CommanderBond.net
  1. 'The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader' Coming To US In August

    By Devin Zydel on 2009-04-06

    Late last year, CommanderBond.net alerted readers that a new edition of Christoph Lindner’s The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader was slated to be released in the UK in June 2009. We can now report that this book will also be available to 007 fans in the US, due for publication in August.

    Originally published in the UK and US at the end of 2003, The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader features various essays examining from different perspectives the cultural icon that 007 has become.

    This new edition of The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader will be published in paperback by Manchester University Press. At 272 pages in length, it will retail for £14.99 / $24.95. Cover artwork is yet to be revealed.

    The book’s original blurb follows:

    Sean Connery’s tuxedo, Ursula Andress’ bikini, Oddjob’s bowler hat, and Q’s gadgets are just a few defining features of the 007 world examined in this text. Drawn from the fields of literary, film, music and cultural studies, the essays in this collection range from revitalized readings of Ian Fleming’s spy novels to the analysis of Pussy Galore’s lesbianism, Miss Monneypenny’s filmic feminism and Pierce Brosnan’s techno-fetishism.

    Together the essays not only consider the James Bond novels and films in relation to their historical, political and social contexts, from the Cold-War period onwards, but also examine the classic bond canon from an array of theoretical perspectives. What the text aims to show is that there is much more to the 007 series than cheap thrills, fast cars and beautiful women.

    With essays by Umberto Eco, Tony Bennett, Tara Brabazon, Toby Miller and Jim Leach, among others, Lindner illustrates not only how the Bond character has conquered the globe, but has sustained its pre-eminence across six decades. Starting with the original books and moving through the films, the music and the marketing, this study should be of use to students of film, media, popular literature, marketing and cultural studies.

    Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest literary 007 coverage.