AMBFAD Book Club

Nobody does it better. Well, at least to my knowledge, nobody has done it better than Penguin Publishing. To coincide w/ the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming's birth, they've given the Bond novels the much-deserved face lift the classic series deserves.

Artist Michael Gillette was commissioned to paint fourteen iconic covers and I can't think of any other way to describe them than: SEXY. Each cover taps into the iconic concept of the 'Bond Girl', made almost as famous as 007 himself thanks to Hollywood, done up in a colorful 60's vibe to eye-catching results.

Fourteen book biographies, one for each back flap, replaced the usual author biography (which is found on page one). A short extract from each book graces the back cover.

The books are also numbered on their spines for the completist who wants to savor each story in order. The extra touch of a coordinating female silhouette adds to the package as well.

I think I ended up checking out and reading just about all of these from the library as a kid, so it's cool to see such great stories get an equally great look to match. Unfortunately, while the swanky, demi-format hardbacks were published on 29-May, they are currently available only in the UK and the £210 it'll cost you to order the entire set comes out to ~ $400 USD! A little too steep for my blood.

Luckily, the most recent paperback versions currently available in the states are pretty damn retro-cool looking as well...

...and, as the excellent stories within are the most important part anyways, totally worth the $13 to add to your home library. Trust me, at least in this case, you CAN judge a book by it's cover...these read just as fun as they look.

If you want more info, check out the killer 007 microsite Penguin has set up HERE!