An Interesting Letter
From Ian Fleming!

Someone clued me in on this fascinating tidbit of history that has surfaced.

The genesis of a great character and the evolution he goes through from the creator
is something I always find intriguing. For instance, Bond fans all know that the
characters' name came from the author of the book Birds of the West Indies, a
Fleming favorite.

We're all familiar with some of the classic 007 traits he's known for.

-He enjoys vodka martini's - shaken, not stirred.

-He's got a licence to kill.

-He carries a Walther PPK and is armed by the gadget master Q.

That's where this letter comes in.

In 1956, as the James Bond novels were gaining popularity with audiences, Fleming received a fan letter from a firearms expert by
the name of Geoffrey Boothroyd.

Boothroyd made countless suggestions for the Bond character and was quite vocal about Fleming's choice of arming him with a
.25 Beretta.

"I have, by now, got rather fond of Mr. James Bond. I like most of the things about him, with the exception of his rather
deplorable taste in firearms. In particular, I dislike a man who comes into contact with all sorts of formidable people using a
.25 Beretta. This sort of gun is really a lady's gun, and not a really nice lady at that. If Mr. Bond has to use a light gun he would
be better off with a .22 rim fire; the lead bullet would cause more shocking effect than the jacketed type of the .25."

Fleming apparently genuinely appreciated Boothroyd's interest and enthusiastic advice for 007 and as a result James Bond would
be equipped with a Walther PPK in the following novel Dr. No.

The debut of a beloved character would also make his debut in Dr. No - Q, the quartermaster who would provide Bond with
his weaponry for his adventurs. Although in the his debut he is referred to by the name of Major Boothroyd.

Here's a copy of Fleming's letter to Boothroyd. I love how Fleming describes the Bond books as the characters "memoirs" and how
he refers to the character as a real person. It also appeared that even this early in the characters history Fleming anticipated the
possibility of a James Bond film.
If he only knew how long the series of films would last.....