60th Anniversary of Moonraker (the Ian Fleming novel)

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2015-04-07

On 7th April 2015, FSWL celebrates the 60th anniversary of the 3rd James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming, Moonraker. The novel was first published in the UK on this day in 1955 by Jonathan Cape.

Here are the first lines in Ian Fleming's Moonraker:

The two thirty-eights roared simultaneously.

The walls of the underground room took the crash of sound and batted it to and fro between them until there was silence. James Bond watched the smoke being sucked from each end of the room towards the central Ventaxia fan. The memory in his right hand of how he had drawn and fired with one sweep from the left made him confident. He broke the chamber sideways out of the Cult Detective Special and waited, his gun pointing at the floor, while the Instructor walked the twenty yards towards him through the half-light of the gallery.

Bond saw that the Instructor was grinning. "I don't believe it," he said. "I got you that time."

During these 60 years, 50 full-length James Bond novels (incl. the latest one by William Boyd) has been published based around Fleming's character, now known all over the world.

Ian Fleming wrote 14 James Bond novels before he sadly passed away - Casino Royale (1953), Live and Let Die (1954), Moonraker (1955), Diamonds Are Forever (1956), From Russia with Love (1957), Doctor 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).

Kingsley Amis, under the pseudonym Robert Markham, wrote Colonel Sun which was published in 1968.

Two novels is written by Christopher Wood - James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and James Bond and Moonraker (1979).

16 novels was written by John Gardner - Licence Renewed (1981), For Special Services (1982), Icebreaker (1983), Role of Honour (1984), Nobody Lives Forever (1986), No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987), Scorpius (1988), Win, Lose or Die (1989), Brokenclaw (1990), Licence to Kill (1990), The Man From Barbarossa (1991), Death is Forever (1992), Never Send Flowers (1993), Seafire (1994), Cold (1996) and GoldenEye (1996).

Nine novels is written by Raymond Benson - Zero Minus Ten (1997), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The Facts Of Death (1998), High Time to Kill (1999), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Doubleshot (2000), Never Dream of Dying (2001), Die Another Day (2002) and The Man With the Red Tattoo (2002).

Five novels about the Young Bond was written by Charlie Higson - Silverfin (2005), Blood Fever (2006), Double or Die (2007), Hurricane Gold (2007) and By Royal Command (2008).

One novel is written by Sebastian Faulks, Devil May Care (2008).

One novel is written by Jeffery Deaver, Carte Blanche (2011).

The latest James Bond novel (Solo) is written by William Boyd and first published in the UK on 26th September 2013.

Editor's note:
For literary James Bond news featured on From Sweden with Love, click here.

For other anniversaries featured on From Sweden with Love, click here.

Photo above:
The first edition UK cover of Ian Fleming's Moonraker (1955) from a private collection.

More information about the James Bond novel Moonraker by Ian Fleming on the book page:
jamesbond007.se/james-bond-novel.asp?novel=Moonraker

Tags:
#anniversaries
#moonraker

Tweet

Tag Cloud

60th Anniversary of Moonraker (the Ian Fleming novel)

Tag Cloud