Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 to August 12, 1964) was an English writer, best known for his postwar James Bond series of spy novels. The Bond stories rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Fleming also wrote the children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (1964) and two works of non-fiction.
THE TRUE STORY OF AN INTERNATIONAL CRIME RING AND ITS DOWNFALL
In 1957, as the Cold War raged, Ian Fleming took a respite from writing James Bond to craft a work of nonfiction every bit as tense as a Bond adventure. Aided by an ex-MI5 agent and International Diamond Security Organization operative going by the alias “John Blaize,” Fleming chronicled the IDSO’s infiltration of the “million-carat network” – the world’s most notorious diamond smuggling ring.
Every year, a shadowy band of racketeers pirated a fortune in diamonds out of Africa, and the majority of the stolen gems wound up in the hands of Communist nations. In response, the IDSO commissioned a private army, led by legendary British spymaster Sir Percy Sillitoe, to penetrate and topple the ring.
When the operation was complete, the Sunday Times gave the story to Fleming, who had impressed Sillitoe with his earlier Bond adventure Diamonds Are Forever. A remarkable feat of investigative journalism, The Diamond Smugglers is the thrilling true story behind one of the greatest spy operations in history.
A CAPTIVATING JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD FROM THE CREATOR OF JAMES BOND
Ian Fleming’s world travels and interests, as well as his journalism and wartime experiences, lent authority to everything he wrote. In 1959, the Sunday Times commissioned Fleming to write a series of dispatches from the world’s most beguiling locales. The result was Thrilling Cities, a masterpiece of well-observed travelogue that stands ably alongside the author’s Bond canon.
From Hong Kong to Honolulu, New York to Naples, he left the bright main streets for the back alleys, abandoning tourist sites in favor of underground haunts, and mingling with celebrities, gangsters and geishas. The result is a series of vivid snapshots of a mysterious, vanished world from a twentieth century Western perspective.
Just like his most famous fictional creation, Ian Fleming was a well-traveled man of the world who knew where to go to find excitement, adventure… and danger. In Thrilling Cities, he takes us along on a journey of international intrigue worthy of James Bond.
A BBC full-cast dramatisation of Ian Fleming's much-loved children's classic, brought to life on radio for the first time.
When the Pott family save Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the terrible fate of being crushed to the size of a matchbox at the scrapyard, she repays Caractacus, Jeremy and Jemima with the best road trip ever. For Chitty is no ordinary car: she can talk - and float - and fly!
The amazing automobile takes the Potts on a trip to the seaside followed by a fantastic journey across the Channel to France, where two cunning criminals are planning to rob Paris's most famous chocolatier, Monsieur Bon Bon. Can Chitty and the Potts find the secret hideout of terrifying gangster Joe the Monster and his sidekick, Man-Mountain Fink, and foil their evil plans?
Jump aboard for a magical story full of adventure, fun and excitement, starring Imogen Stubbs as Chitty and Alex Jennings as Caractacus Pott.
Cast:
Chitty...Imogen Stubbs
Caractacus Pott...Alex Jennings
Jeremy Pott...Bertie Gilbert
Jemima Pott...Kerry Ingram
Joe the Monster...David Fleeshman
Lord Skrumshus/Garage Man/ Monsieur Bon Bon/Man-Mountain Fink...Eric Potts
For James Bond and the British Secret Service, the stakes couldn’t be higher. 007’s mission is to neutralize the Russian operative Le Chiffre by ruining him at the baccarat table, forcing his Soviet masters to “retire” him. When Le Chiffre hits a losing streak, Bond discovers his luck is in—that is, until he meets Vesper Lynd, a glamorous agent who might yet prove to be his downfall.
This audiobook includes an exclusive bonus interview with Dan Stevens.
“An intense, fascinating, and moody piece of fiction.”—Raymond Benson, author of High Time to Kill
Published By Blackstone Audio, Inc. James Bond and 007 are registered trademarks of Danjaq LLC, used under license by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
If you try to assassinate your boss—even though brainwashed at the time—you must pay the price. To redeem himself James Bond is sent to kill one of the most lethal hit men in the world … Paco “Pistols” Scaramanga. In the sultry heat of Jamaica, 007 infiltrates his target’s criminal cooperative—only to find that Scaramanga’s bullets are laced with snake venom. When the end comes, every shot will count.
