Per Fine Ounce

Per Fine Ounce is the title of an unpublished novel by Geoffrey Jenkins featuring Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond. It was completed circa 1966 and is considered a "lost" novel by fans of James Bond because it was actually commissioned by Glidrose Productions, the official publishers of James Bond, and might have been the first Bond novel published following the death of Fleming. Some sources suggest Per Fine Ounce was going to be published under the Robert Markham pseudonym that was used when publishing the Kingsley Amis Bond novel, Colonel Sun in 1968.

Related Topics:
Geoffrey Jenkins - Ian Fleming - James Bond - 1966 - Glidrose Productions - Robert Markham - Kingsley Amis - Colonel Sun - 1968

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Not much is known of the plot for Per Fine Ounce. The reference work The Bond Files by Andy Lane and Paul Simpson indicates that it was based upon a story Jenkins claimed he and Fleming had worked on around 1957. The storyline was set in South Africa and dealt with diamond smugglers and a spy ring and bore some resemblance to Fleming's Bond novel Diamonds Are Forever as well as his non-Bond work, The Diamond Smugglers.

Related Topics:
Andy Lane - Paul Simpson - South Africa - Diamonds Are Forever - The Diamond Smugglers

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According to an article on this lost novel at the website 007forever.com, Fleming and Jenkins discussed the Per Fine Ounce project not long before Fleming died in 1964. The next year, Fleming biographer John Pearson became aware of the Fleming/Jenkins story outline and suggested Jenkins finish the book. Jenkins reportedly lobbied Bond publishers Glidrose Productions to commission the book, and apparently obtained support from Bond film co-producer Harry Saltzman. Glidrose finally agreed to allow Jenkins to write the novel in 1966, but declined to publish the manuscript.

Related Topics:
1964 - John Pearson - Harry Saltzman - 1966

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A copy of the manuscript reportedly exists in the archives of Ian Fleming Publications (Renamed from Glidrose in 1998), which has been backed up by Bond novelist and historian Raymond Benson.

Related Topics:
Ian Fleming Publications - 1998 - Raymond Benson

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Some fans have lobbied to have this lost Bond novel published.

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