From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming

From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming

James Bond is marked for death by the Soviet counterintelligence agency SMERSH in Ian Fleming's masterful spy thriller, and the novel that President John F. Kennedy named one of his favorite 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.

Bursting with action and intrigue, From Russia with Love is one of the best-loved books in the Bond canon--an instant classic that set the standard for sophisticated literary spycraft for decades to come.

The text in this edition has been restored by the Fleming family company Ian Fleming Publications, to reflect the work as it was originally published.

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Ian Fleming was born on May 28, 1908, in London. He attended Eton College and afterwards spent a crucial spell in Europe studying languages. He worked as an assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence during WWII and was a major figure in Allied espionage activities. After the war, he worked for the Sunday Times as the international manager, which permitted him to spend two months each year in Jamaica.

In 1952, he created a book called Casino Royale at his residence Goldeneye, and James Bond was born. Within a month, the first print run was sold out. Fleming continued to write a novel a year for the next twelve years, featuring Special Agent 007, the most famous spy of the century. The Bond novels have sold over a hundred million copies worldwide, thanks to the highly successful film franchise that began with the release of Doctor No in 1962.

What he wrote was backed up by his travels, interests, and wartime experience. He wrote two nonfiction works based on his experiences: Thrilling Cities and The Diamond Smugglers. In 1952, he married Anne Rothermere. In 1961, he wrote a narrative about a magical automobile for their only son, Caspar, which became the popular novel and film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

On August 12, 1964, at the age of 56, Fleming died of heart failure.