Collecting Mary Wickham Bond's Writings
06/17/2020
Since The Real James Bond came out, I've come across many collectors of Bond-related books, including a few who collect books written by Bond's wife, Mary Wickham Bond, also an author.
If it weren't for Mary Bond, many of Jim Bond's adventures in the Caribbean would not be as well-known as he is today, and my book would have been far more difficult to research. (Bond was not talkative about his travels.)
Collectors have tended to gravitate toward her memoirs about her husband -- most notably How 007 Got His Name (by Mr.s James Bond) and To James Bond with Love.
But there are a few others of note, including a novel called The Petrified Gesture, a bit of a bodice-ripper about a woman who falls in love with a handsome ornithologist (if you get my drift).
She also wrote a book of poetry, which includes a couple of memorable poems. I will write more about her poetry in a later post.
But my new favorite is Comment 007 chips son nom, the French-language edition of How 007 Got His Name by Mrs. James Bond.
The paperback is tiny, roughly six inches by 3.5 inches, and 84 pages. The back cover is a photo of the inscription that Ian Fleming wrote "To the Real James Bond" in an advance copy of You Only Live Twice.
Inside is a photo of the ornithologist, Le veritable James Bond.
That would make a great title for a book in any language.
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