50 years of incredible James Bond movie art

See sample pages from this book at Wink.

EON Productions was founded in 1961 by Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman for the express purpose of turning Ian Flemings novels about a ruthless, womanizing Secret Intelligence Service officer named James Bond into movies. EON has produced 24 Bond movies to date (quite a feat, since Fleming himself wrote a total of twelve Bond novels and two short story collections).

These two books are a deep dive into EONs James Bond archives. Bond by Design was written by Meg Simmonds, EONs archivist, and is a breathtaking collection of location sketches, plans for villains lairs, outrageous vehicles, exotic costumes, and, my favorite, the dual-purpose gadgets used by agent 007, such as a thermos/grenade, a briefcase/sniper rifle, and the fantastic gadget-filled Aston Martin D85 from Goldfinger.

James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters is loaded with movie posters from all over the world. Paging through the book, it becomes clear that James Bond was and is as globally famous as Mickey Mouse (and a heck of a lot more sauve). It also contains many never-before-seen concept sketches for posters, making it a must-have for any serious Bondophile.

After going through these books, Im ready to watch the Bond oeuvre again. If you are new to Bond I recommend starting with Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger. (Skip the 1967 version of Casino Royale, Octopussy, and the Man with the Golden Gun they stink!)

James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters
by Alastair Dougall
DK
2015, 328 pages, 9.9 x 13.4 x 1.2 inches (paperback)
$18 Buy one on Amazon

Bond by Design: The Art of the James Bond Films
by Meg Simmonds
DK
2015, 320 pages, 14.2 x 10.4 x 1.5 inches (hardcover)
$18 Buy one on Amazon