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'The Man With The Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered The World'

New hardcover book by Sinclair McKay out now

The Man With The Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered The World

Paperback edition of Sinclair McKay's book now available to pre-order at Amazon.co.uk

[JADSTERSDAD]

I'd like to know what this is like, if anyone's already read it. I enjoyed the Chapman book very much.

[[dark]]

I had a flip through it yesterday in Waterstone's - it's a nice-looking hardback book and the text looks decent. Hard to tell whether it offers a new take on the Bond legacy, but I'm considering picking it up.

[MarkA]

I am about half way through and it is an absolutely superb book. Very intelligent, witty with a great love of the subject matter. I will put it on the same level as the James Chapman book, but funnier. Some very perceptive and original thoughts are thrown up. With everything put into the context of the times. Anyone looking for another bland picture book should look elsewhere. This is something good and original that has got under the radar. I wish it well.

[Dene]

I will put it on the same level as the James Chapman book

High praise. I love books of this ilk, academic but not in the least bit dry.

Looking forward to seeing it, not in my local Waterstone's unfortunately.

Edited by Dene, 01 October 2008 - 02:40 PM.

[Qwerty]

Very cool. I guess I missed hearing about this one amongst all the other current Bond book releases.

Will have to pick it up.

[dee-bee-five]

This book is terrific. Sinclair McKay writes well; his style is witty, informative and very, very readable. Best of all, he's opinionated. You may not agree with what he has to say - indeed, some po-faced Bond fans are going to disagree with him a lot - but he argues his case well.

My favourite line in the book comes when he's discussing Die Another Day (which he regards as a "magnificently frivolous" Bond film): "This whizz-bang self-hommage has...too many good ideas, with not enough time to dwell on each...(but) why grumble? All this is better than a film such as The Man With The Golden Gun operating on barely half an idea."

[Donovan]

Is there anyone out there who picks up every book put out about some aspect of Bond? I remember back when there was only "James Bond in the Cinema" by John Brosnan and "The James Bond Films" by Steven Jay Rubin. That was it (although maybe you could also include "James Bond: A Report" by Snelling and Amis' "James Bond Dossier", both of which were more about the books).

[TheSaint]

Is there anyone out there who picks up every book put out about some aspect of Bond? I remember back when there was only "James Bond in the Cinema" by John Brosnan and "The James Bond Films" by Steven Jay Rubin. That was it (although maybe you could also include "James Bond: A Report" by Snelling and Amis' "James Bond Dossier", both of which were more about the books).

I used to. Nowadays I wait and let someone else be the guinea pig to find out if it is worth getting or not.

[dee-bee-five]

Is there anyone out there who picks up every book put out about some aspect of Bond? I remember back when there was only "James Bond in the Cinema" by John Brosnan and "The James Bond Films" by Steven Jay Rubin. That was it (although maybe you could also include "James Bond: A Report" by Snelling and Amis' "James Bond Dossier", both of which were more about the books).

I used to. Nowadays I wait and let someone else be the guinea pig to find out if it is worth getting or not.

Trust me, this one is worth reading. Even when I disagree with the author (for instance, he trashes LTK which I rate), I find myself persuaded to see his point of view by the wit and verve of his writing.

[trevanian]

Trust me, this one is worth reading. Even when I disagree with the author (for instance, he trashes LTK which I rate), I find myself persuaded to see his point of view by the wit and verve of his writing.

You've got me intrigued by this description of the writing. I've been limiting myself to the tech books (just got that MAGNIFICENT new Ken Adam volume yesterday and was trying to scrape up to get the Meddings at some point), but if this is as you say, I may just have to grab it as well.

Plus I'm just contrary enough to want to see if ANYbody can get me to change my mind about LTK ...

[ACE]

The Man With The Golden Touch is excellent and well worth getting for the serious Bondfan. Well written with a point of view, this anecdotal history is a cross between Simon Winder's superb The Man Who Saved Britain and James Chapman's equally worthwhile Licence To Thrill. Sinclair McKay knows his stuff (although the book is studded with small errors), he has obviously followed Bond for some time. He even mentions my friend's amateur Bond movie for charity that never got off the ground! There are a few intriguing pictures, no real revelations, no new James Bond Journalism but just a compendium of opinion, social history and Bondage.

