The Man with the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters

Compiled and edited by Fleming's nephew, this book is for Bond lovers, and heaven knows, there are a lot of them. After Casino Royale was accepted for publication in 1952, Fleming bought himself a gold-plated typewriter to remind himself he was now a published author. Over the remaining 12 years of his life, the novelist produced 13 more Bond books, the children's story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and two titles of nonfiction. Fleming took writing seriously, even choosing the cover art, suggesting how big a publishing run a novel should have, and how the book should be promoted. Here the most intriguing exchanges are those in which correspondents point out errors in Fleming's novels. In one instance, the author writes back and forth with a Scot who advises him on his choice of guns, bullets, silencers (don't use them), and holsters. In another, a Yale librarian takes Fleming to task for mangling American slang: he particularly objects to Fleming's use of the phrase "by gum."