14 replies to this topic

[Loomis]

....I have a couple of issues with it. First and foremost, it's just too darned unwieldy. At the risk of coming across as wimpish, it's a bitch to carry around, pick up and dip into, thanks to its size and weight. Also, the print is a little on the small side and the text sometimes hard on the eye, being printed over inappropriate colours and/or backgrounds (see, for example, pages 91, 170-171, 238 and 273).

I also find the writing somewhat dry and unengaging, and the authors' overconcern with current affairs frequently comes at the expense of critical insight into the films themselves, especially with the Dalton and Brosnan eras. All too often there are irrelevant and irritating observations such as: "In the summer of 1989, Chinese military forces killed hundreds of pro-democracy student protesters in Tiananmen Square. The image of a lone student standing in front of a line of tanks exemplified a type of courage and heroism far from the Bond mould." Well, of course it bloody well did.

Far from a rotten book, but the only aspect that really stakes a claim for it is the selection of photographs. If we're talking truly excellent Bond books, give me Benson's "Bedside Companion" any day.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

yeah, the only thing i dont like about it is it is to darn BIG, great book but way to big to read with comfort

[marktmurphy]

Its only a tenner in WHSmiths, now. So they can't have liked it much either.

[Turn]

I don't have it yet, but took it out of the library as Amazon ripped me on a deal they had with that and the Bond poster book last year. What struck me was Thunderball had probably the most hype of any of the films but had a shorter section than any of the other early films. I was rather disappointed by that.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

yeah, they did not talk up avtak alot either so i was ticked

[Triton]

Spot on Loomis. I really couldn't care less about the events in the news when Dr. No was released or what Variety thought of a Bond film when it was released. I am very disappointed that the authors did not use more of the interview material that they collected when making the documentaries for the Special Edition DVD/Laserdiscs. I would be far more interested in hearing more ancedotes and recollections of directors Terence Young, Guy Hamilton, Peter Hunt, screenwriter Tom Mankewicz, and Special Effects Supervisors John Steers and Derek Meddings, among others.

It makes it much more tragic that Terence Young, Peter Hunt, Desmond Llewelyn, John Steers, and Derek Meddings have passed away since the SE documentaries have been produced. Also, those who were involved with the early Bond films won't be with us for much longer. It seems at times during the audio track of Moonraker that Lewis Gilbert is fighting off senility and he seems quite befuddled.

It would have been nice to have recorded on paper the parts of the interviews they left on the cutting room floor. The book needed to be more of a definitive history of the Bond films, as opposed to a piece about why we like Bond. I know why I like Bond, as I imagine everyone else who contributes to this forum knows why they like Bond. Tell us stories about the movies that we haven't heard before.

[Bond111]

In that case I will put this book on hold for awhile. That's partly because the damn book is $50 :eek::mad:.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

Originally posted by bond111
In that case I will put this book on hold for awhile. That's partly because the damn book is $50 :eek::mad:.

i was lucky, i got mine for 40 at barnes and noble, this past christmas

[Genrewriter]

Whoa, lucky. I glanced through it in a Target store and it looks great. I like the way that the real world is laced in along with the Bond stuff. It sets the book apart from others.

[Jriv71]

I got it for X-mas and I loved it. When I was done, I went to put it in my Bond bookcase, and IT DIDN'T FRIGGIN' FIT!!!!

Now, it sits across the tops of my Gardner hardcovers, and since I've been reading those lately, every time I switch books, it causes a minor avalanche.

Help me.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

its just to damn big, what where they thinking to make it that big?

[Bond111]

Just bought it with a gift card from B&N. It is great so far. But big? I don't think so [sarcasm]. I had to wait in line for a while and it was starting to make my arm tired just from holding it. But I think it is well worth the size and cost. A great buy for any Bond fan. Although, as mentioned above, the author(s) tend to get a bit carried away with the current affairs.

[Glor (009)]

Originally posted by BONDFINESSE 007  
its just to damn big, what where they thinking to make it that big?

Two words:

Coffee
Table

Two more words:

Fifty
Dollars

I think that's pretty much what they were thinking. (The publishers that is. I met the authors and they seem very nice. They even threw in a Corgi Moonraker shuttle with the book and both signed it for $45 total) I haven't been able to find a spot for mine either. Even when I get a coffee table for my office/Bond Den I will have a dillema with Bond Girls, Posters, and The Legacy on the same table. To be honest, I've barely leafed through it. I will though.

[Xenobia]

I am now the proud owner of two copies of Legacy...

One is signed by the authors, and (so far) Bryce and Zencat, although my goal is to get all my favorite Bond people to sign it.

The other copy is for my reference. One of the authors is clearly aware of the size of the book and doesn't expect to be read cover to cover and memorized, but kept, on a coffee table perhaps, just so folks can refer to it, as need be.

-- Xenobia

[Jriv71]

Am I the only one in this place who doesn't know anybody famous and/or Bond-related???