Product Description

The first official book highlighting the Bond girl phenomenon, by a Bond girl. How has the iconic status of the Bond girl endured for so long? Bond Women will explore how the archetype of the 'Bond girl' has evolved over the last forty years and reveals how she became and continues to be one of the strongest and most resilient symbols of 20th century pop culture. Maryam d'Abo will describe how Bond girls have reflected and defined the changing image of women in the real world. Some of the most striking and memorable of the actresses who took on the Bond challenge - from Ursula Andress to Judi Dench - will also reveal for the first time the true stories behind the role that changed their lives. With archive images of forty years of the Bond girl phenomenon and with contributions from the women behind the Bond girls themselves, Bond Girls are Forever is a beautifully produced tribute to a cultural icon that is both rebel and role model.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #404605 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Review
`Still the definitive tome on James's ladies...Perfect posh porn for your coffee table'
--Sunday Times Style magazine

About the Author
Maryam D'Abo starred in The Living Daylights with Timothy Dalton in 1987 and in 2002 produced the international documentary on the Bond Girl phenomenon entitled Bond Girls Are Forever. She lives in London. John Cork has co-written the bestselling James Bond: The Legacy, a tribute to forty years of Bond films. In his career he has conducted over one hundred and fifty interviews with the creative talents behind the 007 films and produced, wrote and directed thirty documentaries for MGM's releases of the James Bond films on DVD, including biographies of Ian Fleming, Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman.

Customer Reviews

Like Thumbing Through James Bond's Little Black Book...
Beginning with the 007 novels of Ian Fleming, d'Abo and Cork delineate the archetypes and trace the evolution of Bond girls from the 1953 novel 'Casino Royale' to the 2002 film 'Die Another Day.' Along the way, the reader is treated to insights from the actresses who so brilliantly brought these fantasy sex-symbols to life.
The book is also a feast for the eyes, with page after stunning page of color and black-and-white photos of the world's most glamorous and alluring women - many of them rarely, if ever, seen before. All in all, it is a must-have addition to any James Bond fan's library - and just in time for Christmas!

"Oh James." Another GREAT book...
BOND GIRLS ARE FOREVER is an excellent -- and I’d even say essential -- companion book to John Cork and Bruce Scivally's THE JAMES BOND LEGACY. This time Cork (who is probably THE authority on all things James Bond) writes with former Bond Girl Maryam d'Abo, and her insights are interesting and welcome. Far from being just a picture book, BOND GIRLS ARE FOREVER traces the evolution of the Bond Girl through the 50 year history of James Bond. In reading this book it struck me how worthy a topic this is. There is a misconception that the Bond Girl is superficial sexpot in a bikini. Not true. Cork and D'Abo point out how, from the beginning, Bond Girls have been strong independent women and professionals of many kinds (spies, astronauts, scientists, pilots, etc.). If anyone is superficial it's the character of James Bond. While Bond never changes, the Bond Girls have evolved from decade to decade and have reflected their times (and predicted trends) in fascinating ways. We are reminded that 007 started out as a literary hero, and Cork first introduces us to the women who populated the novels of Ian Fleming. He correctly shows us that it was Fleming who laid out the template for what would become the phenomenon of the cinematic Bond Girl. (I find it’s ironic that the foundation of Halle Berry's Jinx in 2002 was born of a middle-aged racially insensitive Englishman in the 1950s.) Too bad the book doesn’t go into the female characters created by later Bond authors like John Gardner and Raymond Benson, but perhaps only hardcore Bond fans like me would find that interesting.

Like LEGACY, BOND GIRLS doesn’t fixate on the Connery era of the '60s, but gives us the whole history of the Bond phenomenon in equal measures. In many ways, I found the chapter on the Bond Girls of the '80s to be the most fascinating because of the changing attitudes toward promiscuity due to the AIDS crisis. In this regard, d'Abo's Kara Milovy (The Living Daylights) was every bit as trailblazing as Ursula Andress' Honey Rider in Dr. No. And the photos in the book, many of which I’ve never seen, are as stunning as the women they depict (many are full page).

Like I said, if you have THE JAMES BOND LEGACY this is a must companion piece. Or if you just have an interest in beautiful, strong, independent women…well…you can’t go wrong with bringing home a Bond Girl.