On February 5, 1964, James and Mary Bond paid an unexpected visit to Goldeneye and met Ian Fleming.

It turned out to be a historic day, with Fleming and Bond talking about their books and Fleming giving Bond a copy of his soon-to-be-released "You Only Live Twice."

Fleming inscribed the book:

“To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity, Ian Fleming, Feb. 5, 1964 (a great day!).”

Mary Bond took the above photo, which is now in the archives of the Rare Book Department in the Free Library of Philadelphia.

It is the only known photo of the two men together. It is widely used -- alas without proper credit or attribution.

You can read more about the photo, the day, and the parallels between the two authors in my book.

By the way, I'll be doing a free talk at the Free Library on Saturday, April 11.

More info here.