The Man with the Golden Typewriter cover art

The Man with the Golden Typewriter

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Man with the Golden Typewriter

By: Ian Fleming, Fergus Fleming
Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £14.62

Buy Now for £14.62

Summary

On 16 August 1952, Ian Fleming wrote to his wife, Ann, "My love, This is only a tiny letter to try out my new typewriter and to see if it will write golden words since it is made of gold".

And he did write golden words: 14 best-selling James Bond books and an equally energetic flow of letters to his wife, publisher, editors, fans, friends and critics, charting 007's progress with correspondence that ranged from badgering Jonathan Cape about his quota of free copies - a coin was tossed; Fleming lost - to apologising for having mistaken a certain brand of perfume and for equipping Bond with the wrong kind of gun.

©2015 Ian Fleming and Fergus Fleming (P)2015 Audible, Ltd Art & Literature Authors Letters & Correspondence Memoirs, Diaries & Correspondence Marriage
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c

Critic reviews

"British actor Julian Rhind-Tutt thoughtfully and expressively narrates the letters of author Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond.... Rhind-Tutt's voice has a warmth and charm that mesh well with the text.... Fleming's many fans will enjoy this inside look at the author and his works." (AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant
The Man with the Golden Typewriter succeeds in showing an Ian Fleming much different from the one who narrates Bond. To his professional contacts and friends he was amusing and generous. To his fans he was the ideal author to receive a letter from: courteous, amusing and appreciative. Even as his health started to fail he kept up a breezy manner to amuse anyone who concerned about him. His style has the flair of his 007 novels. But the letters add a warm, conversational tone. The Fleming in these letters embodies the ideal qualities of the British gentleman.

Editor Fergus Fleming (Ians nephew) is a celebrated non-fiction author in his own right. He has tracked down a diverse range of letters and even obscure Sunday Times pieces. He arranges these with care. He also adds relevant biographical information and summaries of the Bond novels . This adds important context to the letters which are for the most part organized chronologically.

Each batch corresponding to the evolution and reception of a different Bond book. Maybe ordering all the letters by date would have made more sense? But Fergus’s order is easier for the lay reader to digest. The are a few exceptions to the novel-based groupings. These are chapters devoted to Fleming’s correspondence with

* Ernie Cuneo,
* Major Boothroyd,
* Raymond Chandler, and
* Yale Librarian Herman Liebert.

You get the impression that Fleming was a nice chap. Especially in his correspondence back to members of the public who have written to him. His replies always show courtesy and warmth.

In short, this is a book that is far more interesting and entertaining than you might have thought; you don’t have to be a Bond nut to enjoy it. The underlying story is sad: as Fleming’s health failed, his marriage disintegrated and the quality of the books dipped. But for much of the book we are revelling in Fleming’s success ...

So, all in all worth reading. Or even better get the audio book and listen to the excellent narration

Fleming, the man, so likable and charming

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Gripping. All of it. One two three one one two three four five zero nine three one two

Ian Fleming

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
it's rather ironic that in 2015 with Spectre out and Mr Craig flying high and Blofeld back as the ace baddie, that Bond had one more film. what Fleming thought about doing Craig actually did.
what would have Mr Fleming thought about that? well maybe he would have agreed Bond had to die and it's a very heroic way to die. but surely Fleming would not have wanted to die over a woman and a kid would he? I mean poor Tracey did not even get to the Wedding night. This is a truly superb interesting book to go with the films and the books. a very interesting voice to read it and it's a riveting listen to a big Bond fan. poor Ian must be crying from the Heavens seeing a shopping company have the rights to his beloved 007. I weep with him

if only the writer had known!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An essential listen for any James Bond fan who wants to better understand 007’s “biographer”, Ian Fleming.

There’s a huge range of correspondence between Fleming and various publishers, agents, illustrators, friends, family and fans, all read by Julian Rhind-Tutt in the audiobook.

A few important areas are skipped over (such as the Thunderball court case), but in many cases there are other books or resources that cover them in greater detail (The Battle for Bond in the case of Thunderball).

A real joy to listen to.

Essential for Bond fans

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A fascinating glimpse into Ian Fleming’s world via his personal correspondence. Beautifully narrated. Letter writing is a dying if not a dead art and we will not have the benefit of such personal insights for very much longer.

Very enjoyable!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews