Michael Gillette’s fresh Bond covers once again bring his design expertise to Ian Fleming’s classic novels.
To mark the 60th anniversary earlier this week of the death of James Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming Publications revealed new cover designs for all fourteen of his James Bond books. Designed by the acclaimed Michael Gillette, these editions will be released on 3rd October 2024. The project was announced on 28th May, Fleming’s birthday, and as well as Gillette’s iconic artwork the new editions will include material from the archives.
Michael Gillette is no stranger to Bond. He first made waves in 2008 with his striking cover designs for the Penguin’s paperback editions marking Fleming’s centenary. Known for his bold, vibrant style, Gillette perfectly captures Bond’s blend of elegance and danger. His work extends to music and advertising, working with bands such as Saint Etienne and Elastica and The Beastie Boys and global brands such as Levis.
These new editions not only boast Gillette’s iconic design but also include carefully selected archival material that offers a deeper glimpse into the world of James Bond and his creator. But while the archival content undoubtedly enriches the reading experience, wouldn’t it be more fitting for IFP to release a dedicated volume of this material? Such a book would allow those deeply interested in Fleming’s legacy to explore the archival material without feeling compelled to purchase the entire series yet again – many fans already own the books in multiple editions.
There has been some discussion among fans concerning inconsistencies between the cover art and the books, such as these points raised by MI6 HQ. Mainly they are pretty trivial, and perhaps miss the point, such as complaints about the moon featuring on Moonraker, which is likely symbolic. And the point about the cover title should be Doctor No rather than Dr No doesn’t really add up.
Go back to the first edition of the book and you’ll find that although the book title insider is Doctor No the dustjacket artwork states it as Dr. No both on the front and on the spine.
What is incorrect on the new cover for Dr No is the metal hand controlling a spider. Dr No has metal pincers in the novel and, although Honey tells Bond of how she put a hungry black widow spider in the bed of a man who raped her, it is a poisonous centipede that is placed in Bond’s bed when he is asleep in his hotel.
There is also a point raised about the title of the final book of the series. When Octopussy & The Living Daylights was first published in 1966 it contained precisely those two stories. In 1968 the Pan paperback edition added The Property of a Lady, with the book simply titled Octopussy and since then editions have been printed under both titles. Complicating matters slightly, 007 in New York was added to the collection in the early 2000s, at which point it seems the title Octopussy & The Living Daylights is becoming increasingly inaccurate. We could refer to the expanded volume as Octopussy, The Living Daylights, The Property of a Lady & 007 in New York, but at some point these things get pointless, tedious and silly. Octopussy is fine for me.
September 3rd, 2024 at 18:16
Regarding Michael Gillette’s new cover designs for Ian Fleming’s Bond canon, I regret they leave me cold. They fail utterly to inspire the excitement and eager anticipation I felt to get between the pages of the Pan series of the 1960s.