Folio Society’s rendition of the glitzy world of 007.
Casino Royale: Folio Society; 2015; xvii, 172pp; 8to (225x160x25mm); 0.6kg; bound in grey cloth; in blocked slipcase with pictorial front illustration; colour illustrations throughout. Diamonds are Forever: Folio Society; 2018; [ix] + 229pp; 8to (225x160x25mm); 0.7kg; bound in grey cloth; in blocked slipcase with pictorial front illustration; colour illustrations throughout.
The Folio Society has been steadily publishing Ian Fleming’s 007 novels since 2015. Here we’ll take a look at two volumes in the series: Casino Royale, which was Fleming’s first Bond book and the first to be published by the Folio Society, and Diamonds Are Forever, which was published in 2018.
These books are bound in plain grey cloth, blocked in a fairly simple silver and orange design. The slipcases, though, have a full colour illustration on the front, along with the title printed in orange foil. The reverse of the slipcase has a silver foil Ian Fleming logo. I’d describe the end papers as metallic “space grey” and, of course, the volumes are Smyth-sewn with a matching orange headband.
The series is illustrated by Fay Dalton, and I have to say she’s doing an outstanding job. The images, in a painterly realist style, capture the decadent spirit of Bond without seeming derivative. Moreover, the illustrations successfully straddle the fine line between gritty realism and a superficial pizzazz that characterises much of the 007 universe. Casino Royale has six full-page illustrations in addition to the frontispiece, while Diamonds Are Forever has seven.
The text is typeset in Miller and printed on Abbey Wove paper that feels suitably luxurious and will be familiar to regular Folio Society readers.
Casino Royale is classic Bond. Although the villain and the danger he poses seem a bit inconsequential next to apocalyptic threats that later entries in the series would develop, there’s plenty of action and what is perhaps the most exciting card game in literature. Who knew reading about baccarat could be such a thrill? Diamonds are Forever sees Bond cross the Atlantic in pursuit of diamond smugglers. It seems a bit like an opportunity for Fleming to poke fun at our American friends, which is done in good humor. But the fish-out-of-water situations that Bond finds himself in, while certainly intentional, inevitably strip away some of the glamour. It’s a fun read, but I wouldn’t pick Diamonds are Forever if it’s to be your first 007 novel. ■
Where to buy
- Buy Folio Society 007 novels direct from the publisher.
- You can search for Folio Society 007 novels on eBay US* or eBay UK*.
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