LIFE: 50 YEARS OF JAMES BOND

The world will once more stream to the theatres for another dose of Bond. LIFE was on the scene in the swinging '60s when James Bond became a cultural icon (in fact, when we put the gold-painted actress Shirley Eaton on the cover in 1964, we helped him along), and now LIFE tells the whole story in this commemorative book. Ian Fleming, a high-ranking officer in British Naval Intelligence during World War 11, dreamt up his MI6 spy, code number 007, in 1953, and a decade later, with Dr. No , From Russia With Love and then the smash Goldfinger , saw his creation take on a life entirely his own.

All the fun of Bond is here: The movies; the reminiscences by the stars; the LIFE photo shoots; the knockoffs and spoofs ( The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; Get Smart; I Spy; the first Casino Royale); the artefacts (a model of Bond's Aston Martin DB5 was one of the best -selling toys of 1 g65); the trivia and inside information on M, Q and Moneypenny - anything a Bond fan would want, packed into one book and then shaken, not stirred. James Bond was, back in the day, one of those cultural phenomena tailor-made for LIFE : It was bright and colourful and vibrant. Today, it still is. Happy birthday, and welcome back, Commander Bond.