Rating: 
Summary: Illustrated missions of the "real" James Bond
Review: There is a conceit to "James Bond: The Secret World of 007" that fans of the movies, especially the early Sean Connery efforts, might not appreciate. Pierce Brosnan's suave figure adorns the cover of the book and we are informed by the foreword, written by M16's very own M, that this is the "real" James Bond. So while the book covers every major "mission" of the world's most famous secret agent, you will not find any photographs of Bond in action until he looks like the guy on the cover. A section in the back of the book is devoted to the Bond "movies," which, of course, are based on the "missions." There we are told there are five actors who have played Bond (but James has never said which one he prefers), but only four are identified in photos. Of course, those who have followed ALL of the Bond flicks will recognize immediately who is missing: David Niven in "Casino Royale."This book opens with "The Bond Dossier," which introduces the current cast of characters so you can keep them in mind as you go through the various "Missions," which go from "Dr. No" to "The World Is Not Enough." Basically for each "mission" we are introduced to the cast of characters on one spread and then the next provides details on some key aspect of the mission, such as the Bondmobile from "Goldfinger," the "Disco Volante" from "Thunderball," and the Mountain Aerie from "For Your Eyes Only." Bond's biggest chases and fights are examinedblow-by-blow. It is certainly interesting to see the DK attention to visual detail applied to the Bond films in the same way we have learned about Medieval Castles and the like. Of course, the Bond girls are all over the place... Alistair Dougall provides the textual details while Roger Stewart does the technical illustrations. I would think "James Bond: The Secret World of 007" would be a must for any big time fan of the series. I certainly found it interesting and I have never considered the Bond films to be anything more than big time movie fun. The conceit imployed bothered me a bit at first, but then it became clear the focus is on the stories not the actors, and I can certainly appreciate that approach. Besides, everybody already knows who the best James Bond was...
Rating:
Summary: James Bond is Real!
Review: This amazing book brings to reality the fantasy world of 007. It provides details about everything and anything to do with James Bond as if he were a real secret agent. There are three main sections: 1. The Bond Dossier - here you will find background information on Bond (the weapons, clothes, women), MI6 and the villains. (As this book is targeted at today's 'kids', it uses images of the actors from the latest film, The World Is Not Enough - Brosnan, Dench, etc. - as the 'real' James Bond and MI6 team.) 2. The Missions - this section dedicates 4 - 6 pages for each of Bond's 'missions' (i.e. the 19 Bond films), describing what the 'mission' is about and who the allies and villains are. There are detailed cross-section illustrations of the villains' headquarters, e.g. Blofeld's volcano, Stromberg's Atlantis and Elliot Carver's Stealth Ship, and also wonderful photos/illustrations of the Bond vehicles and gadgets, e.g. the DB5, Lotus, Little Nellie, etc. These pictures miraculously show how everything falls into place and how everything works (a miracle considering most of these things don't really function or even exist in real life!) 3. The Movies - the book ends with background information on 'movies' that have been made about James Bond, featuring the 5 actors who have portrayed him. The introduction to this section diplomatically concludes: "The real 007 has never disclosed which one (actor) he feels has captured him the best"! (It is only in this last section that we see pictures of Connery, Lazenby, Moore and Dalton.) This is definitely one of the best books on James Bond. It is well researched and has breath-taking pictures, as per DK's usual high standards. It beautifully and convincingly transforms the fiction of Bond into reality. I actually have the British version of this book and it has a simple but more official looking cover - just the title of the book on a plain red jacket with an embossed "James Bond". Maybe not as fun looking as the American version but definitely a lot easier to carry around for a thirty-something 'kid' like me!
Rating:
Summary: if you love bond, you mst have this!
Review: this book has it all! info on all the Q devices, the cars and everything else you can think of to do with 007! A MUST FOR ANNY BOND COLLECTOR!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book is just plain great! It covers every James Bond Book fron DR.NO to THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. It explains all the gadjets, weapons, and cars. It explains the plot of every movie with a diagram. It even tells the cast, too. This is a great book for everybody....
