Book Review: THE JAMES BOND ARCHIVES Will Leave You Shaken And Stirred

The James Bond Archives is the ultimate book for 007 fans. This exquisite hardback volume gives a detailed look at the history of the James Bond franchise, charting the franchise from Dr No to SPECTRE.

Edited by Paul Duncan, The James Bond Archives goes into incredible detail about the making of each Bond adventure. Transcribed interviews with everyone and anyone involved in the franchise over the last half century gives incredible context to many of the tales and rumours that fans may have heard over the years. The book also covers the ‘unofficial’ Bond movies, meaning that this really does give the ultimate overview of James Bond’s big screen adventures.

At over 620 pages, The James Bond Archives makes the perfect coffee table book and there’s so much information held within it that it makes the perfect book to dip in and out of. You can see how the franchise evolved from each movie and how the many successes and failures helped shape the direction o the series. The interviews have been taken from a variety of sources over the years and that means the subjects are often candid about any given topic. It might not be a warts and all expose, but there’s a lot of balance and perspective on display. There is a lot of ground to cover over a half a century of filmmaking and The James Bond Archives never feels rushed or that there’s anything missing from each production.

James Bond movies have always been spectacular and this captivating book displays a tremendous amount of glorious photography. Behind-the-scenes photography and on-set still sit beside wonderful posters and production art. The James Bond Archives has the perfect match of words and visuals to make this a must own book for all Bond fans. You’ll be shaken and stirred by the sheer wealth of information held within the covers of this gloriously presented Taschen book.