'Constantly entertaining ... So much here to amuse and inform' Observer'These friendly, knockabout letters are a treat' Sunday Telegraph'Irresistible' New York Times________________________Before the world-famous Bond films came the world-famous novels.This book tells the story of the man who wrote them and how he created spy fiction's most compelling hero. In August 1952, Ian Fleming bought a gold-plated typewriter as a present to himself for finishing his first novel, Casino Royale.It marked in glamorous style the arrival of James Bond, agent 007, and the start of a career that saw Fleming become one of the world’s most celebrated thriller writers.Before his death in 1964 he produced fourteen bestselling Bond books, two works of non-fiction and the famous children’s story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.Fleming’s output was matched by an equally energetic flow of letters.He wrote constantly, to his wife, publisher, editors, fans, critics and friends, including Raymond Chandler, Noël Coward and Somerset Maugham.His letters - witty and charming, funny and revealing - chart 007’s progress: from badgering his publisher about his quota of free copies to apologising to readers for having mistaken a certain brand of perfume and for equipping Bond with the wrong kind of gun.Collected here together by his nephew, the letters provide a fascinating insight into the mind of the man who created a worldwide sensation. 'Splendid' New Statesman'A revelation' Guardian'A fascinating portrait of Bond's creator, revealing a man of keen wit and charm' Gentleman's Journal