15. The birth of the James Bond franchise
James Bond was born of Fleming’s imagination, and first committed to the page in 1952, while Fleming wintered at Goldeneye. The first novel, Casino Royale, pitted James Bond (a name borrowed from a British ornithologist) against Le Chiffre, a French villain working for the Soviet Secret Service. The novel also introduced Bond’s American ally, Felix Leiter. Fleming gave the book to his brother Peter, a travel writer and editorialist, to solicit his opinion. It was Peter who convinced his publisher to take a chance on the book. The book was released in April 1953 in Britain, and was well received by both critics and the public.
Fleming’s first novel sold well enough in the UK for him to receive a multiple book contract from the publisher, Jonathan Cape. A later paperback edition also sold well. In the United States, the book was less well received, and US paperback editions carried a different title, which did nothing to increase sales. In 1954 CBS produced a one-hour television presentation of the book for its Climax series, with actor Barry Nelson portraying the secret agent and Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre. Bond was presented as an American agent in his first screen appearance, with Leiter as his British counterpart. Neither the television version nor the book made much of an impact with American audiences and readers.