James Bond: The Authorised Biography

The story of the man behind the myth, the most famous spy of all time — James Bond.

It was a strong face, certainly — the eyes pale grey and very cold, the mouth was hard, and the dark hair — grey-streaked now — still fell in the authentic comma over the forehead.

This is how John Pearson reacted to his first encounter with the real James Bond. At the time, like most of the world, he assumed that James Bond was nothing more than a character in Fleming’s highly charged imagination. Then he began to have his doubts, doubts of such a pitch that the British secret service was trying to warn him off the scene. Despite this, he finally became convinced that James Bond was not only real, but actually alive.

Pearson went on to write the bestselling authorized biography of Ian Fleming. Then, thanks to a change in policy within the secret service he was invited to embark upon a companion volume to his life of Fleming. This resulting book is bound to become one of the most extraordinary biographies of our times — the authorized life of a myth — the official biography of James Bond.

The biography reveals situations and incidents only hinted at in Ian Fleming’s books; and it promises to reveal a side of Bond never seen before: the story of his life, the Bonds of Glencoe; the night he lost his wallet and his virginity in Paris; his first assignment; his duel with the S.S.; his women, scandals and tastes — it’s all here, for the first time ever.


From the Hardcover edition.