The Man with the Golden Typewriter (43 page)

If you are kind enough to make the sketches, please make them as large as you like and then when we get down to actual book production Capes will talk to you about colour, sizes, etc., etc.

Although the guts of the car are supposedly antiquated, we would like to make it really snazzy looking to excite the imagination of children between about 7 and 10, so it can have every kind of entrail coming out of the side, air scoops, straps around the bonnet, etc. And, of course, the facia board will be crowded with knobs and switches, etc.

It is a long sleek sports car and I had in mind something between a pre-war Le Mans Mercedes and a 45 Renault. But you will surely come up with something more imaginative than this.

I think you can use up to three basic colours plus black and white. The chrome presents a problem, but these are only preliminary sketches and we can iron out these problems later.

It is terribly kind of you to suggest doing this and I am writing to Capes today telling them of the project.

See you next Wednesday at 3.30 for a further sitting in the dentist's chair.

TO WILLIAM PLOMER

24th May, 1962

My dear William,

I hope you will agree that this paper, foisted on me by the film company, will bring Spring to Rustington!

A thousand thanks for lunch and for the splendid green sheets. Naturally I agree with the majority of your comments, and I am horrified to see how much inward groaning goes on in the book. I will go back to school on these L.G.F.s
⁶
and see if I can't spruce them up a degree or two.

But to hell with you and Money [Manet],
⁷
I am going to go straight to Rothenstein
⁸
and see if I am not right.

The crankshaft designer, who turns out to be a pupil of Annigoni, is making me look like a mixture between Nehru and Somerset Maugham. As you can imagine I am longing for Annie's comments on the picture.

FROM WILLIAM PLOMER

25th May, 62

My dear Ian,

“O! O! 007!” I exclaimed when I saw your new writing paper. And what shall I say when I see your portrait?

About Manet & all that, it's just that that paragraph slightly holds up the reader and the action so near the beginning. It makes (
I
think) the take-off less smooth. One begins (at least
this
one begins) worrying as to whether the seaside landscape you are describing really is in the least like the one
painted by Boudin &c., in its human & incidental constituents. And also this sudden injection of art-history makes one wonder if there isn't some clue to a later development that one ought to look for. And, apart from heraldic information (which, as you happily point out, is a lot of bezants) I don't think there are any other allusions to art history &c., so this paragraph stands out too conspicuously. But you will think I am making a huge fuss about nothing & you may be groaning outwardly as well as inwardly.

I much enjoyed our Charing Cross lunch but of course missed you at your own table yesterday.

What is so good about your books is their sharp focus. Everything is
clear
, so makes a clear impression. I feel sure that OHMSS will rout the objectors.

TO MR. ROBERT KENNEDY, Hickory Hill, McLean, Virginia

The previous year President J. F. Kennedy had publicly endorsed Fleming's books. Now, in a reply to similar praise from his brother ‘Bobby', Fleming reiterated his thanks.

20th June, 1962

Dear Mr. Kennedy,

Thank you very much for your charming note of June 1st, and I am delighted to take this opportunity to thank Kennedys everywhere for the electric effect their commendation has had on my sales in America.

My last book, The Spy Who Loved Me, has had an extremely mixed reception, due largely to the late appearance of James Bond. But I can now tell you that my next and longest to date, has James Bond in from the first page to the last, and all Kennedys will be receiving a copy around next Easter.

Incidentally, you may be amused to pass round the enclosed translation from Izvestia
⁹
of May 29th last. I am most amused to learn that I have been selected by the Russians as part of America's strong right hand!

Over here we are all watching with fascination your gallant attempts to harass American gangsterdom. If James Bond can be any help to you please let me know and I will have a word with M.

Again with my warmest thanks for your kindness in writing.

TO MICHAEL HOWARD

31st July, 1962

Here is now the College of Arms final rendering of the true Bond coat of arms marked 1., and Rouge Dragon doesn't think there will be any objection to using it since the line is extinct.

