The Aston Martin DB5 we all want

If you are a James Bond fan I am quite sure you have a love affair with the Aston Martin DB5.

Now that car might just be the most released car in different formats mainly for young kids to play with. The first Corgi version from 1965 has been sold in millions and along the years many diffrent versions of the famous car has been issued.

But there is one collectable version I believe we all want but very few (if none) can actually afford since this version cost £28 000 (excl. VAT).

Look at the three short films below to get exited. One is about how the car was made. And the other is about the features and the finished look. I have also added a highly detailed photo of the interior.

This car is said to be a limited edition but no mentioning of a total number. My believe is that a car with this price tag is made to order.

Here you can order one (if you can afford it): Propshop at Pinewood Studios 01753656864.

Propshop at Pinewood Studios 01753656864.

For further information and to place your DB5 order, please contact the Propshop at Pinewood Studios 01753656864. - See more at: http://www.shop.007.com/exclusive#sthash.o4FcjF3a.dpuf

For further information and to place your DB5 order, please contact the Propshop at Pinewood Studios 01753656864. - See more at: http://www.shop.007.com/exclusive#sthash.o4FcjF3a.dpuf

I spent $1250 on a Fleming book and then the taxman wanted his share

Since I live in Sweden it seems to me that what Sweden is famous for is most of all its lovely girls and secondly our tax system. 

One would think that used things should be free from VAT since they have already been paid once when they were new. And especially  if one buy something from another country.
But in Sweden there are differences between different countries.
If I order something from the UK there will be no import charges since we both live within the EU.

But if I order something from the US with a non private seller one can be sure to get stuck in customs and if I order, lets say cloths, then the VAT will be +25%. And if I order a book (new or used) the VAT is +6%. After that ther is other cost on top.  Does your country have the same system or is it true that the tax man loves to collect his money only in Sweden?

So what did I bought?

Well a few days back there fas a fantastic sale of James Bond books over at Heritage Auctions in US see full sales list here). I had a few books that I wanted to bid on but as the prices rose to new highs I understood that I would not be able to buy much. But one of the books became mine.

A proof copy of OCTOPUSSY AND THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS in a fine dust wrapper. For you who do not collect Flemings books these are the true rare ones. This book was only printed in 500 copies by Publisher Jonathan Cape and sent out for reviews and to find miss prints to change for the actual release. On some of them there are also changes to the cover design. 

 

The book cost me $1250 and then postage of $40 on top of that. But then the the Swedish taxman came into play and set me back with another $155. Total cost to get the book from the US to a shelf in Sweden: $1445. It is almost cheaper to fly over to the US , buy the book, and then put it in your luggage on your way back. 

Its not cheap to be a fan of James Bond. 

 

  

Anthony Horowitz coments on that ONE word I did not like

In yesterdays blog post I wrote about me having some problems with the word "child" in Anthony Horowitz latest Bond novel Trigger Mortis. You can find that post here!

I wrote about it on Twitter and since Anthony seems to be so kind towards his fans and this blog he took the time to comment on the matter. 

He wrote: @StephanBackman Fair enough. Fleming used similar language - but I take the point. I'll take care next time. If...

 And some blog readers saw this and new actually which book Fleming wrote almost the same in. It was Dr.No (from 1958)

So we head down to page 92 in Dr. No where Bond looks at the erotic Honnychile Ryder and Fleming writes:

"The gentle curve of the backbone was deeply intended, suggesting more powerful muscles than is usual in a woman, and the behind was almost as firm and rounded like a boys."

In the book Honnychile Ryder is naked just like Ursula Andress in this photo from the making of Dr No. 

I am very happy to find out about this homage to one of Flemings original novels. This I would never have understood if I had not written yesterdays blog post so thank you readers! It is also fun to be able to share this with others. Flemings text makes a bit more sense but I do understand that since the word "boys" was taken by Fleming, Anthony went with what came to mind at that moment. 

And since I currently is a father of a three and a five year old son I might be a bit sensitive at the moment. 

But what we should concentrate on here is that Anthony hope to get the opportunity to write a new Bond novel. We are many who really would want that to happen!

