Rating: 
Summary: Incredebly Informative!
Review: "The Essential Bond" is extremely well researched and very informative. It provides detailed information on the assignment, 007's women, 007's villains, 007's allies, vehicles, gagets & weapons, music, marketing & merchandising, and the box office in every Bond film from Dr. No to Tomrrow Never Dies. It also includes a short but sweet foreword, tribute to Albert R. Broccoli or "Cubby", a chapter devoted to the literary 007, the James Bond family, 007 and popular culture, the other James Bonds, and the 007 phnomenon. Over all this is a extremely informative book that is a must have for any Bond fan.
Rating:
Summary: The Essential Guide to Bond
Review: "The Essential Bond" is probably the best general reference work available today on the world of everyone's favorite cinema spy. Authors Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall, long-established experts in the field of Bondage, have assembled an impressive array of previously unpublished photos (from the "Eon Archives"), as well as comprehensive data on every villain, Bond Girl, gadget, car, and weapon. They have also included thoughtful chapters on the Literary Bond (which should never be neglected), the members of the "Bond Family," 007 and Popular Culture, and more. And lest anyone think this is (or wrongfully accuse the authors of writing) a "love letter" to Eon Productions (producers of the 20-film Bond franchise since 1962), P & W have included insightful, often highly-critical analyses of each film in the official Bond canon. If you buy only one book on James Bond, let this be the one.
Rating:
Summary: Incredebly Informative!
Review: "The Essential Bond" is extremely well researched and very informative. It provides detailed information on the assignment, 007's women, 007's villains, 007's allies, vehicles, gagets & weapons, music, marketing & merchandising, and the box office in every Bond film from Dr. No to Tomrrow Never Dies. It also includes a short but sweet foreword, tribute to Albert R. Broccoli or "Cubby", a chapter devoted to the literary 007, the James Bond family, 007 and popular culture, the other James Bonds, and the 007 phnomenon. Over all this is a extremely informative book that is a must have for any Bond fan.
Rating: 
Summary: How Accurate Is It?
Review: Although the authors seemed to know what they were talking about (even if they come across somewhat "preachy" by telling us what was good, what was bad, and why John Barry should have won an award for each film), I was very disappointed by... THE GLARING ERROR! The book states that Ernst Stavro Blofeld was last seen in Diamonds Are Forever. When I read this, I quickly turned to the section on For Your Eyes Only. John Hollis is credited with appearing as the "bald villain confined to a wheelchair." I can't believe that the authors completely missed the importance of James Bond visiting his wife's grave and then killing the man responsible for her murder! I still gave the book two stars. The sections on each film seem to be complete with most of the women, vehicles and gadgets that were used in each. Also, the photos are excellent. If you're a James Bond fan, you'll enjoy the book. Fortunately, it doesn't include the lame Die Another Day. The last film presented is The World is Not Enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent albeit incomplete
Review: Everyone knows that there have been 5 actors to play Bond in the movies (Sean, George, Roger, Timothy, and Pierce), but quick! 1) How many different actors have played Ernst Blofeld?
2) In how many movies does the evil organization SPECTRE appear?
3) Which is the only Bond film in which the character of M does not appear?
4) Who was the oldest Bond girl?
5) And who was the only actress to play a Bond girl in two different Bond movies? If Bond trivia like this interests you, then this book is for you. If not, you might be interested in it anyways just for the overview of cultural history it provides. I bought this book in order to brush up on my Bond history, and while I was impressed with the breadth of knowledge represented therein, I was also dissappointed by the fact that some Bond movies are glossed over in setences (Never Say Never Again) or ignored completely (Die Another Day). Granted the former was "merely" a remake of 1965's Thunderball, and the latter presumably too recent, but it would be nice to have a complete Bond reference that was up to date. That said, here's what I liked: all the Bond films (excepting only the above) are discussed methodically and in chronological order. After a short introduction to each film and how it fits into Bond history (years between each film, searches for new Bonds, etc), the plot for each film is summarized, which is followed by character summaries for each of Bond's women, allies, villians, vehicles, and gadgets. The 6-10 pages on each movice (complete with great photos) then concludes in each case with comments on the music, marketing and merchandising, and box office sucess (or lack thereof). Multiply that formula by 19 movies (exempting the two above, of course), and throw in an introduction, dedication to Cubby (Albert Broccoli, who produced every Bond movie until the Pierce Brosnan era - he died in 1996) and a conclusion that pays homage to Ian Fleming (finally!), those who have worked behind the scenes on several Bond movies (from directors to stunt men) and various spoofs, and presto, instant book! The reviews for each movie are succinct, sometimes a bit too much so, but at least the book does include mentioning many of Bond's infamous one-liners, and the authors are candid in their assesments of the various characters and actors who played them, never afraid to lambast one or the other (or sometimes saying that while the part was well acted, no one could do justice to this pathetic role, for example). Handy as a ready resource for trivia fans, this book also provides an excellent (albeit incomplete) overview of Bond movie history. Answers to the opening questions:
1) 4, in 5 different movies: Anthony Dawson in From Russia With Love and Thunderball, Donald Pleasance in You Only Live Twice, Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and Charles Gray in Diamonds Are Forever
2) 6 - the five mentioned in #1 plus Dr. No.
