Goldfinger

Goldfinger is the seventh novel by Ian Fleming, featuring James Bond, secret agent 007, published in 1959. In 1964 the novel was adapted into a film by EON Productions and starred Sean Connery in his third appearance as James Bond.

The novel

Plot summary

The novel begins in a similar fashion to Moonraker with an acquaintance of Bond (Junius Du Pont from Casino Royale) meeting him in Miami and requesting that he observe a Canasta game between him and the eponymous villain of the novel, Auric Goldfinger. Du Pont suspects Goldfinger of cheating and offers to pay Bond to confirm his suspicions. It turns out that Goldfinger is indeed cheating and Bond forces him to admit his guilt and pay back Du Pont due compensation.

Related Topics:
Moonraker - Casino Royale - Miami - Canasta - Auric Goldfinger

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After Bond returns to London he inquires into the background of Goldfinger to find that he's the world's top gold smuggler, the richest man in England, and after further investigation Bond learns Goldfinger is a communist criminal working as the treasurer for the Soviet assassination agency SMERSH.

Related Topics:
London - England - Soviet - SMERSH

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Bond learns that Goldfinger intends to finance SMERSH's schemes by stealing fifteen billion USD worth of gold bullion from the American bullion depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky, an operation codenamed "Operation Grand Slam". Bond, along with Felix Leiter work to prevent the villain from executing his plan, which involves killing the soldiers of Fort Knox with a water-borne toxin and then using an atomic bomb to break into Fort Knox's impregnable vault.

Related Topics:
USD - American - Fort Knox - Kentucky - Felix Leiter - Atomic bomb

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In the novel, Pussy Galore is the head of a criminal organisation from New York City called the Cement Mixers. Her group, as well as various other mobs including the Mafia and the Spangled Mob from Diamonds Are Forever, have been employed to aid Goldfinger in the planning and execution of "Operation Grand Slam".

Related Topics:
Pussy Galore - New York City - Diamonds Are Forever

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In terms of gadgets, this Fleming novel is closest to the Bond films technological underpinnings. The secret agent is issued a battleship grey Aston Martin DB Mark III with lethal accessories, as well as a homing device similar to that seen in the movie, however, Q is not in the book.

Related Topics:
Aston Martin DB Mark III - Q

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ISBN numbers

• ISBN 0142002046 (hardcover, 2002, reprint)
• ISBN 0685112179 (paperback)

Trivia

• In the story Goldfinger's gold ingots are distinguishable by a small Z etched somewhere on the bar. In alchemical symbolism, the Z is one of the symbols for gold.

Comic strip adaptation

Fleming's original novel was adapted as a daily comic strip which was published in the British Daily Express newspaper and syndicated around the world. The adaptation ran from October 3, 1960 to April 1, 1961. The adaptation was written by Henry Gammidge and illustrated by John McLusky. It was reprinted by Titan Books in 2004.

Related Topics:
Comic strip - Daily Express - October 3 - 1960 - April 1 - 1961 - Henry Gammidge - John McLusky - Titan Books

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