James Bond's top ten books
Last week, a list of Ian Fleming's top ten books, as selected by me, was posted on Artistic License Renewed: An Art and Literary James Bond Blog and Tribute to Richard Chopping. Now it's the turn of James Bond. Far from being an occasional reader of books about golf and cards, Bond's library is far more varied. Indeed, Fleming wrote of Bond's 'book-lined sitting-room'. Visitors to Bond's London flat are likely to see not only sports books, but also detective and mystery thrillers, gothic chillers, books about politics, a book of 18th-century letters, and travel writing, among other works. Inevitably the interests of Fleming and Bond overlap, but I think Bond's library still retains a distinctive profile. Click the link to see my suggestions for Bond's top ten books. Many thanks to Artistic License Renewed for inviting me to write the article.
Excellent list! One possible addition would be a book of Ralph Waldo Emerson's poetry. Bond quotes a line from "Brahma" in "Diamonds Are Forever," when he discovers Wint and Kidd are aboard the Queen Elizabeth:
ReplyDelete"Bond sat for a moment frozen to his chair. Suddenly, there flashed unwanted into his mind that most sinister line in all poetry: 'They reckon ill who leave me out. When me they fly, I am the wings.'"
Thanks for getting in touch. Glad you enjoyed the list. Thanks for the reminder about the Emerson reference. It was rather tricky settling on Bond's top ten - Emerson could easily have made it. One of these days I'll write a follow-up with more of Bond's favourite authors!
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