Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Paperback 771: Moonraker / Ian Fleming (Signet S1850)

Paperback 771: Signet S1850 (1st ptg, 1960)

Title: Moonraker
Author: Ian Fleming
Cover artist: Barye Phillips

Yours for: $25

Signet1850

Best things about this cover:

  • The long-awaited Moonmower prequel!
  • Remember when NASA designed its launch towers to looks like giant lady spies? Man, the '60s were awesome!
  • I choose to read only the text to the right of her head, thus: "a luscious lady spy that can blow the…" Now *that's* suspense!
  • This came out in 1960, when Janet Leigh's haircut from "Psycho" was apparently very popular.


Signet1850bc

Best things about this back cover:

  • Here's rocket in your eye!
  • Let he who is without a rocket in his eye cast the mote verily from within thine own talent … is how the bible verse goes, I believe.
  • You had me at "Flamboyant!"
  • DRAX is an occasional crossword answer. Just FYI.

Page 123~

"I'm terribly sorry, Sir Hugo. But could you possibly stop for just a moment? I want, I mean, I'm terribly sorry but I'd like to powder my nose. It's terribly stupid of me. I'm so sorry."
Hugo Drax then wondered angrily why Gala didn't go back at McDonald's, when she had the chance. I mean, she drank all that soda, what did she think was going to happen? God! Now we're never gonna get to uncle Bob's by dinner! Gimme your Walkman, Gala! Stupid girls don't get Walkmen!

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

3 comments:

Karl said...

WARNING: This book contains all the stock elements that are in every other spy novel that's ever been written in the history of the world! You have been warned!!

Jean said...

I like the pink dress/orange gloves combo. Painful to the eye to anyone not living in 1967.

Benzadmiral said...

Fleming was not enormously fond of this novel, but he did admit he thought it would make a good film. American actor John Payne of "Miracle on 34th Street" and some films noir optioned the novel in 1956 or so, with an eye to playing Bond himself. That might have been very good.