THUNDERBALL

From the beginning, Fleming had been keen to adapt his James Bond adventures into films and in 1959 he produced a sixty-seven-page treatment which was passed on to his friend Ivar Bryce and producer, Kevin McClory.  Suggestions and amendments were made but enthusiasm for the project waned and Fleming used elements of the outline for his next novel, Thunderball.  Once completed, Fleming was ashamed of his latest effort and wrote to his publisher, ‘Tell William Plomer I’m halfway through a long and very dull Bond and to sharpen his red pencil as never before.’  However, The New York Times printed a contrasting evaluation, ‘a thriller, a chiller and a pleasure to read.’

Ian Fleming at his desk at Goldeneye