Re: RARA-AVIS: the name is bond

Dave (birdlives@earthlink.net)
Mon, 01 Feb 1999 10:58:28 -0800 Re; Bond's choice of weapons -- over twenty-five years ago, as a kid, I
was travelling to Europe from the states. In one of the Heathrow stores,
I picked up a paperback about Bond in general, and his weapons, in
particular.

The book claimed that Fleming had Bond use the Baretta .25, I believe it
was, and that Fleming received at letter from one Geoffrey Boothroyd
(sp?) after "From Russia With Love." (the second book.) Boothroyd
apparently told Fleming that the gun was much too wimpy for someone of
Bond's caliber, and he would never use it. Boothroyd recommended the
Walter PPK 9mm, which soon became Bond's main squeeze.

Fleming and Boothroyd supposedly had a spirited communcation about all
these masculine things, and Fleming was so impressed with the man's
knowledge, that he named "Q" after Boothroyd. (Major Boothroyd is his
name.)

Needless to say, I haven't seen this book in decades. If this story is
true at all, I'm sure it's in the recent Fleming bio ...

Dave

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