Ian Fleming

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 Flemings life was more mysterious than anything he wrote.Ians 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 ObserverMarvellousone of the most engaging portraits of a particular period of British history that I have read in a long time Antonia FraserA 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*