28 Jul Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming wrote twelve full-length James Bond novels, all of which were turned into memorable movies, and two collections of short stories. The books (published between 1952 and 1966) have sold over 100 million copies to date, making Bond one of the best-selling fictional characters of all time. Fleming also wrote the children’s story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (1964-65) – adapted as a film in 1968, starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes – and two works of non-fiction.

No literary tour of England would be complete without paying homage to Fleming. He is commemorated by a life-size steel statue on Dover seafront in Kent. He had lived for a time in nearby St Margaret’s Bay, from which there’s a wonderful view of the famous White Cliffs. A heavy smoker and drinker, Fleming died of a heart attack in 1964 aged 56. He is buried in the modest graveyard of St James’s Church in Sevenhampton (80 miles west of London).