The James Bond Bedside Companion Read Online Free PDF Page B

The original manuscript, 183 pages long, went through a few changes as well. The most important one, perhaps, was that the two Spangled Mob killers were originally named Wint and Gore. One of Anne Fleming's cousins was familiarly known as "Boofy" Gore and he had objected to the use of the name. Fleming reportedly apologized and changed the name Gore to Kidd.
    In March, film producer Gregory Ratoff offered to buy the film rights to CASINO ROYALE for $6,000. At this point, perhaps Fleming was a little discouraged over James Bond's poor performance. He was disappointed in the American sales, though there was still a small, but appreciative, English audience. Fleming sold the rights and promptly bought a Thunderbird. Ratoff died before he ever did anything with the property, and his widow sold it to producer/agent Charles K. Feldman. Feldman eventually made the film, as discussed later.
    In April 1955, MOONRAKER was published by Jonathan Cape. The jacket, designed by Kenneth Lewis from suggestions by the author, featured an orange, white, and yellow "flame" pattern. This time, the reviews were mixed. MOONRAKER was a little different from the previous two novels, concentrating more on character than plot. The Times called it a "disappointment," and The Spectator's John Metcalf called it "not one of Mr. Fleming's best" and said it was "further marred by a series of improbabilities." But the book received favorable reviews from The New Statesman , the Daily Telegraph , and the Observer. A few weeks later, when the book was published in the United States, there was a similar reaction. Anthony Boucher wrote in the New York Times: "I don't know anyone who writes about gambling more vividly than Fleming and I only wish the other parts of his books lived up to their gambling sequences." But Karl Brown in Library Journal highly recommended the book, saying that "Fleming tells his story with both ease and grace, making the cloak and dagger episodes most plausible. When the book was published in paperback by Perma Books in the United States a year later, the title was curiously changed to TOO HOT TO HANDLE. This rare paperback edition is significant because it is the only English-language Bond novel that was "Americanized." Throughout the book, all British idioms were changed to American ones, for example, "lift" to "elevator," "knave of hearts" to "jack of hearts," "zebra" to "pedestrian crossing." There were also significant paragraph deletions, particularly descriptions of Eng lish customs or history. Fleming also added certain explanations in the form of footnotes, such as the value of the English pound in American money at the time.

The first American paperback edition of MOONRAKER, published in 1956. Both front and back covers are shown. (© Copyright 1956 by Perma Books, Inc. Photo courtesy of collection of Michael Van Blaricum.)

In June, something happened that lifted Fleming's spirits. He had recently become friends with Raymond Chandler, and Fleming had given the writer copies of the Bond novels to read. Chandler liked Fleming's work, and offered to endorse one of the books for the benefit of Fleming's publishers. As a result, Chandler commented on LIVE AND LET DIE, saying that "Ian Fleming is probably the most forceful and driving writer of what I suppose still must be called thrillers in England." Chandler's praise greatly encouraged Fleming. When Ian Hunter, representing the Rank Organization, offered to buy film rights to MOONRAKER, Fleming asked for £10,000, which was a little over three times what was paid for CASINO ROYALE. The Rank Organization sat with the property until the spring of 1959, when Fleming boughtit back.
    In July, Fleming heard through his friend at Scotland Yard, Sir Ronald Howe, that an Interpol conference was being held in Istanbul. It was arranged for Fleming to attend the conference as a journalist, and in September, he journeyed with Howe to that famed city in Turkey. The trip provided experiences