Nobody Does It Better: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of James Bond

Following comprehensive oral histories of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel, pop culture mavens Gross and Altman geek out over the James Bond franchise. They rely on the same winning formula as in previous books: a chronologically arranged volume of groaning heft, with seemingly endless stories, gossip, and revelatory bon mots from actors, directors, writers, and fans. Providing necessary context, the authors ably connect these disparate voices. Altman writes that he and Gross set out not only to discuss the production of these movies but also to explain why we’ve enjoyed a 50-plus-year cultural infatuation with the films. A vast chorus of voices wax both poetic and raunchy about the alternately suave and stone-cold spy, his sexual prowess, the Bond girls, the megalomaniac villains, the gadgets, and, oh yes, that obligatory license to kill. John Landis, Robert Rodriguez, and other directors provide insight into the influence of Bond on their own work. On behalf of fans everywhere, well done.