Andrew Lycett

Ian Fleming Andrew Lycett

Jacket Description/Back: More than a quarter century after the death of Ian Fleming, Andrew Lycett has produced his definitive biography. Through hundreds of interviews and direct access to Fleming's papers, as well as those of family and friends (which contain much previously unpublished and highly controversial material), Lycett has been able to reveal, for the first time, the truth behind the complicated facade of an enigmatic and remarkable man. With an extraordinary cast of characters, this is biography at its best - part history, part gossip, and part informed reassessment. Sportsman, womanizer, naval commander, world-traveler, spy, this suave Old Etonian creator of the Cold War's archetypal secret agent was infinitely more complicated and interesting than his major fictional character, Agent 007. Fleming's wide-ranging and exciting life inevitably provided the plausible backdrop for the Bond novels, and while his temperamental, sometimes violent nature got him into difficulties as a young man, the second World War was the making of him. Highly regarded in British naval intelligence for his international contacts, he master-minded numerous top secret operations, including "Golden Eye", which is uncovered here for the first time. His role in shaping the prototype CIA is also fully detailed. Biographical Note: ANDREW LYCETT is an English biographer and journalist. He is the author of "Rudyard Kipling," "Dylan Thomas: A New Life" and "Conan Doyle: The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes." He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2009. He lives in London. Review Quotes:"The only Fleming biography I have read which gets to the heart of this complex, fascinating man." --Charles Cumming, author of "A Foreign Country" and "The Trinity Six"Table of Contents: Illustrations -- Foreword -- 1. Etonian rebel -- 2. Foreign initiation -- 3. The world's worst stockbroker -- 4. Chocolate sailor -- 5. Ian's Red Indians -- 6. Newspaper romance -- 7. Succumbing to marriage -- 8. Bond promotion -- 9. Escaping the 'gab-fests' -- 10. Jamaican attraction -- 11. Emotional turmoil -- 12. Film options -- 13. Heart problems -- 14. Kent and Wiltshire -- 15. Name in lights -- Acknowledgements -- Bibliography -- Index. Publisher Marketing: We all know who James Bond is, but how many of us know much about his creator, Ian Fleming, a master of espionage and thrillers? In this full-length biography, author Andrew Lycett tells the story of Ian Fleming's life proving that it was just as dramatic as that of his fictional creation. Educated at Eaton and Sandhurst, he joined Naval Intelligence in 1939 participating in both Operation Mincemeat and Operation Golden Eye. After the war, he became a journalist and, in 1953, wrote "Casino Royale" thereby introducing the world to an English spy named James Bond. Set in London, Switzerland and Fleming's Jamaican estate Goldeneye, his life was peopled with luminaries like Noel Coward, Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Bond film producer "Cubby" Broccoli and others. With direct access to Fleming's family and friends, Lycett goes behind the complicated facade of this enigmatic and remarkable man. "Ian Fleming" by Andrew Lycett is biography at its best--a glittering portrait of the brilliant and enigmatic man who created Agent 007. Review Citations:

Booklist 08/01/2013 pg. 20 (EAN 9781250037985, Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly 08/19/2013 (EAN 9781250037985, Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2013 (EAN 9781250037985, Hardcover)

New York Times 05/26/1996 pg. 14 (EAN 9781570363436, Hardcover)

Library Journal 06/01/1996 pg. 106 (EAN 9781570363436, Hardcover)

Library Journal 05/01/1998 (EAN 9780786112593, Analog Audio Cassette)

Contributor Bio:  Lycett, Andrew Andrew Lycett received a history degree from Oxford University before becoming a journalist at the Sunday Times (London), where he served as a foreign correspondent in Africa and the Middle East. He has written acclaimed biographies on Ian Fleming, Dylan Thomas, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, Muammar Qaddafi, and Rudyard Kipling. He lives in London.