007 The Transatlantic Appeal of Ian Fleming's James Bond
The irrepressible James Bond is returning to the big screen soon in the film “No Time to Die.” The ABAA produced a panel, hosted by Fleming bibliographer and bookseller Jon Gilbert, to discuss Ian Fleming and his iconic character, James Bond.
Besides building major Fleming collections around the world, Mr. Gilbert produced a mammoth comprehensive and authoritative bibliography of Ian Fleming in 2012. On the interest in Fleming books Gilbert wrote in an article “…they are popular and collectible. James Bond merchandise and memorabilia is a whole industry in itself and its strength continues to be felt in the world of rare books. As each new film or book is released interest rises in the literature of Bond’s creator, as seen in the prices achieved at auction…”
Panelists include Ajay Chowdhury, author and expert on Bond films and Rebecca Bauman from the Lilly Library, which houses a major Fleming collection.
PANELISTS:
Jon Gilbert is an English bibliophile, historian and the official bibliographer of Ian Fleming, creator of the fictional character James Bond. He is also an authority on J.K. Rowling first editions. He was educated at Caterham School and Roehampton Institute London. According to Fleming-family publisher Queen Anne Press, Gilbert is perhaps the foremost expert on the works of Ian Fleming and the literary history of James Bond. Through Adrian Harrington booksellers, he has become an internationally renowned dealer in rare Fleming material, and is a member of the Ian Fleming Foundation. Ian Fleming: The Bibliography, which was published in October 2012, is the result of both a career immersed in the writings of Ian Fleming, and four years intensive research following Fleming’s centenary twelvemonth in 2008. The book was the winner of the 16th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography, awarded in 2014.
Rebecca Baumann is the Head of Public Services at the Lilly Library, the rare book and manuscript library of Indiana University. In their time at the Lilly Library, they have taught over 700 one-shot instructional sessions for undergraduates, graduate students, and community groups. They are also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Information and Library Science at IU, teaching 3 courses in the Rare Book and Manuscript Specialization: The Book 1450 to the Present, Rare Book Librarianship, and Rare Book Curatorship. Their research interests center on the history of pulp and paperback publishing and popular genres including horror, science fiction, and romance. Publications include Frankenstein 200: The Birth, Life, and Resurrection of Mary Shelley’s Monster (IU Press, 2018) and “Speculative Fuckbooks: The Brief Life of Essex House” (in Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950 to 1985, PM Press, 2021).
Ajay Chowdhury was born in London and read Law at university at that place and in The Netherlands. For over 2 decades, Ajay has consulted on various motion picture, music, publishing, television and theatrical projects. Ajay has been involved with British and European feature film production in various capacities. He was the associate producer on 2 feature films, ‘Lost Dogs’ (2005) and ‘Flirting With Flamenco’ (2006). Ajay has been an Advisory Board member on Tongues On Fire Film Festival. In 2015, he co-wrote the internationally bestselling, ground-breaking Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films with Matthew Field, published by The History Press. The book was updated in paperback to cover The Road To Bond 25 and published in August 2018. As the spokesperson for The James Bond International Fan Club, Ajay is frequently called upon by worldwide media to comment on all things relating to Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 www.007.info