In a later Twitter post today Anthony wrote something truly funny: 

This have been true for some years now for the continuation novels. To find a unsigned copy of Carte Blanche is almost impossible these days. But I guess signings has become to authors what concerts are to musicians in this digital age.

The ONE word I did not like in Trigger Mortis

During the weekend I finished reading TRIGGER MORTIS. I am very happy to have read the black edition from Waterstone since it contains both some extra pages by Anthony Horowitz and also the manuscript by Ian Fleming with photocopied pages. The script was a synopsis for a planed TV series that luckily never happened. 
So if you do not have the black edition in your collection I highly recommend that you get it. To be honest the treat for me was to understand how little of Flemings work Anthony had to work with and that just makes me like the book even more. Trigger Mortis is mostly his own creation and I do hope that he will write the next continuation novel as well!

But it was one word that made me react when reading it and maybe it is because I am Swedish and there is language barriers. Maybe it is because is miss the tone of the word or maybe its a figure of speech.

Anyhow, let head down to page 192 and chapter 16 called The Lion's den of Trigger Mortis. James Bond wakes up in a hotel to watch Jeopardy Lane swimming.

"She was wearing a flesh-coloured costume  that, for a moment, gave the illusion of complete nudity. Bond looked at the water separating on either side of her behind which was small and round, like a child's".

The word I dont like here is off course child's.
I get the feeling that it is Jasmes Bond thought we hear here and that he enjoys looking at Jeopardy's behind even when it looks like a behind of a child. In my head this is far from okay and feels inappropriate. It feels like James Bond is attracted by a child almost. I remember reacting like I was looking at a female and suddenly it felt so wrong to stare.

Now if Anthony Horowitz reads this blog post I just want to make sure that he understands that I enjoyed all the rest of the book and it was only this one word that I felt do not belong in a James Bond novel. No grown man should ever enjoy a behind that looks like a child and I dont think that there is women whit a behind that looks like a child's anyway :o).

A big James Bond auction is heading your way!

It happens every time there is a James Bond film coming out. The big auction houses in Great Britain knows that the geeks are all syked about a the upcoming film and are therefore more keen to buy James Bond items for their collection. I am like that and I am pretty sure that you, the reader of this blog is just the same.

So there have been many auction houses selling James Bond collectables this fall (since SPECTRE) has been released) but soon the biggest of them all will hit us like a fist from Mike Tyson.
I am obviously talking about the BIG JAMES BOND SALE held by Vectis auctions Inc.

They will have 669 lots with James Bond items up for sale on Wednesday 25th November at 10:30am. 

There you will find posters, toys, autographs, standees, scripts and much, much more
spanning every James Bond film produced.

Predominantly made up of one private owner collection the sale will include a vast array of vintage to modern items, from Gilbert figures and accessories, tinplate and Diecast vehicles to a large assortment of poster and film ephemera.

 

Items include Point of Sale material from Yves St. Laurent, and L'Oreal; magazines including GQ and Empire, promotional clothing, and a Zippo Lighter display. There is a large collection of posters, lobby cards, stills and leaflets from the films, and exhibitor campaign books which feature advertising and marketing material for exhibitors involved with the release of the motion pictures.  

 

Also being auctioned in this sale are facsimile copies of the film screen plays including Dr. No, Moonraker and For Your eyes only plus others. Plus many more items.

Check out all you have to know about the action, including pictures of everything fore sale, HERE!

Did you know this about the TRIGGER MORTIS cover?

I have a few pages to go before I have read the entire TRIGGER MORTIS novel. If you haven't already read the book I truly feel you should. Especially if you have already seen SPECTRE and cant wait for more new James Bond material. 

Since I live in Sweden I got really envious when I got a heads up from Ian Fleming Publications on their Instagram account that Finland has released TRIGGER MORTIS and with a whole new cover design. I must say that I like the cover they made but I do prefer the UK version. The UK version is much more stylish and it does not look that cheap. But to the Finns defence I know that it is not easy to be a small local publisher and afford a great cover design.
You can buy the Finnish version of TRIGGER MORTIS here!

