Lett (September 20)
>James Bond: Amazing and Extraordinary Facts by Michael Paterson (April 27)
>James Bond: Le Dossier Secret by Kevin Bertrand Collette (October 25)
>James Bond 50 Years of Movie Posters by Dennis Gassner (September 3)
>James Bond is Real by Mike L. Sparks (March 19)
>James Bond Unmasked by Bill Desowitz (May 9)
>My Life as Indiana Jones, James Bond, Superman & Other Action Heroes by Vic Armstrong (May)
>My Life as a Mankiewicz: An Insider’s Journey through Hollywood by Robert Crane (May)
>The First Lady of Bond: My Autobiography by Eunice Gayson (September 12)
>The James Bond Omnibus Volume 003 by Ian Fleming (March 23)
>The James Bond Omnibus Volume 004 by Ian Fleming (November 6)
>The Music of James Bond by Jon Burlingame (October 25)

For other American Bond books featured on From Sweden with Love, click here.

Cover below:
The hardback edition of Life 50 Years of James Bond: On the Run with 007, from Dr. No to Skyfall. © 2012 Time Home Entertainment.

Order Life 50 Years of James Bond: On the Run with 007, from Dr. No to Skyfall from Amazon UK:

www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1618930311/fromswedenwit-21/

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#english_bond_books

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