Ian Fleming names names

Fleming's letter to Wren Howard.

James Bond titles have always been a subject of interest to aficionados of the genre. From the evocative titles of the original Ian Fleming novels — From Russia, with Love; You Only Live Twice, etc. — to the “Die/Kill” mashups of the late 90s — Die Another Day; The Facts of Death; Tomorrow Never Dies; High Time to Kill; etc. — the names of the 007 books and films provide ample opportunity for gossip, speculation, and scholarship.

In regards to scholarship, that terrific website Letters of Note has done it again. They have dug up a letter from July of 1954 from Ian Fleming, brainstorming titles for the follow-up to the just published Live and Let Die. The letter was addressed to Wren Howard, of the Jonathan Cape publishing company, and provides an interesting look into the collaborative process that authors and publishers engage in.

We’re not going to steal Letters of Note’s thunder here by naming any examples. Rather, we’ll direct you straight to the site, and to the article The Infernal Machine. (Even if that’s some indication.)

Very interesting and very cool. Well done, guys.