James Bond By Ian Fleming Books in Order
Mine’s Bond – James Bond.
– Ian Fleming, Casino Royale
- Casino Royale (1953)
- Live and Let Die (1954)
- Moonraker (1955)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1956)
- From Russia, with Love (1957)
- Doctor No (1958)
- Goldfinger (1959)
- For Your Eyes Only (1959)
- Thunderball (1961)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1962)
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963)
- You Only Live Twice (1964)
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1965)
- Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966)
An Intro to James Bond
It is hard to go through life without hearing of a few iconic fictional characters, and James Bond is definitely one of those. If there is not much you know about this character, you at least know the number that comes along with him. 007. That and almost as famous as the man himself is the drink, a martini – shaken not stirred, and the bond girls.
There have been a great many films around the character, and inspiration to a lot of parodies. At the time of writing, the Eon Production Films have had six different actors portray the man himself, spanning from 1962 all the way up to 2021, with Daniel Craig taking his last outing as the spy in No Time to Die. This series of films has made $7 billion to date, which makes it the fifth highest grossing film series. The books themselves rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
Who was Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming was a British author, best known for his collection of spy novels for James Bond. Ian Fleming was born on 28th May 1908 and died on 12th August 1964. During the Second World War he worked for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division, and was involved with the planning for Operation Goldeneye.
His other notable work is a children’s story, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (1964), which was also made into a film in 1968. The Times ranked Ian Fleming 14th on its list of “The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945” in 2008.
Ian Flemming wrote a total of 12 books for James Bond and released 2 of the short stories. Since his death, there has a great many authors adding more adventures to this swarve spy. Anthony Horowitz is probably the one freshest in everyone’s minds having great success with his own child spy adventures of the Alex Rider series.
You only live twice:Once when you are born, and once when you look death in the face
– Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice
The Order
Below you will find more about each of the books in the publication order that the James Bond books came out, also included are the two books, a collection of short stories.
1. Casino Royale (1953) 
43,790 Words, 192 pages, 2hrs 55mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.74 out of 5 on Goodreads
In the novel that introduced James Bond to the world, Ian Fleming’s agent 007 is dispatched to a French casino in Royale-les-Eaux. His mission? Bankrupt a ruthless Russian agent who’s been on a bad luck streak at the baccarat table.
One of SMERSH’s most deadly operatives, the man known only as “Le Chiffre,” has been a prime target of the British Secret Service for years. If Bond can wipe out his bankroll, Le Chiffre will likely be “retired” by his paymasters in Moscow. But what if the cards won’t cooperate? After a brutal night at the gaming tables, Bond soon finds himself dodging would-be assassins, fighting off brutal torturers, and going all-in to save the life of his beautiful female counterpart, Vesper Lynd.
Taut, tense, and effortlessly stylish, Ian Fleming’s inaugural James Bond adventure has all the hallmarks that made the series a touchstone for a generation of readers.
2. Live and Let Die (1954)
53,795 Words, 240 pages,3hrs 40mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.63 out of 5 on Goodreads
James Bond is not an easily intimidated man, but it’s hard not to feel unnerved in the presence of Mr. Big. A ruthless Harlem gangster who uses superstition and fear to control his vast criminal empire, he’s also one of SMERSH’s top American operatives.
Mr. Big has been smuggling British pirate treasure to New York from a remote Jamaican island and funneling the proceeds to Moscow. With help from Solitaire, Mr. Big’s beautiful and enigmatic Creole fortune teller, and his old friend Felix Leiter of the CIA, 007 must locate the crime lord’s hideout, sabotage his operation, and reclaim the pirate hoard for England.
3. Moonraker (1955)
64,960 Words, 256 pages, 4hrs 20mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.78 out of 5 on Goodreads
JAMES BOND INVESTIGATES A VILLAIN WITH THE POWER TO LAUNCH A NUCLEAR WARHEAD
Sir Hugo Drax is a multimillionaire tycoon and war hero, revered by the British public for his new Moonraker missile defense system. But there’s more to this enigmatic millionaire than he lets on. When M suspects Drax of cheating at cards, he is baffled that the patriot would risk his reputation and his rocket program on a game, so he assigns Bond to infiltrate Drax’s circle.
As 007 probes the activities at the Moonraker base in the days leading up to the beloved rocket’s maiden launch, he learns the truth about Drax’s battle scars, his wartime allegiances—and his murderous plans for the deployment of Moonraker.
4. Diamonds Are Forever (1956)
58,870 Words, 246 pages, 4hrs
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.63 out of 5 on Goodreads
USING HIS FORMIDABLE SKILLS of DECEPTION, JAMES BOND WORKS TO TAKE DOWN AN AMERICAN GANG
The Spangled Mob are no ordinary American gangsters.
They prey on the addictions of the wealthy and treat the poor as collateral. Their ruthless desire for power and fierce brotherly loyalty make them deadly and invincible.
