Description

A fresh portrait of the man behind James Bond, and his enduring impact, by an award-winning biographer with unprecedented access to the Fleming family papers.

WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

Ian Fleming's greatest creation, James Bond, has had an enormous and ongoing impact on our culture, but Fleming’s life was more mysterious than anything he wrote. Ian’s childhood with his gifted brother and extraordinary mother established his ambition to be ‘the complete man’.

Only a writer for his last twelve years, his dramatic personal experiences and career in Naval Intelligence put him at the heart of critical moments in world history, while also providing rich inspiration for his fiction. Nicholas Shakespeare is one of the most gifted biographers working today. His talent for uncovering new material that casts fresh light on his subjects is fully evident in this masterful, definitive biography.

‘Elegant and painstakingly researched’ Observer ‘Marvellous…one of the most engaging portraits of a particular period of British history that I have read in a long time’ Antonia Fraser ‘A book so buoyant and delicious that you feel it will be a friend for life' Telegraph

LONGLISTED FOR THE SALTIRE SOCIETY LITERARY AWARD

A The Times, Financial Times, Economist, Spectator and BBC History Magazine Book of the Year

Paperback
Publication: 3 Oct 2024, Vintage

ISBN: 9781529920604

Extent: 864 pages

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Ian Fleming: The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare

    A fresh portrait of the man behind James Bond, and his enduring impact, by an award-winning biographer with unprecedented access... Read more

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      Description

      A fresh portrait of the man behind James Bond, and his enduring impact, by an award-winning biographer with unprecedented access to the Fleming family papers.

      WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

      Ian Fleming's greatest creation, James Bond, has had an enormous and ongoing impact on our culture, but Fleming’s life was more mysterious than anything he wrote. Ian’s childhood with his gifted brother and extraordinary mother established his ambition to be ‘the complete man’.

      Only a writer for his last twelve years, his dramatic personal experiences and career in Naval Intelligence put him at the heart of critical moments in world history, while also providing rich inspiration for his fiction. Nicholas Shakespeare is one of the most gifted biographers working today. His talent for uncovering new material that casts fresh light on his subjects is fully evident in this masterful, definitive biography.

      ‘Elegant and painstakingly researched’ Observer ‘Marvellous…one of the most engaging portraits of a particular period of British history that I have read in a long time’ Antonia Fraser ‘A book so buoyant and delicious that you feel it will be a friend for life' Telegraph

      LONGLISTED FOR THE SALTIRE SOCIETY LITERARY AWARD

      A The Times, Financial Times, Economist, Spectator and BBC History Magazine Book of the Year

      Paperback
      Publication: 3 Oct 2024, Vintage

      ISBN: 9781529920604

      Extent: 864 pages

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