This is said to be the form that was introduced in France in the 1800s. A French term that loosely translates as “railway,” chemin-de-fer is an accelerated version of baccarat. Chemin-de-fer:Īt the casino, Le Chiffre plays chemin-de-fer. Despite the physicality of Bond’s occupation, this introspection is consistent throughout the books. This helped him to avoid staleness and the sensual bluntness that breeds mistakes.” Right away, we’re shown that 007 has an admirable level of self-awareness. He always knew when his body or his mind had had enough, and he always acted on the knowledge. “ James Bond suddenly knew that he was tired.

Last revised 2 March 2023 Chapter 1: The Secret Agent Self-awareness: If I’ve made any factual errors, feel free to point this out via the Contact Me page. Fleming was kind enough to divide his books into brief chapters, so references should be easy to find in the text. I’m reading the 1964 Signet Books mass market paperback. I haven’t included page numbers because this will vary by edition. Basically, my own personal reader’s guide. This is not a review or book summary, but notes on the contents of the book.

Long-time Fleming fans will probably not find much new here. I decided to share these notes, with the qualification that this is a personal work in progress and not a polished document with any professional ambitions. During a recent re-read of the book, I recorded some of my thoughts on the book’s themes and character development, and did a little research to add to my understanding of the times in which the book was published. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, the first James Bond novel, was published in 1953.

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