A fascinating read. This work is an excellent resource.

American Reference Books Annual

Ian Fleming's life was nearly as eventful as the one he created for James Bond in 12 novels and nine short stories. West here makes the point that Fleming used people, organizations, and events in his life as fodder for his tales of the fictional British secret agent. Most of the entries are on people and organizations, both real and imagined, major players and the barely mentioned, from Fleming's real life and Bond's fictional one. Entries range in length from three sentences to 16 pages and include cross-references. The longest one is on Mark Chalmers, hero of The Lifeline, a 1946 spy novel written by Fleming's teacher Phyllis Bottome (Bond and Chalmers bear striking resemblances). A chronology, general index, and bibliography are included. West, real name Rupert Allason, is a real character in his own right-a former Tory member of Parliament, a frequent litigant, and an espionage historian who has compiled several other historical dictionaries on the subject for Scarecrow. BOTTOM LINE: There is intriguing material here, but the title will appeal primarily to specialized library collections. Buy where demand warrants.

Library Journal

Nigel West examines the fascinating double life of spy and writer Ian Fleming, who will forever be known for creating James Bond, one of the most intriguing fictional spies in modern history-as well as the most lucrative; the Bond movies have been seen by more than half of the world's population. The volume consists of a chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced entries on actual cases of espionage and real-life spies, along with entries on Fleming's novels, his family and friends, his employers and colleagues, and other notable characters from his work.

Reference Editor Mirela Roncevic's personal pick, Library Journal