James Bond must go deep undercover in his urgent new assignment: to destroy their millionaire masterminds, Jack and Seraffimo Spang.
But the Spangs’ cruel influence is everywhere, from dusty African diamond mines to the frenzied gambling dens of Las Vegas. Can Bond find his men before his cover is blown?
5. From Russia, with Love (1957)
77,865 Words, 253 pages, 5hrs 15mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.90 out of 5 on Goodreads
James Bond is marked for death by the Soviet counterintelligence agency SMERSH in Ian Fleming’s masterful spy thriller. It’s the novel that President John F. Kennedy named as one of his favourite books of all time.
SMERSH stands for ‘Death to Spies’ and there’s no secret agent they’d like to disgrace and destroy more than 007, James Bond. But ensnaring the British Secret Service’s most lethal operative will require a lure so tempting even he can’t resist. Enter Tatiana Romanova, a ravishing Russian spy whose ‘defection’ springs a trap designed with clockwork precision.
Her mission: seduce Bond, then flee to the West on the Orient Express. Waiting in the shadows are two of Ian Fleming’s most vividly drawn villains: Red Grant, SMERSH’s deadliest assassin, and the sinister operations chief Rosa Klebb – five feet four inches of pure killing power.
6. Doctor No (1958)
69,600 Words, 255 pages, 4hrs 40mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.80 out of 5 on Goodreads
JAMES BOND IS PUT TO THE TEST AGAINS AN EGOTISTICAL SCIENTIST WITH NEFARIOUS AIMS
Dispatched by M to investigate the mysterious disappearance of MI6’s Jamaica station chief, Bond was expecting a holiday in the sun. But when he discovers a deadly centipede placed in his hotel room, the vacation is over.
On this island, all suspicious activity leads inexorably to Dr. Julius No, a reclusive megalomaniac with steel pincers for hands. To find out what the good doctor is hiding, 007 must enlist the aid of local fisherman Quarrel and alluring beachcomber Honeychile Rider.
Together they will combat a local legend the natives call “the Dragon,” before Bond alone must face the most punishing test of all: an obstacle course―designed by the sadistic Dr. No himself―that measures the limits of the human body’s capacity for agony.
7. Goldfinger (1959)
76,560 Words, 296 pages, 5hrs 10mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.82 out of 5 on Goodreads
Auric Goldfinger is the richest man in England—though his wealth can’t be found in banks. He’s been hoarding vast stockpiles of his namesake metal, and it’s attracted the suspicion of 007’s superiors at MI6. Sent to investigate, Bond uncovers an ingenious gold-smuggling scheme, as well as Goldfinger’s most daring caper yet: Operation Grand Slam, a gold heist so audacious it could bring down the world economy and put the fate of the West in the hands of SMERSH. To stop Goldfinger, Bond will have to survive a showdown with the sinister millionaire’s henchman, Oddjob, a tenacious karate master who can kill with one well-aimed toss of his razor-rimmed bowler hat.
8. For Your Eyes Only (1959)
55,100 Words, 191 pages, 3hrs 40mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.66 out of 5 on Goodreads
A collection of short stories following the world’s most iconic spy.
When sudden emergencies arise, James Bond is there to meet them.Whether dealing with the assassination of a Cuban thug in America, the destruction of an international heroin ring, or a mysterious death in the Seychelles, 007 gets the job done in his own unmistakable style.
For Bond it is just routine. For anyone else— certain death.
The stories are: 1. “From a View to a Kill;” 2. “For Your Eyes Only;” 3. “Quantum of Solace;” 4. “Risico;” and 5. “The Hildebrand Rarity.”
9. Thunderball (1961)
68,440 Words, 274 pages, 4hrs 35mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.82 out of 5 on Goodreads
“The girl looked him up and down. He had dark, rather cruel good looks and very clear, blue-grey eyes. He was wearing a very dark-blue lightweight single-breasted suit over a cream silk shirt and a black knitted silk tie. Despite the heat, he looked cool and clean. ‘And who might you be?’ she asked sharply. ‘My name’s Bond, James Bond …'”
When a stranger arrives in the Bahamas, the locals barely turn their heads, seeing another ex-pat with money to burn at the casino tables. But James Bond has more than money on his mind: he’s got less than a week to find two stolen atom bombs hidden among the coral reefs. While acting the playboy, Bond meets Domino, sultry plaything of secretive treasure hunter Emilio Largo. In getting close to this gorgeous Italian girl, Bond hopes to learn more about Largo’s hidden operation …
10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1962)
42,340 Words, 167 pages, 2hrs 50mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.39 out of 5 on Goodreads
Vivienne Michel, a precocious French Canadian raised in the United Kingdom, seems a foreigner in every land. With only a supercharged Vespa and a handful of American dollars, she travels down winding roads into the pine forests of the Adirondacks. After stopping at the Dreamy Pines Motor Court and being coerced into caretaking at the vacant motel for the night, Viv opens the door to two armed mobsters and realizes being a woman alone is no easy task. But when a third stranger shows―a confident Englishman with a keen sense for sizing things up―the tables are turned.
