5 replies to this topic

[Gri007]

I have just began reading this book, and it is interesting to read such an in depth look in to the Bond films and novels. But it does annoy me that Jeremy Black does give us some inaccurate details. The first one that I'd spotted was when Carla Brand is mentioned, and then later corrected to Gala.

Apparently Natalya was the love interest in From Russia With Love and Bond visits Tracys grave in Live And Let Die Was the authour on crack or something, surly the publishers and editors would have picked these errors up. I'm sure there's more mistakes, but it does annoy me. It is just like the way Worral and Phiefer kept refering Gustav Graves as Rupert Graves in there revised edition of 'Essential Bond'. Who the hells Rupert? Errors like this do upset me and make me quite mad. It is just utterly annoying. Anoybody else noticed these mistakes.

[Mark_Hazard]

Sometimes it's down to proof readers. Generally these people are on the look out for grammatical errors rather than factual, depending on the publishing house.

I think with this in mind, a friend asked me to proof read a number of his books, looking mainly for factual errors, but when they got to the publishers, someone else thought they new better, and put in the errors that I had taken out.

Dave and Lee may well have put Gustav in their book, only for some "know-it-all" putting in their two penn'rth prior to publication and screwing it up.

It looks as if someone really screwed up "The Politics..."

Edited by Mark_Hazard, 06 May 2007 - 07:15 PM.

[Zographos]

Yeah, I remember a lot of errors. Still, a very interesting book as you said.

I had never really noticed that the Fleming books lacked Femme Fatales until the author pointed it out. His explanation that it was a throwback to Victorian mores - that beautiful women must have beautiful souls - was certainly intriguing.

[Righty007]

I just purchased this book from Amazon.com. I'm very intrigued by the premise since I enjoy learning about politics (I'm a Political Science minor) and history. Add James Bond into that equation and this book sounds like a must-have for me. Hopefully the errors highlighted above won't detract from my overall enjoyment.

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

[Righty007]

Has anybody here read this book? If so, what are your thoughts?

[Revelator]

I had never really noticed that the Fleming books lacked Femme Fatales until the author pointed it out. His explanation that it was a throwback to Victorian mores - that beautiful women must have beautiful souls - was certainly intriguing.

Intriguing but probably false--the Victorians also regarded highly sexualized women as being unclean, whereas Bond has no problem with women who have been around the block a few times. The Bond books are refreshing because they treat female sexuality as a given--Fleming doesn't have that "Madonna and the whore" sensibility that many men still have--and which the Bond films often displayed with their femme fatales.