Ian Fleming

1908-1964

Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British writer best known for his postwar James Bond series of spy novels.  Fleming moved through several jobs before he began writing. He drew from his wartime service and his career as a journalist for much of the background, detail and depth of his James Bond novels.

Fleming wrote his first novel, Casino Royale, in 1952 at age 44.  It was a success and three print runs were commissioned to meet the demand.  Eleven Bond novels and two collections of short stores followed between 1953 and 1966.  The novels centered around James Bond, an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6.  Bond is also known by his code number, 007 and was a commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The Bond stories rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide.  

Ian Fleming used a gold-plated Royal Quiet Deluxe Portable typewriter which he purchased in 1952 for $174 from a New York dealer after finishing the first draft of Casino Royale.  He kept the typewriter at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica where he wrote the James Bond novels.  

 The gold-plated machine sold at Christie's in London for $89,229 on May 5, 1995.