Rating: 
Summary: Where's Bond?
Review: This book is pretty thorough. It has detailed plot summaries of every Bond film in order, and it sets out the notable stunts and gadgets in each film. However, the book feels somewhat empty, because, for some reason, most of the book doesn't contain any pictures of James Bond. That's right -- in a book about James Bond's adventures, the book scrupulously avoids printing any pictures of James Bond on those adventures. Instead, you get drawings of of Bond, and even those drawings carefully avoid showing Bond's face, so you end up with a lot of drawings of the top of Bond's head. Presumably, this has something to do with licensing, but it is strange that the only pictures of James Bond are in the first chapter or so and in the appendix. And the pictures you do get of Bond are heavily -- and I mean heavily -- tilted in favor of Pierce Brosnan, so if you're looking for Sean Connery or any other James Bond, you'll have to satisfy your interest with one or two pictures. As seeing James Bond is the reason most people would want this book, this omission hurt the book's value. Nonetheless, this is a cute coffee table book, and a decent light read, if you're in the mood for Bond but don't have the time to pop in a video. It's just about worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: James Bond, the man
Review: This book talks as if James Bond was a real person, and puts him on display. It's kind of like other DK books where they have the little leader lines pointing to his gun and telling you what kind of gun it is, or that his hair is brown, etc. Duh. I tend to go for James Bond books that are behind the movies. Like, where did they come up with ideas for the plot? Who stared in it? What were the gagets and how did they do the special effects? Where are there weaknesses and strenghts in the story? Memorable lines? Instead, I suggest The Essential Bond: The Authorized Guide to the World of 007 (behind the films).
Rating:
Summary: Magnificant
Review: This book, illustrated with many colour pictures explains each movie, the gadgets, the ladies, and the cars to expertise. I was very impressed with this book, and the price was right too. I think any James Bond fan who likes to know more about a "Behind the Scenes", will enjoy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Book of Bond
Review: This impressive (and hefty-priced) book covers the entire history of James Bond, from it's begginings with Ian Flemming's novels to the modern-day Bond films. The most interesting and obscure details concerning production are all here, with every base covered; the music, Bond's gadgets, the locales, the villians and the women! With comprehensive notes on production and spot-on reviews for all the films from DR NO (1962) to Tommorow Never Dies (1997), this is a must have for any Bond enthusiast. If it has a flaw, the lack of depth surrounding the films' origins is somewhat frustrating, but there is a wealth of fascinating facts, humourous anecdotes, fun trivia and plenty of color photos. Q would be happy.
Rating:
Summary: LICENSED FOR FUN...
Review: This is a fun book to the max! The Dorling Kindersely art work...layout, graphics, and eye-popping POP-OUT photos...is superb (compares admirably with, among others, DK's fine computer software projects). Fans of 007 will admit that Bond, the gadgetry, and his 40-year pantheon/array of vicious villains and delicious vixens never (Say Never?)looked better. The book opens with a quick, wry prologue from "M" (the Judi Dench incarnation). A visually arresting DOSSIER highlighting Bond's inimitable style, women, weapons, allies...especially Q, Wizard of MI-6...and arch enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld follows. Then the OHMSS missions...from Dr. No to The World is Not Enough...are given a classy "declassification". The book concludes with a review of THE BOND film canon (The Harry Saltzman-Albert Broccoli/Eon "For Your Eyes Only" productions) and a look at the 5 actors who have...thus far...essayed the role of the now mythical 007. "JAMES BOND: The Secret World of 007" is an Aston Martin DB5 ride into "danger" and fun with Ian Fleming's icon of matchless adventure, spectacle and super-heroism. The only real DANGER...this opus is your classic "coffee table" center piece... is that a bit of un-Bonded clumsiness on the part of a reader might "bloody-up" the book with a bit of tea, soda or Dom Perignon because this is one Coffee Table book that people will read and thoroughly enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: this is a great book. There is all sorts of cool stuff in here. It includes all the gadgets, and everything you could ever want to know about bond. A must for anyone interested in 007.
|
