Bond Girls Are Forever: The Women of James Bond

Even after buying and admiring the great "James Bond Legacy" I hesitated before giving up and purchasing this new book. Big mistake !!!!!I own a couple of editions of "The James Bond Girls" and I must give a clear advantage to "Bond Girls are Forever". Better pictures and better all-around preentation.Indispensable for any true 007 fan, though you certainly don't have to be one to appreciate it.

BOND GIRLS ARE FOREVER is an excellent -- and I'd even say essential -- companion book to John Cork and Bruce Scivally's THE JAMES BOND LEGACY. This time Cork (who is probably THE authority on all things James Bond) writes with former Bond Girl Maryam d'Abo, and her insights are interesting and welcome. Far from being just a picture book, BOND GIRLS ARE FOREVER traces the evolution of the Bond Girl through the 50 year history of James Bond. In reading this book it struck me how worthy a topic this is. There is a misconception that the Bond Girl is superficial sexpot in a bikini. Not true. Cork and D'Abo point out how, from the beginning, Bond Girls have been strong independent women and professionals of many kinds (spies, astronauts, scientists, pilots, etc.). If anyone is superficial it's the character of James Bond. While Bond never changes, the Bond Girls have evolved from decade to decade and have reflected their times (and predicted trends) in fascinating ways. We are reminded that 007 started out as a literary hero, and Cork first introduces us to the women who populated the novels of Ian Fleming. He correctly shows us that it was Fleming who laid out the template for what would become the phenomenon of the cinematic Bond Girl. (I find it's ironic that the foundation of Halle Berry's Jinx in 2002 was born of a middle-aged racially insensitive Englishman in the 1950s.) Too bad the book doesn't go into the female characters created by later Bond authors like John Gardner and Raymond Benson, but perhaps only hardcore Bond fans like me would find that interesting.Like LEGACY, BOND GIRLS doesn't fixate on the Connery era of the '60s, but gives us the whole history of the Bond phenomenon in equal measures. In many ways, I found the chapter on the Bond Girls of the '80s to be the most fascinating because of the changing attitudes toward promiscuity due to the AIDS crisis. In this regard, d'Abo's Kara Milovy (The Living Daylights) was every bit as trailblazing as Ursula Andress' Honey Rider in Dr. No. And the photos in the book, many of which I've never seen, are as stunning as the women they depict (many are full page).Like I said, if you have THE JAMES BOND LEGACY this is a must companion piece. Or if you just have an interest in beautiful, strong, independent women...well...you can't go wrong with bringing home a Bond Girl.

This a great book of magnifecent women.

I find this exciting volume to be an excellent addition to the Bond universe: gorgeous photos, elegant layout, and clean, evocative prose. As an historical accounting of the films' sexual genealogy, it is bold and engaging. As a collection the sort of anecdotes one expects from any 'book about movies' it is charming and understated. And I don't feel that it is the sort of book that will appeal only to hardcore fans: it has a definite mainstream appeal which I appreciate. I already bought it for my father's Channukah present, and another copy for my brother's birthday is on the way.

Beginning with the 007 novels of Ian Fleming, d'Abo and Cork delineate the archetypes and trace the evolution of Bond girls from the 1953 novel 'Casino Royale' to the 2002 film 'Die Another Day.' Along the way, the reader is treated to insights from the actresses who so brilliantly brought these fantasy sex-symbols to life.The book is also a feast for the eyes, with page after stunning page of color and black-and-white photos of the world's most glamorous and alluring women - many of them rarely, if ever, seen before. All in all, it is a must-have addition to any James Bond fan's library - and just in time for Christmas!