I have no idea how you and Dickie are going to turn this into a jacket, but I think your idea of the thumb and forefinger holding a pen coming up from the right hand bottom corner is a good one. And it strikes me that the vellum on which Dickie would be writing could be perhaps turned up at one corner with brass drawing pins used to hold down the other three corners.

On reflection, I wonder if it wouldn't be better to get the whole title in however small, as otherwise the whole thing is going to look a bit stark.

Anyway may I now leave the problems to you as I am feeling slightly submerged?

I enclose the first copy, marked 2, for comparison, but if you don't want to use it could you please buzz it back.

Regarding the proofs, I have cut out all italics except the lines of Corsican dialogue and the names of newspapers, and I am sure this is the best formula to follow as otherwise we will have a forest of italics.

I have sorted out all the various problems and I don't think much more remains to be done.

FROM MICHAEL HOWARD

As part of their promotional campaign for
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Cape planned a limited edition of 250 copies. A handsome affair,
it was quarter-bound in vellum, with a set of ski-tracks curving across the front board.

8th October, 1962

My dear Ian,

I have to confess to being astonished by that film of DR. NO.
¹⁰
Judging only, I must admit, by the lamentable productions that have been made of most of my favourite thrillers, I had become convinced that it was really impossible to translate that kind of book into visual terms. Eon have certainly stacked the problem in the grand manner and, by pulling out all the stops, I rather think they have got away with it. It was a delight to be in that particular audience the other night, but up and down the country I should think the film will be lapped up. I do congratulate you on the magnificent billing you have secured in all the publicity and in the credits in the film itself. Are plans for distribution in the United States settled yet?

You remember mentioning in THE THRILLING CITIES the cover of Tiger Saito's THIS IS JAPAN. Would this possibly make an illustration to the book and, if so, do you have a copy we could reproduce: or could you get hold of one?

I have had two more thoughts about the limited edition of O.H.M.S.S. First, how about a frontispiece, viz. a portrait of you? If you favour this notion, have you a particular choice of picture? Would Amherst Villiers's portrait serve? Second, we plan to print at most 250 copies, of which only 150 would be nominally for sale, and I should expect that quite a few of them would be given away. Those actually sold would be priced at 3 guineas, but the revenue from them after trade discount won't go far towards covering the cost of quite an expensive operation, particularly if we pay a full royalty on them. As this is really a publicity gimmick, would you settle for, say, ten free copies of the limited edition in lieu of any royalty on them?

I hope that you now have a chance to turn your attention to the blurb for THE THRILLING CITIES.

TO MICHAEL HOWARD

10th October, 1962

I am glad you liked the film, it certainly had wonderful reviews and seems to be doing good business. Apparently it is to open in the States in April.

I'm afraid I haven't got a copy of Tiger Saito's “This is Japan”, and I cannot find that I ever referred to its cover but merely to the fact that Tiger was its editor. I don't think it would make a particularly interesting illustration, but as it looks as if I may have to go to Japan in November I will get hold of a copy of the current issue and also look back through previous covers to see if there is anything suitable for us.

Regarding the limited edition of OHMSS, I think Amherst Villiers' portrait, which is just about finished, would suit you very well. But why not give him a ring and go and have a look at it. Incidentally, he is not very well off and I think should rate a generous fee.

I would be happy to accept ten free copies of the edition in lieu of royalty on them, but I don't see why you have to give so many copies away instead of selling them and then at least at four guineas a go.

Incidentally, why not put up the price of OHMSS? I am sure you could get away with it.

I will have a bash at the blurb of “The Thrilling Cities” forthwith.

TO PERCY MUIR

Percy Muir was assisting in the curation of a monumental exhibition, ‘Printing and the Mind of Man', due to be held at the British Museum the next year. As part of the show he wanted to include some volumes from Fleming's collection of first editions.

10th October, 1962

My dear Percy,

This does indeed sound a magnificent affair that you are compering and naturally I will do anything I can to help.

