The real James Bond's wife, Mary Wickham Bond, was not only on the board of the Free Library of Philadelphia, but she also stole a very valuable book from that very same library.*

Learn more about the amazing Mary and her equally amazing husband, at my free talk for the Ridgewood Public Library this Tuesday at 7 p.m.

You can register here:

https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=5615&EventID=456516&PK=

*We do not approve of what Mary did and ask that others not follow her example.

Charlie Quinn shared this terrific shot of the endemic Barbados Bullfinch getting ready to peruse James Bond's classic Birds of the West Indies. In Barbados. Thanks, Charlie!

You can read more about this smart bird here:

https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/national/16087245.bright-birds-share-human-intelligence-trait/

I love what Bond wrote in the fifth edition: "remarkably tame in gardens of Barbados."

(I'll be giving away a free copy of this edition at my talk on Tuesday at the Ridgewood Public Library).

My biggest regret when writing The Real James Bond was not having room for a chapter on Mary Bond, who was a terrific writer in her right, the love of Bond's life, and the main reason I was able to write my book.

I'll be talking a bit about Mary for the first time during my talk for the Ridgewood Library next Tuesday, but I must caution you.

Some of her fiction involving a tall and handsome ornithologist was rated PG.

My talk on Jim (and Mary) Bond is next Tuesday (May 17) at 7 p.m.

Just before the pandemic hit, I was all set to give a big talk about The Real James Bond for the Ridgewood Library  -- on April 3, 2020.

I am pleased to say that I will finally be giving that talk on Tuesday, May 17, at 7 p.m.

The talk is free and open to all, and it's only 775 days later. Not that I am counting.

The talk will be far different than the one I had planned. I have continued to learn about the real Bond, a renowned ornithologist, and about Ian Fleming, the man who stole his identity for his secret agent 007, and I've added some of that material, including some little-known and entertaining Bond-Fleming video clips.

As a bonus, I'll be giving away a miniature Aston-Martin DB5  a Real James Bond coffee mug, and a copy of the 1993 edition of Guide to the Birds of the West Indies, written by none other than the real James Bond.

As an additional bonus, I will give away a signed copy of The Real James Bond, and it'll be a copy signed by me in my best doctor's-prescription handwriting.

To be eligible for one of these prizes, all you have to do is pay attention during my lavishly illustrated talk. (If that's not asking too much.)

And, yes, copies of my book will be available for sale after the talk. I'd be more than happy to sign them with my top-secret stamp. I am told they make terrific Father's Day gifts for the entire family.

You can register here:

https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=5615&EventID=456516&PK=

Did I mention it's free?