The Finnish cover for TRIGGER MORTIS

Talking about the cover design for the UK version of TRIGGER MORTIS I found out yesterday that the cover design with the blueprints on the cover seems not to be an original idea.
When the famous book GRAVITY'S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon was re-released as a paperback in 1994 they had almost an identical cover design as you can see below. It's a bit sad to notice this. I do like the cover but wanted it to be original. But hey, If you see something you like, steal it.

Last but not least I have a small tip for those who have the US edition of TRIGGER MORTIS. If you look at the cover for the audiobook instead of the book itself you actually see the cover design far better. The man in a tuxedo becomes more clear for the eye to actually notice. I think the US version had looked better if the man with the tuxedo was easier to spot. See for yourself below.

Below you can order your print of TRIGGER MORTIS from amazon for as low as £9.00.

Here are the ALL 19 covers of the James Bond comic VARGR, Issue 1

It was very long since a James Bond comic hit the stores. Finally the wait has come to an end.

Living in Sweden (as I do) we were very blessed for a long time when it comes to James Bond comics. Between 1965 and 1994 Swedish publishers SEMIC released around 200 comics. I do have them all in my collection and the ones between 1965 and 1980 had amazing covers with truly rare drawings of Sean Connery on the cover. I actually have one of the covers for sale as a reprint. You can find it here!

Now the new comic is called VARGR and the story is Warren Ellis and the strips are made by Jason Masters. Publishers are Dynamite. It hit stores last week and even I who live in Sweden was able to get my hands on the first issue the same day as it was on sale in the US.
I have just had a short look inside it so far. I actually intend to collect all the issues before I start reading them. One month apart is just two darn long to wait until the next episode. "Christmas only comes once a year" and for me it will come when all issues have been released. 

Now I am not to familiar with the Comic word any longer. I stopped collecting comics a long time ago. Therefore I must confess that I was really angry when I realised that the comics will be released in different shops with different covers depending on how many prints that comic shop actually bought. This truly feels like I way to fool the hardcore collectors into buying all different versions. That will never happen in my world. There is a saying in Sweden. Don't hit the hand that feeds you! Meaning that publishers should not make collectors angry, that might just end up in us loosing interest in their product. On the other hand I am aware of publishers struggling but this is not the right way to make revenue.

To the right you can see the official cover of issue 1.

So there is a whole bunch of different covers of the first issue of VARGR. As I remember, The Comic stores was offered their own cover if they ordered more then 500 copies. In other words, some of the covers are more rare then others.

I have therefore collected all different cover designs for the first issue I could find on the internet. And I must say that many of them has amazing covers that are far better then the official cover for the first Issue. I also like the James Bond 007 logo. Clean and neat with some work put into it.

Below you will find the 19 less common cover designs and some sketches for them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got a reply from Anthony Horowitz

As I wrote about in yesterdays blog post UK newspaper The Guardian had a Q&A with the current James Bond author Anthony Horowitz. The readers could send in there questions and hope for a reply. 

Knowing that this blog is to small to get an interview on my own with Anthony I took a gamble and sent in not one but six questions in hopes to get them answered. And guess what! He answered them all. Short, but they got all answered. 

Below you can find my questions and his answers to them.  

Stephan: Have you been offered to write a second James Bond novel?
Anthony: - Not yet, but I'd certainly be eager to.

Stephan: Did you have anything to say about the UK or US cover designs for TRIGGER MORTIS?
Anthony: - I thought they were both good. Did you know you could cut out the UK cover and turn it into a rocket? I thought that was fun.

Stephan: How has the sales gone for TRIGGER MORTIS? Is it a success?
Anthony: - I believe sales have gone very well, and certainly the response has been fantastic, particularly from Bond fanzines. I think we'll have to wait for the paperback to know how well it's done overall.

Stephan: Where there any product placement in TRIGGER MORTIS?
Anthony: - There were lots of products, but nobody paid me.

Stephan: What did you enjoy the most and the least with writing a James Bond novel?
Anthony: - Thinking up the idea, and living in the shadow of Ian Fleming was amazing. I was sorry that some of the publicity went off the rails.

Stephan: How has the James Bond fans treated you? Are the fans crazy collecting the same novels with different cover designs or are you used to it?
Anthony: - The fans have been great, I've had so many kind tweets from them, I'm a real Bond fan myself so it mattered to me. 