Unfortunately all my books are at present housed at the Pantechnicon in large crates and I have no idea how you could find what you want without unpacking the whole lot.

The only hope is that we have built a small house not far from Faringdon and hope to get in some time after Christmas when the books will arrive and be installed in the shelves which have been prepared for them.

Meanwhile, have you got a copy of that rough catalogue you had done for me shortly after the war? If not I have a copy and could send it down to you.

I do wish we could meet soon as I haven't seen you for years. Do please give me a ring the next time you are likely to be up and come to lunch.

I have initiated the Fleming three day week but am nearly always here on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays.

It was lovely to hear from you.

TO MICHAEL HOWARD

7th November, 1962

I gather you are panicking a bit for a blurb for “The Thrilling Cities”.

To tell you the truth I simply cannot think of anything original to say about this book, and I do beg you to get one of your staff to write something suitable.

It may help to enclose copies of the draft prefaces I have written for the beginning and half way through, with the reservation that these are not final.

Sorry, but I can think of nothing in the way of a blurb except half a dozen boring clichés.

Off to Japan from November 14th to 21st researching for a new James Bond. My God, how I work for you all!

I shall be sending the corrected proof of ‘On Her Majesty's Secret Service' off to you in the next two or three days. But I would like to point out here how many of my corrections are due to literals and other errors of your printers.

This is the first time I have had sloppy proofs from Capes and I hope you will take the printers' own errors into account in adjudicating the costs of corrections!

TO MICHAEL HOWARD

13th November, 1962

I would be quite happy for the ‘The' to be dropped from ‘Thrilling Cities'.

Incidentally, we must have a talk about pictures before Christmas and I have now corrected the proofs as best I can.

I have also had them corrected by a bright lad called Peter Garnham who works for ‘Queen', but I am so fed up with going through the book that I would be very grateful if one of your minions could marry up the two versions, using his good sense.

Another small point. Since Amherst Villiers is likely to be off to America in the New Year it might be a good idea to get him to finalise, in your chosen colours, the drawing of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.

O.H.M.S.S. wasn't as bad as all that, but I am so used to getting really excellent proofs from your printers that I was only very slightly miffed.

Incidentally, Max Aitken of The Daily Express likes it very much and will almost certainly want to serialise it, straddling your publication date.

TO MICHAEL HOWARD

30th November, 1962

My Dear Michael,

CHITTY-CHITTY-BANG-BANG

I have no objection to Haro Hodson if you think he can do the job.

Mightn't it be an idea for you to pay Trog, say, a nominal ten guineas for the work he has already done and which might give Haro an idea or two.

But the truth of the matter is that I am now absolutely fed up with this whole series and have completely lost the mood.

I am tidying up Adventure Number 3, but heaven knows if and when I shall produce an adventure Number 4.

So would your machine now please take the whole problem over and cope with it as best they may?

I don't mind what alterations are made to the text, but I will do my best to discover a more delectable fudge and send the recipe along.

Sorry to put all this firmly on your plate, but such free mind as I have is now engaged in trying to devise another James Bond.

P.S. Would be quite happy to come to some joint royalty arrangement with whoever you choose, a la Trog.

FROM MICHAEL HOWARD

14th December, 1962

My dear Ian,

Very many thanks indeed for letting me see OCTOPUSSY and Cyril Connolly's parody [‘Bond Strikes Camp']. I have shown them both to William, who will be writing to you about them before Christmas, and from the talk I had with him yesterday I think we both feel much the same about them.

I like your story very much indeed. I think it's rather better than the best of the stories in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, but shares with one or two of them the disadvantage from the point of view of including it in a collection of Bond stories that Bond's appearance is fairly immaterial and the part he plays a negligible one, so that Bond fans might well react as they did to THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and demand more of their hero. It's rather like those alternate Simenons, the ones without Maigret: for my
money they are often the better written of Simenon's books, more varied and interesting and with better character drawing: nevertheless it is really for Maigret that I read Simenon and I can't help slightly resenting the time he spends on the other books.