Ian Fleming's Inspiration: The Truth Behind the Books

"A journey through Fleming's direct involvement in World War II intelligence and how this translated through his typewriter into James Bond's world." —The Washington Times

Secret agent James Bond is among the best known fictional characters in history, but what most people don't know is that almost all of the characters, plots, and gadgets come from the real life of Bond's creator, Commander Ian Fleming. This book goes through the plots of Fleming's novels—explaining the experiences that inspired them.

Along with Fleming's direct involvement in World War II intelligence, the book notes the friends who Fleming kept, among them Noel Coward and Randolph Churchill, and the influential people he would mingle with, including British prime ministers and American presidents. Bond is known for his exotic travel, most notably to the island of Jamaica, where Fleming spent much of his life. The desk in his Caribbean house, Goldeneye, was also where his life experiences would be put onto paper in the guise of James Bond. This book takes us to that island, and many other locales, as it traces the adventures of both 007 and the man who created him.