Still reeling in the wake of Operation Thunderball, Bond had planned for his jaunt through the Adirondacks to be a period of rest before his return to Europe. But that all changes when his tire goes flat in front of a certain motel…
11. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963)
70,470 Words, 269 pages, 4hrs 45mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.97 out of 5 on Goodreads
A Lancia Spyder with its hood down tore past him, cut in cheekily across his bonnet and pulled away, the sexy boom of its twin exhausts echoing back at him. It was a girl driving, a girl with a shocking pink scarf tied round her hair. And if there was one thing that set James Bond really moving, it was being passed at speed by a pretty girl.
When Bond rescues a beautiful, reckless girl from self-destruction, he finds himself with a lead on one of the most dangerous men in the world—Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE. In the snow-bound fastness of his Alpine base, Blofeld is conducting research that could threaten the safety of the world. To thwart the evil genius, Bond must get himself and the vital information he has gathered out of the base and keep away from SPECTRE’s agents.
12. You Only Live Twice (1964)
65,685 Words, 233 pages, 4hrs 25mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.75 out of 5 on Goodreads
The tragic end to James Bond’s last mission – courtesy of Ernst Stavro Blofeld – has left 007 a broken man and of little use to the British Secret Service.
At his wit’s end, M decides that the only way to snap his best agent out of his torpor is to send him on an impossible diplomatic mission to Japan. Bond’s contact there is the formidable Japanese spymaster Tiger Tanaka, who agrees to do business with the West if Bond will assassinate one of his enemies: a mysterious Swiss botanist named Dr. Guntram Shatterhand. Shatterhand is not who he seems, however, and his impregnable fortress – known to the locals as the ‘Castle of Death’ – is a gauntlet of traps no gaijin has ever penetrated.
But through rigorous ninja training, and with some help from the beautiful and able Kissy Suzuki, Bond manages to gain access to Shatterhand’s lair. Inside lurks certain doom at the hands of 007’s bitterest foe – or a final chance to exact ultimate vengeance.
13. The Man with the Golden Gun (1965)
42,920 Words, 192 pages, 2hrs 50mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.58 out of 5 on Goodreads
Bond may have a license to kill, but “Pistols” Scaramanga has a talent for it. He’s a KGB-trained assassin who’s left a trail of dead British Secret Service agents in his wake. His weapon of choice? A gold-plated Colt .45.
In the aftermath of his brainwashing by the Soviets, Bond is given one last chance to win back M’s trust: terminate Scaramanga before he strikes MI6 again. Traveling to Jamaica under an assumed name, Bond manages to infiltrate Scaramanga’s organization and soon discovers that the hit man’s criminal ambitions have expanded to include arson, drug smuggling, and industrial sabotage. Worst of all for Bond, Scaramanga has a golden bullet inscribed with the numbers 007—and he’s eager to put it to use.
Under the heat of the Caribbean sun, Bond faces a seemingly impossible task: win a duel against the Man with the Golden Gun.
14. Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966)
31,755 Words, 102 pages, 2hrs 10mins
Published by Jonathon Cape
3.74 out of 5 on Goodreads
Contains two short stories; Octopussy and The Living Daylights.
Octopussy has Bond tacking down a World War II hero who had murdered his friend to steal cache of Nazi Gold.
The Living Daylights, you follow Bond who is assigned sniper duty, but when he sees the sniper is a beautiful woman, he shoots the butt of her rifle instead of killing her.
Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: ‘Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action’.― Ian Fleming, Goldfinger
Overall
James Bond has become probably one of the world’s most famous spy, most people probably only know the character from the films. The books however, are a classic and if you are interested in reading books of the spy-thriller genre then I would definitely recommend picking these up.
Which one is your favourite or most looking forward to picking up next?
Let us know!
Happy reading!
Tally Count
Novels (Excluding For Your Eyes Only & Octopussy and the Living Daylights)
- Total words: 735,295 words
- Total pages: 2,873 pages
- Total reading time: 49hrs 5mins
Short Stories
- Total words: 86,855 words
- Total pages: 293 pages
- Total reading time: 5hrs 50mins
Altogether
- Total words: 822,150 words
- Total pages: 3,166 pages
- Total reading time: 54hrs 55mins
Things to note
- Word count is an approximation.
- Amount of pages may differ due to different publications, font style and/or size etc.
- Time spent reading is an approximation based on the word count and the average reading time. The average reader will read 250 WPM (Words Per Minute).
- This is the original publishers of the books.
- The Current GoodReads score at time of writing.
For more of the same but different:
Leave a Reply