Two new books on Ian Fleming coming

Comments

• 7289 Beau DesertPosts: 1,691MI6 Agent

  July 2015

  Looking forward to reading them ... Thanks!

  Bond’s Walther PPK
  Bond’s Beretta
  The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
• Silhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,669MI6 Agent

  July 2015

  stag wrote:

  The first one interests me.

  
  Same here! -{
  
  Thanks for the update, TDE!

  "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
• The Domino Effect Posts: 3,631MI6 Agent

  July 2015

  I think Robert Harling's book could be very revealing, not just about Fleming but also about 30AU. Correct me if I am wrong, but the last memoir of Fleming we've had by an actual friend of Fleming's was likely Ivar Bryce's book and that was some time ago.
• Thomo ReadingPosts: 949MI6 Agent

  July 2015

  Thanks will look out for those
• superado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,652MI6 Agent

  August 2015

  Thank you for posting about these books, TDE! Is Robert Harling still alive? The book's blurb says that he had strict instructions that this memoir can only be published after his death, so I wanted to see if that is the case (and didn't change his mind). I can only find online info about the American author of Steel Magnolias.

  "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
• Silhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,669MI6 Agent

  August 2015 edited August 2015

  superado wrote:

  Thank you for posting about these books, TDE! Is Robert Harling still alive? The book's blurb says that he had strict instructions that this memoir can only be published after his death, so I wanted to see if that is the case (and didn't change his mind). I can only find online info about the American author of Steel Magnolias.

  
  No, sadly Robert Harling died in 2008 at the age of 98:
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Harling_(typographer)
  
  I recall seeing him interviewed in a documentary on Fleming's life called 'The Real James Bond' that was shown on Channel 4 in March 2002.

  "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
• The Domino Effect Posts: 3,631MI6 Agent

  November 2015

  I have just finished reading the Robert Harling book and, although quite interesting, for Ian Fleming buffs I can really only recommend it to completist collectors and those who've already read most of the other works on Fleming (ie: Lycett, Parker, Pearson, Gilbert etc).
  
  The book is a memoir of Harling's relationship with Fleming and should not be confused with a biography of Fleming. Although there are some good anecdotes about Fleming and Ann Fleming and a few new stories, there really isn't much new here at all. What it is good at is painting a picture of what it was like to actually know Fleming as a friend. Pearson knew Fleming, but not with the same intimacy that Harling knew him. Most of the others who have written of Fleming had never even met him. Harling does a good job of describing what it was like to casually sit down with Fleming and have a chat over a meal. This helps create a better picture of the character of the man and to me at least, makes Fleming more likeable than I had previously imagined.
  
  For those seeking more information on 30AU, Harling doesn't really add anything new to previous books on the topic.
  
  Overall, I would recommend it but only to the true Fleming diehards or anyone who wants a pleasant read of an interesting life that happened to move in the same circles as Fleming.