The world will once more stream to the theatres for another dose of Bond. LIFE was on the scene in the swinging '60s when James Bond became a cultural icon (in fact, when we put the gold-painted actress Shirley Eaton on the cover in 1964, we helped him along), and now LIFE tells the whole story in this commemorative book. Ian Fleming, a high-ranking officer in British Naval Intelligence during World War 11, dreamt up his MI6 spy, code number 007, in 1953, and a decade later, with Dr. No, From Russia With Love and then the smash Goldfinger, saw his creation take on a life entirely his own. All the fun of Bond is here: The movies; the reminiscences by the stars; the LIFE photo shoots; the knockoffs and spoofs (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; Get Smart; I Spy; the first Casino Royale); the artefacts (a model of Bond's Aston Martin DB5 was one of the best-selling toys of 1 g65); the trivia and inside information on M, Q and Moneypenny — anything a Bond fan would want, packed into one book and then shaken, not stirred. James Bond was, back in the day, one of those cultural phenomena tailor-made for LIFE: It was bright and colourful and vibrant. Today, it still is. Happy birthday, and welcome back, Commander Bond.
