James Bond: The Authorised Biography (hardback) by John Pearson

By: FSWL team

Published:
2007-10-01

An updated hardcover version of the biography of the most famous spy of all time - James Bond: The Authorised Biography - originally written by John Pearson in 1973.

James Bond - fact or fiction? Myth or reality?

This book is surely one of the most extraordinary biographies of our times - the authorized life story of a myth, the official biography of James Bond.

James Bond has graced our bookshelves and screens for over fifty years. The martini-drinking, cigar-smoking, super smooth character has become an icon and national treasure. Like most of the many million James Bond fans around the world, John Pearson assumed that the world's most famous spy was no more than a figment of Fleming's highly charged imagination. Then he began to have his doubts - doubts which soon were reaching such a pitch that the British secret service tried to warn him off the scent. Despite this, he finally became convinced that James Bond was not only real but alive and well in Bermuda.

With candour and recall, Bond began to recount the story of his life to Pearson: from his upbringing to the night he lost his wallet and virginity - and found his first love - in Paris; his first assignment saving a bank in Monte Carlo to his duel with the Secret Service; his women, cars and scandals. Bond reveals the most amazing series of adventures only hinted at in Ian Fleming's novels. This revealing biography promises to show a side of Bond never seen before.

About the author:
John Pearson graduated from Peterhouse Cambridge with a double first in History, then worked on the Economist Intelligence Unit and as a BBC trainee producer before being offered a job by Ian Fleming as his assistant on the 'Atticus' column for the Sunday Times.

Pearson is the author of - among others - the only authorised biography of Ian Fleming, as well as bestselling The Profession of Violence. His previous books with Century are One of the Family: The Englishman and the Mafia and The Gamblers. He lives in London and West Sussex.

Book details:
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Century
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1-84605-114-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-84605-114-2
Dimensions: 16.4 x 3.2 x 24.3 cm

Book description:
It was a strong face, certainly - the eyes pale grey and very cold, the mouth was hard, the dark hair - grey-streaked now - still fell in the authentic comma over the forehead.'

This is how John Pearson reacted to his first encounter with the real James Bond, an encounter probably unique in the annals of thriller writing. He went on to write the bestselling authorised biography of Ian Fleming. At the time, like most of the world he assumed that James Bond was nothing more than a character in Fleming's highly charged imagination. Then he began to have his doubts. Doubts which were reaching such a pitch that the British secret service were trying to warn him off the scent. Despite this, he finally became convinced that James Bond was not only real, but actually alive.

Thanks to a change in policy within the secret service he was invited to embark upon a companion volume to his life of Fleming. This resulting book must be one of the most extraordinary biographies of our times - the authorised life of a myth, the official biography of James Bond.

Here Pearson reveals amazing adventures, situations and incidents only hinted at in Ian Fleming's books; the story of Bond's life, the Bonds of Glencoe; the night he lost his wallet and his virginity in Paris - and found his first love; his first assignment - to save the bank at Monte Carlo; his duel with the S.S.; his women, scandals and tastes - all here revealed. This promises to show a side of Bond never seen before.

Reviews:
"Based on a simple but brilliant idea, meticulously and lovingly researched. Pearson writes wonderfully well about the charismatic Fleming. Essential reading for Bond maniacs." - Daily Mail

"Riveting. Pearson has given the old spy real flesh and bones. The biography has some fine touches. Pearson brings Bond amazingly to life, expanding on adventures that were merely hinted at in the novels. In this age of teh emasculated male, Bond is a joy to behold." - Daily Express

"It is always an intriguing experiment for one author to take on the popular creation of another - and it is one that is carried out with aplomb by John Pearson here in this sly, witty and hitherto rarely seen exercise. This 'authorised biography' is a clever, bittersweet disquisition on what becomes of our heroes. But more than this, it is also a shrewd running critical commentary on Fleming, going some way to explain the outbreaks of bleakness and sourness in the original novels, and also ingeniously explaining away a lot of their absurdity. It is an enjoyable exercise in having cake and eating it." - Daily Telegraph

"John Pearson's book fills the reader in on everything Ian Fleming left out. A quick fix of glamour and adventure. Pearson's book contains sex, sophistication and intrigue." - Financial Times

Order the new hardcover edition of James Bond: The Authorised Biography from Amazon UK:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/ASIN/1846051142/fromswedenwit-21/

Tags:

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#john_pearson

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James Bond: The Authorised Biography (hardback) by John Pearson

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