This audiobook includes an exclusive bonus interview with Kenneth Branagh.
“Exciting sequences, especially the railroad scene, capture all the thrills one has come to expect.”—Raymond Benson, author of High Time to Kill
Published By Blackstone Audio, Inc. James Bond and 007 are registered trademarks of Danjaq LLC, used under license by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
The last book written by Ian Fleming, but by no means the least. In “Octopussy,” a talented but wayward British major pays a high price when his wartime past catches up with him, while in “The Property of a Lady,” a Fabergé egg leads Bond to a KGB spy. In “The Living Daylights,” Bond has a perilous rendezvous in sniper’s alley between East and West Berlin, and “007 in New York” (read by Lucy Fleming) sees him sent to America to warn an ex-MI6 operative about a dangerous liaison. All part of the job for 007.
This audiobook includes an exclusive bonus interview with Tom Hiddleston.
“The stories delve deeper into the James Bond character and psyche, are full of atmosphere and detail, and are, in short, pure Fleming.”—Raymond Benson, author of High Time to Kill
Published By Blackstone Audio, Inc. James Bond and 007 are registered trademarks of Danjaq LLC, used under license by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
The Moonraker project has a millionaire backer, the war hero Sir Hugo Drax—a man who, it seems, cheats at cards. With a ballistic rocket at stake, Sir Hugo’s exposure could threaten Britain’s latest defense system, so James Bond is asked to investigate. Moving from London’s most exclusive gambling club to a missile silo on the Channel coast, 007 and his Special Branch assistant, Gala Brand, discover there’s more to Drax than meets the eye.
This audiobook includes an exclusive bonus interview with Bill Nighy.
“Fleming is splendid; he stops at nothing.”—New Statesman
Published By Blackstone Audio, Inc. James Bond and 007 are registered trademarks of Danjaq LLC, used under license by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
A game of canasta turns out crooked, and a golden girl ends up dead. It seems that Auric Goldfinger is a bad loser when it comes to cards. He’s also the world’s most ruthless and successful gold smuggler. As James Bond follows his trail, he discovers that Goldfinger’s real game is the heist of fifteen billion dollars of US government bullion. The final hand is played at Fort Knox, in a spectacular display of deception and intrigue.
This audiobook includes an exclusive bonus interview with Hugh Bonneville.
“Goldfinger is the most preposterous specimen yet displayed in Mr. Fleming’s museum of superfiends…Maniacally readable…excellent pieces of descriptive writing.”—Observer (London)
Published By Blackstone Audio, Inc. James Bond and 007 are registered trademarks of Danjaq LLC, used under license by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld, leader of the terrorist organization SPECTRE, has hijacked an American plane loaded with atomic weapons. Unless his demands are met, he will destroy one of the world’s major cities. With only one week to locate the missing bombs, James Bond goes to the Bahamas, where he encounters Blofeld’s right-hand man, Emilio Largo, and his mistress, Domino. With time running out, Bond learns that sharks are not the only killers in the Caribbean Sea.
This audiobook includes an exclusive bonus interview with Jason Isaacs.
“If you wish to steal atom bombs, this is how you must do it! Fleming’s mastery of detail enables the reader to suspend disbelief.”—Sunday Telegraph (London)
Published By Blackstone Audio, Inc. James Bond and 007 are registered trademarks of Danjaq LLC, used under license by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
In his Alpine base, Blofeld is developing biological weapons that will devastate Britain. Unaware of the danger, James Bond is about to marry Teresa di Vicenzo, the daughter of a Corsican Mafioso. But then he is sent to Switzerland. Bond’s marriage and Blofeld’s schemes disintegrate in a blizzard of gunfire and high-explosives from which neither man emerges the victor.
This audiobook includes an exclusive bonus interview with David Tennant.
“This is Ian Fleming at his best, and better than that you just don’t get.”—Hartford Courant
Published By Blackstone Audio, Inc. James Bond and 007 are registered trademarks of Danjaq LLC, used under license by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