There ended my questions but during the Q&A there were two more questions that was James Bond related and you can find them below.

Q: I read that you disliked Skyfall, which I thought was refreshing to hear as I fully agreed with that perspective. As such, have you seen Spectre and if so be what are thoughts and where should the series now head?
Anthony: - Haven't seen it yet - can't wait to go.

Q: Does a new Bond film always have to be set in the modern world?
Anthony: - The brilliance of the James Bond franchise is the way it's adapted itself to the time in which it was made. Sean Connery was perfect in the 60s, Daniel Craig is perfect now. It seems to me they can be pretty much anything... people will always enjoy them. It's hard to say where Bond will go next, in fact I imagine the producers will be having some fairly serious discussions, but Spectre has already been a resounding success and there's no reason to think the next one won't be too.

Q: Was it difficult thinking up the title for the Bond novel without resorting to overused words such as “gold”, “die”, “kill”, “never”, etc?
Anthony: - You're certainly right about those words - to be avoided! I found a short story that Ian Fleming had written but not published - it was called Trigger Finger. I stole the first word, and then, knowing that IF liked puns, I came up with Mortis. I've always said that actually the title is the most difficult part of a James Bond novel. And for what it's worth, I thought Carte Blanche was the best title yet. 

If you wish to read the entire transcript of the Q&A you can do so here!

Ask your questions to Anthony Horowitz here

UK daily magazine has a real treat for the James Bond fans today. We are offered to ask TRIGGER MORTIS writer Anthony Horowitz anything we want on their website. 

I would love to be offered to have a small interview with Anthony but so far this blog is far to small so I will have to be satisfied with this excellent opportunity. 

Some of the things I am most curious about is: 

* Has he been offered to write a second James Bond  novel?

* Did he have anything to say about the UK or US cover designs for TRIGGER MORTIS?

* How has the sales gone for TRIGGER MORTIS? Is it a success? 

* Where there any product placement in TRIGGER MORTIS?

* What did he enjoy the most and the least with writing a James Bond novel?

*How has the James Bond fans treated him? Are the fans crazy collecting the same novels with different cover designs or is he used to it?

There you have some of the questions I would love to ask him. What would you wish to ask? Click here, ad your questions, and then come back here and ad the same questions in the comment section because I would love for you to share it with the rest of us.

You can buy the TRIGGER MORTIS novel below.

The man with the golden typwriter - signed!

Recently, Bloomsbury Publishing released the book THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TYPEWRITER. 

It is of course a book about Ian Fleming and more closely a book containing letters Ian Fleming wrote to others about James Bond. The book is edited my Fergus Fleming who is Ian Flemings nephew. The book was actually supposed to be called DEAR MR. FLEMING in the beginning but the title got changed.
The purpose of this volume is to celebrate his brilliant mind and personality, and to showcase the backstory to each of his Bond books, how they came to be and the impact they had.

Maybe you have not heard the story of the Golden typewriter that Ian Fleming bought as a treat to himself when he received notice that Jonathan Cape wanted to publish Casino Royale. 

In 1995 an anonymous bidder bought the typewriter at an auction. Many believe the buyer to be Pierce Brosnan but when I meet him in 1995, when he came to Stockholm to promote GoldenEye, he said clearly that he was not the buyer. Since that day no one seams to know where the famous typewriter has gone. 

Do you want your copy signed?

And that's what today's blog post is actually about because right now one can order a signed book at Goldsboro Books for the RRP of £25 + postage. You can order the book here.

I have noticed that some (or many) of the blog readers are on a tight budget and then there is some other great options. 

If you just wish to read the book and not owning it I suggest you head down to your local library and book it (also eco friendly). If you do wish to own it without the signature you can buy it at Amazon for £17. But hey, that's not enough, there are other sellers at Amazon who actually sells new copies of this book for as little as £12.73. In other words almost half the RRP price. See it as a tip to all types of James Bond fans with different budgets. 

If you wish to read an interview with Fergus Fleming about the book you can head over to this web page. Below you can see a clip from the making of the audio book.