Christmas Greetings from Ian Fleming Publications HQ in London

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2024-12-21

Ian Fleming Publications, Christmas greetings

In a PM from Miss Moneypenny's desk in London, Ian Fleming Publications sends Christmas Greetings for all From Sweden with Love readers. Classification: Gold level (For Your Eyes Only)

The message reads as follows...

“To our agents in the field,

The end of the year is a moment to reflect on the events of the past twelve months, but for obvious reasons I’m not at liberty to share details of the many top-secret missions our agents have completed (or explosively failed to complete…). I can however take a moment to think over our partnership with Ian Fleming Publications and the titles they’ve released this year, only the second since bringing their publishing efforts in-house.

IFP have published a total of sixteen titles this year, the first of which being the paperback of Charlie Higson’s bestselling, Coronation-inspired On His Majesty’s Secret Service (2023). Marking Agent Higson’s return to the literary world of 007, eighteen years after his first Young Bond mission, all royalties from the paperback sales (as well as the hardback sales) go to the National Literacy Trust.

2024 marked the 60th anniversary of the first publication of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so it was only fitting that Fleming’s classic children’s story should be celebrated with a new edition for the occasion. The task of illustrating this beloved tale was assigned to Agent Thomas Gilbert, and I’m pleased to report that he undertook this charge admirably, capturing the excitement and magic of the world’s favourite flying car.

After last year’s paperback release of Fleming’s work, in October all fourteen 007 titles were given striking new hardback designs by legendary artist Michael Gillette, who you’ll of course remember created the beautiful centenary Bond editions. The new hardbacks all feature wraparound cover art, and custom endpapers by Gillette, as well as specially selected archival material in each title. For example, I was most intrigued to find a letter from Ian Fleming to another Miss Moneypenny at the back of For Your Eyes Only.

This year also saw HarperCollins release A Spy Like Me, the second book in Kim Sherwood’s blistering Double O trilogy. A truly globetrotting adventure, I confess I really couldn’t put this one down, and Agent Sherwood is thus to blame for any typos in my next day’s reports.

I’ll be in touch in January with new mission details, but until then, I hope that you’re all able to take some time to unwind with those you hold dear. Let me leave you with a passage from Fleming’s most festive book, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963), which I always find myself rereading at this time of year:

Where Bond stood, it was now silent and peaceful except for the machine-gunfire crackling of the trees as they went down in the wood that had finally protected him. The crackling was getting nearer! No time to hang about! But Bond took off one sodden glove and dug into his trouser pocket. If ever he needed a drink it was now! He tilted the little flask down his throat, emptied it, and threw the bottle away. Happy Christmas! he said to himself, and bent to his bindings.

Sincerely,

Miss Moneypenny

P.S. M is on the hunt for whoever placed the mistletoe above his desk – you have been warned.”

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Christmas Greetings from Ian Fleming Publications HQ in London

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