Diamonds Are Forever

A glittering trail leads from Amsterdam's cutters to Las Vegas' casinos, where a satellite weapon awaits in the hands of Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Diamonds Are Forever stands as the fourth novel by Ian Fleming featuring his fictional British Secret Service agent, James Bond. Written at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica during January and February 1955, the story was inspired by a Sunday Times article on diamond smuggling from Sierra Leone. Published by Jonathan Cape in the United Kingdom on 26 March 1956, it centers on Bond infiltrating a smuggling ring that runs from African mines to Las Vegas. The narrative features Bond falling in love with Tiffany Case, a member of the gang who harbors an antipathy toward men following a teenage assault. Much of Fleming's research for this work later formed the basis of his 1957 non-fiction book, The Diamond Smugglers.

Quick Facts

Author: Ian Fleming
Cover artist: Pat Marriott
Country: United Kingdom
Series: James Bond
Genre: Spy fiction
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Released: 26 March 1956 (hardback)
Pages: 257

Lore & Background

The story details Bond's mission to infiltrate the Spangled Mob, a ruthless American gang run by brothers Jack and Seraffimo Spang. Using the alias "Peter Franks," a burglar turned smuggler, Bond travels from London to New York and eventually Las Vegas. In Saratoga Springs, he meets his old friend Felix Leiter, who works for Pinkertons investigating rigged horse races. Bond witnesses thugs Wint and Kidd attack a jockey before following orders to the Tiara Hotel in Las Vegas, owned by Seraffimo Spang. There, Bond wins heavily at blackjack against dealer Tiffany Case but is captured and tortured at the ghost town of Spectreville after Seraffimo suspects him of being a plant. With Tiffany's help, Bond escapes aboard a railway push-car, re-routes an old Western train onto a dead-end, and shoots Seraffimo Spang before the crash.

Reader's Guide

Readers should note that Fleming wrote approximately 2,000 words a day at Goldeneye, never correcting or reviewing his work. He based the title on an American Vogue advertisement slogan "A Diamond is Forever" and dedicated the book to Ivar Bryce, Ernest Cuneo, and the memory of William Woodward Jr., who was killed by his wife in 1954. The novel was serialized in the Daily Express as both a multi-part abridgment and a comic strip. While Fleming provided no specific dates within the text, historians John Griswold and Henry Chancellor have placed the events in July/August 1953 or 1954 respectively. In 1971, the story was adapted into the seventh Bond film, marking the last Eon Productions picture to star Sean Connery.

Did You Know?

Fleming wrote the novel at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica, completing an 183-page typescript by March 1955.
The villainous brothers' surname 'Spang' was appropriated from a name Fleming saw during his US trip, meaning 'maker of shoe buckles' in old German.
Fleming named the homosexual villain 'Boofy' Kidd after his friend Arthur Gore, 8th Earl of Arran, who complained about the usage before publication but was ignored.
The character's car, a 'Studillac,' was inspired by William Woodward Jr., whose speed and comfort impressed Fleming during a visit to Saratoga Springs.
Fleming joked in a letter that his new plot contained every method of escape and suspenseful action he had omitted from previous books, noting it included 'everything except the kitchen sink.'