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MI6 previews the coffee table book '50 Years
of James Bond' from the editors of LIFE magazine...
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LIFE 50 Years of James Bond - Book Preview
2nd September 2012
On the Run with 007 from Dr. No to Skyfall - by the
Editors of LIFE
Fifty years (and five billion dollars in ticket sales) ago,
the dashing Scottish actor Sean Connery declared suavely that
he was "Bond, James Bond." Thus began a cinematic series
unlike any other. In November 2012, Skyfall, the 23rd movie in
what is seen as the authorized line of Bond films, will be released,
with Daniel Craig (the sixth Bond) again in the lead role. The
world will once more stream to the theaters for another dose
of Bond. LIFE was on the scene in the swinging '60s when James
Bond became a cultural icon (in fact, when LIFE put the gold-painted
actress
Shirley Eaton on the cover in 1964, they helped him along), and
now LIFE tells the whole story in this commemorative book.
Above: Final cover artwork
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Ian Fleming, a high-ranking officer in British Naval Intelligence
during World War II, dreamt up his MI6 spy, code number 007,
in 1953, and a decade later, with Dr. No, From Russia with Love
and the smash Goldfinger, saw his creation take on a life entirely
his own. All the fun of Bond is in the LIFE book: The movies;
the reminiscences by the stars; the LIFE photo shoots; the knockoffs
and spoofs
(“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.;” “Get Smart;” “I
Spy;” the first Casino Royale); the artifacts (a model
of Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 was one of the best-selling
toys of 1965); the trivia and inside information on M, Q and
Moneypenny - anything a Bond fan would want, packed into
one book and then shaken, not stirred. James Bond was, back in
the day, one of those cultural phenomena tailor-made for LIFE:
It was bright and colorful and vibrant. Today, it still is. Happy
birthday, and welcome back, Commander Bond.
Above: Early concept cover artwork
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Datastream
Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
Format: Hardback
Pages: 176
Size: 10" x 10"
RRP: £19.99 / $27.95
ISBN: 1618930311
Released: 13th November 2012 (UK) / 2nd October 2012 (USA)
Order
Amazon UK
Order
Amazon USA