In advance of my talk this Saturday at the virtual Cape May Spring Festival, I am re-posting one of my favorite posts each day this week, plus a couple of new posts -- like this one.

A great acquaintance recently directed me to some pretty cool James Bond collector groups on Facebook.

One of my favorites is James Bond Collectable Books Worldwide, which has a wonderful array of collectors  -- some with extraordinary collections of 007 books.

I am now trying to see how many folks (besides me) collect the various incarnations of "Birds of the West Indies."

Below is most of my collection, which includes "Birds of the West Indies" by as many authors as I could find, plus Mary Wickham Bond's memoirs. Some are a bit worn, but I've grown attached.

I used a lot them to research  my book, which has a whole chapter on "Birds of the West Indies."

I already need to expand that chapter.

My favorites are the ground-breaking 1936 and 1947 editions of James Bond's work.

In advance of my talk this Saturday at the virtual Cape May Spring Festival, I am re-posting one of my favorite posts each day this week.

By now, many people have heard about the likely extinction of the Bahama Nuthatch.

When one wrestles with the destruction that Hurricane Dorian wrought on the Bahamas and its people, the extinction of a bird pales in comparison -- especially a bird few folks have heard of.

One reason the bird is relatively obscure is that it has long been considered a subspecies -- even by ornithologist James Bond, who found one at High Rock Settlement, most likely in 1931.  It will likely become a separate species after its extinction.

For fans of the real James Bond and Birds of the West Indies, a mystery still surrounds the very first edition, published in 1936 by the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and printed by the Waverly Press in Baltimore.

The mystery is:  Why was the book published with two different bindings, one gray and the other dull green, with slightly different type on the spine?

The title page for both -- indeed, the entire book -- seems identical in both instances.

The photos are of my two first editions, one in each color.

No one seems to know which was published first, or why a change was made.

The one pictured above has the original dust jacket -- which took me four years to find for sale.

The dust jacket still has $4.50 in pencil -- the original price.

Tomorrow: A great webpage about all the editions of BOTWI.36

Friday: All about the bird on the cover of the 1936 and 1947 editions.

Yesterday: Read the 1936 BOTWI online for free, here.

Last Sunday: Ian Fleming's copy of BOTWI.

The first edition of Bond's "Birds of the West Indies" (1936) was where Ian Fleming got 007's name, according to the real James Bond himself.

You can read it online here. (That's the Cuban Tody on the cover, above.)

The original "Birds of the West Indies," by Charles B. Cory (1889), is also online.

A digitized copy from William Brewster's library is here.

When Ian Fleming stole the real James Bond's name from the cover (or title page) of Birds of the West Indies in early 1952, which edition was he looking at, the 1936 first edition or the 1947 second edition?

It's a subject of debate, with many Fleming experts siding with the 1947 edition. At this point, there's likely no definitive answer,  just theories.

But according to the noted ornithologist himself, the copy in question was the original 1936 edition, as he recounted to  Philadelphia Bulletin columnist Pete Martin in an interview published in October 1964.

Bond and his wife Mary had visited Goldeneye on Feb. 5 that year,  and (sadly) Fleming had died on Aug. 12.

Bond said that Fleming had (at least) two editions of Birds of the West Indies at his home in Jamaica. 

First, Bond said that Fleming "had the first edition -- the one that came out in 1936." [Pictured here].

Bond also said: "When we saw [Fleming], he had by then bought the latest edition of Birds of the West Indies. " 

In a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary on Fleming that was filmed the day that the real James Bond visited, Fleming's copy of Birds of the West Indies from the early 1960s is shown. (See below.)

My new illustrated biography, The Real James Bond, devotes an entire chapter to the day that Bond and Fleming met, and another chapter on the many versions of Birds of the West Indies that were published over the years.

One big question regarding that day remains: Whatever happened to Fleming's 1936 edition of Birds of the West Indies?

It is not in the Lilly Library's archive of Fleming's books at Indiana University. (I checked.)

You can read about James Bond's licenses to kill here.

You can read more about the day Fleming and Bond met here.

When James Bond visited the West Indies, he needed island governments' permission to collect birds for science. 

The Free Library of Philadelphia's Rare Book Department has a fascinating collection of Bond's permits (including the ones pictured above).

They are part of the library's Mary Wickham Bond archive, and they will be on display when I present my "Real James Bond" talk there. 

My talk, part of the library's "Hands-on History" series, had been scheduled for this Saturday, April 11, but will be rescheduled, likely for later this year. (Fingers crossed.)

The Free Library's Rare Book Department is an incredible place, and I can't wait to give my talk there.

Below, James Bond's license to kill in Jamaica in December 1949. Ian Fleming began writing Casino Royale there in early 1952.

I hadn't seen a Pileated Woodpecker all year. Now -- thanks to some friends -- I saw one twice in one day.

This one was next to my backyard. Whenever I see one, I think that it's the closest I'll ever come to seeing an Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

The real James Bond admired them so much that he put one on the back cover of the 1947 edition of "The Birds of the West Indies" (below left), even if the chances of seeing one were remote at best. Earl Poole did the illustration.

If you'd like to learn how to pronounce "Pileated," read this.

Back in August, when Schiffer Books announced a publication date for "The Real James Bond," writer Matthew Chernov contacted me immediately about an interview.

I said, "Sure -- but closer to when the book arrives."

Well, time flies, and here we are.

This online interview is the first in-depth look at the book, and hopefully worth waiting for.

You can read it here.

The book arrives in four weeks -- on Friday, Feb. 28. You can order a copy from Schiffer now by clicking the book's dustjacket in the top right-hand corner.

(The photo of me is by Kevin Watson. Thanks, Kevin!)

                                                                                                                         Photo by Kevin Watson

As we mourn the passing of Christine Auger, the French actress who played a femme fatale in "Thunderball," it's worth noting that her character, Domino, was named for a ... bird.

Matthew Parker, author of "Goldeneye," pointed out in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio that "when you go back to [Ian Fleming's]  books, you start seeing Jamaica everywhere ... Two of his heroines are even named after rare birds found in Jamaica: Solitaire and Domino."

The Domino Bird in question is known in the states as the Common Yellowthroat. The bird was nicknamed the Domino because the black feathers around its eyes resemble the domino mask so popular with comic-book heroes and carnival-goers.

I am pleased to announce that the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia will host the official book launch for "The Real James Bond" on Tuesday evening, March 3.

I'll do a talk, a Q&A, and book signing.

Bond worked for the Academy from 1926 into the 1980s. The Academy also published the first edition of his "Birds of the West Indies" in 1936.

A copy of the landmark book will be among the Bond items and other rarities on display. Exciting details to follow.

The Academy event will be the first of several book talks in March, April and May, including two major birding festivals.

Watch this space for more information.