[zencat]

Does he talk about the lit Bond beyond Fleming, or anything outside the movies? I enjoy these books, but I find them all too cinema centric. I feel like if you're going to write a book about James Bond history/culture, it's worth addressing the impact, changes, etc. that came via books, games, comics, newstrips, and so forth. James Bond is more than a movie series.

EDIT: Oh, I guess the answer is in the title of the book. LOL. Like I said, I enjoy these books, but I'm just not into yet another book that only looks at Bond through the films. Just as I would not be interested in a book about Sherlock Holmes that only addresses him as a movie character.

I expect this book is very good and worth getting, but I really do want another Beside Companion.

[Qwerty]

Trust me, this one is worth reading. Even when I disagree with the author (for instance, he trashes LTK which I rate), I find myself persuaded to see his point of view by the wit and verve of his writing.

Seems like a pretty promising read then! Just pre-ordered a copy.

[dee-bee-five]

Trust me, this one is worth reading. Even when I disagree with the author (for instance, he trashes LTK which I rate), I find myself persuaded to see his point of view by the wit and verve of his writing.

You've got me intrigued by this description of the writing. I've been limiting myself to the tech books (just got that MAGNIFICENT new Ken Adam volume yesterday and was trying to scrape up to get the Meddings at some point), but if this is as you say, I may just have to grab it as well.

Plus I'm just contrary enough to want to see if ANYbody can get me to change my mind about LTK ...

What I like about the writing is that it is written from someone who obviously loves the films, but is quite prepared to say what he doesn't like about them. But even when he's being negative, he does so with a great sense of humour. I'm not sure you'll enjoy what he has to say about the Dalton era , and I don't agree with much he has to say about it myself. But it is surely the mark of a good book when you still enjoy reading whole passages with which you disagree.

Trust me, this one is worth reading. Even when I disagree with the author (for instance, he trashes LTK which I rate), I find myself persuaded to see his point of view by the wit and verve of his writing.

Seems like a pretty promising read then! Just pre-ordered a copy.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

[trevanian]

That may have nailed what I find most interesting in essayists. I love Harlan Ellison's nonfiction (more than his fiction and screenwriting), largely because in addition to being well-researched most of the time, his pointofview, even when I'm diametrically opposed to it, is presented in a compelling manner.

[MarkA]

I expect this book is very good and worth getting, but I really do want another Beside Companion.

This is a far better book than that believe me. The sense of history and context of the years the films are made very strongly evoked. Though it is very much what was happening in England, rather than the world at the time. This I find refreshing and really reminds me of the times when I first saw these films. Some Americans may not relate so much to it because of the British centric angle. I don't always agree with it (Zencat you will love his pro-Roger Moore stance) but it is written with such intelligence and above all wit, (something sorely lacking in many of the other books of its type) that I really think it is a major work on the subject.

[ACE]

Does he talk about the lit Bond beyond Fleming, or anything outside the movies?

Yup, he thread through a knowledge of the Bond novels (quite astutely), mentions (positively) Young Bond and John Gardner. It's good stuff.

[[dark]]

Great to see so much praise about this book - when I saw it sitting on the shelf in Waterstone's that just looked like it would be worthy analysis. It didn't appear to be a cheap cash-in. (Judging a book by its cover, I know...)

[Jim]

There are a few intriguing pictures, no real revelations, no new James Bond Journalism but just a compendium of opinion, social history and Bondage.

Yes, that's about it.

It did rather feel like reading an incredibly long opinion post from one of the more literate members of this website (which I can get for free) but it was largely inoffensive and a pleasant enough half hour or so. One can do worse for a stocking filler.

[trs007]

I am surprised no one has mentioned the numerous factual errors throughout the tome. A good read, but the text is in need of correction.

[Qwerty]

The Man With The Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered The World

Paperback edition of Sinclair McKay's book now available to pre-order at Amazon.co.uk

[scaramunga]

This book is out here in the US. I was just reading through the thread here to see if anyone had read it and liked it.

I will have to see about picking up a copy to check out.