Rearming James Bond. Ian Fleming’s Correspondence with Geoffrey Boothroyd

Michał Urbanowicz

doi:10.31648/pl.10983

Published: 2025-10-30

No. 13 (2025)

Rearming James Bond. Ian Fleming’s Correspondence with Geoffrey Boothroyd

Michał Urbanowicz

Papers in Literature

Section: Betwen autobiography, diary, letter and biography

https://doi.org/10.31648/pl.10983

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the extent to which the portrayal of firearms in Ian Flemingʼs original James Bond book series was influenced by the letters exchanged between the writer and Scottish weapons expert Geoffrey Boothroyd from 1956 to 1964. Boothroydʼs profound knowledge of the subject sparked Fleming’s genuine interest, to such a degree that they embarked on a collaborative effort to diversify and accurately depict the firearms used by 007, as well as other fictional characters. It will be argued that this mutual endeavour was largely successful, although the writer did not always follow his advisorʼs suggestions and made some mistakes on that account.

Keywords:

Ian Fleming, James Bond, Geoffrey Boothroyd, letters, firearms

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Urbanowicz, M. (2025). Rearming James Bond. Ian Fleming’s Correspondence with Geoffrey Boothroyd. Papers in Literature, (13), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.31648/pl.10983

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