James Bond Bound For Edinburgh

Submitted by edg on Tue, 27 May '08 2.23pm

An exhibition that charts the development of Bond book artwork and design is coming to Edinburgh later this year. Bond Bound - Ian Fleming and the Art of Cover Design, which will be at the City Art Centre from the 5th July to September 14th, features book covers, film posters, letters and previously unseen archive material. Stretching back more than half a century, the covers provide revealing snapshots of shifting attitudes to sex, feminism and the changing international climate.

Tomorrow marks the centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming and the launch of Devil May Care, the new bond novel by Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming.

Over 100 million copies of the Bond novels have been sold worldwide and the suave secret agent has been the inspiration for many cover designers, including Dutch artist Dick Bruna, creator of the much loved Miffy series, who produced the covers for the Dutch editions.

The exhibition comes right up to date including artwork from Charlie Higson's Young Bond series and The Moneypenny Diaries by Samantha Weinberg.

The fictional character James Bond was educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh after being expelled from Eton for an incident with a maid. Sean Connery, who is originally from Fountainbridge, cemented the Edinburgh connection with some of the most memorable performances on film as the world's most famous spy.