3) For Your Eyes Only
4) Honor Blackman filmed Pussy Galore in Goldfinger at the age of 37
5) Maud Adams played the title role in Octopussy and Andrea Anders in The Man With the Golden Gun - no wonder those Bond girls all look the same!
Rating: 
Summary: RECTIFYING ''THE RECTIFIER'S" REVIEW
Review: I don't have the most recent edition of this book, as there have been many. However, I did get a kick out of the reviewer called "The Rectifier" who posted a review in January, 2003 in which he claimed to be "astonished" that the character of Blofeld was not properly identified in the chapter for "For Your Eyes Only". If "The Rectifier" knew what all Bond fans did, he would realize that the character of Blofeld had been tied up in legal rights issues for years. Even in the film's credits, the character is not identified, nor is the actor who played him. The producers have long officially denied the character is Blofeld, even though the joke is that he is "coincidentally" a bald megalomaniac with a cat on his lap. Had they officially identified him as Blofeld, legal problems would have ensued.I wish old Blofeld would make a welcome return to the series, but it appears as though the legal battles will continue to keep him off screens for some time to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Cover Too Bad Very Little Inside
Review: I'll have to admit the front and back covers are very well designed. Unfortunately there is very little thought, imagination, research or originality between the covers to recommend this book. One can not even detect that there was a labor of love from its two authors concerning the James Bond films. I would hardly call them experts on the subject. This book is nothing more than a detailed outline. Almost all the information contained has been previously published in books, articles and video. There is not one single ounce of analytical thought on what make these James Bond films tick. We have read countless times before about the gadgets, beautiful women, outrageous villains, incredible sets and unbelievable stunts in these films. That's fine that the authors have provided us with yet another laundry list of these accomplishments. There is very little substance here for a book of this purported caliber.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST Bond book ever!
Review: Lee Pfeiffer & David Worrall are the best! This book has every thing you would need to know about Bond, with top secret files on each movie. Also, it has rare not found anywhere! A must have for every Bond fan!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book, but not perfect
Review: The Essential Bond is arguably the best Bond reference available. All 200+ pages are packed with photos, bios, and all sorts of useful information about the James Bond movies. If you want to know which is the highest-grossing Bond film, where each movie was shot, and the complete cast of each movie, then this is the book for you. One complaint - the personal commentary the writers include regarding each film may put off novice Bond fans who have yet to see the movies, and it may seem derogatory to 007 aficionados who have already formulated their own opinions about each film. That said, The Essential Bond is still a great read for every fan of the 007 phenomenon.
Rating:
Summary: The Essential book for Bond fans!
Review: The Essential Bond: the Authorized Guide to the World of 007 is one of the best 007 books ever. If you want a 007 book that's filled with exciting and rare photgraphs and a book with interesting information about James Bond, then this is the book for you. One day I went to a book store and saw this book, i expected it to be filled with the same dull pictures that every 007 book has, but this was different. Want to see what Ursula Andress was really wearing in the radiation scene in Dr. No? Want to see Pussy Galore's Flying Cicrcus girls showing off a plane? Care to see behind-the-scene pictures for every Bond movie, this is the book for you. The book begins with a tribute to the father of the Bond Movies, Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli. Learn how he took over the series in 1976 and how finally died in 1996. The book then moves in chronological order discussing ever Bond movie from Dr. No to The World is Not Enough. Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again are also included. For every film a list of cast and crew is present as are a section on the assignment, women, villains, allies, vehicles, gadgets, music, marketing, box-office, sevreal rare phots and small captions about certain parts of the movie. every film has exclusive pictures like Luciana Paluzzi and Terence young clowning for cameras on the set of Thunderball. Take a peek at home items and toys that were released for every film by several companies. Find out all about the talented group of people such as Shirley Bassey and Duran Duran who performed the stunning title songs. After the film sections are finished, a section called The Literary 007 follows. this ection tells all about Ian Fleming and his 14 novels that formed the basis for many films. The James Bond Family comes next. Learn about Cubby, Dana and Barbara Broccoli and her step-brother Michael G. wilson and how they create the wonderful Bond movies. Harry Saltzman, Terence Young, Louis Gilbert, John Glen, Guy Hamilton, Peter Hunt, Michael Apted, Roger Spottiswood and Martin Campbell are all included. Writers, Cameramen, stuntmen, production designers, special effects and some very talented men that created the main-title sequences are in this section. The book includeds a part on Popular culture and other James Bonds and finally closes with a picture of Harry Saltzman, Ian Fleming and Albert Broccoli with a fitting sentence that describes their view of the world of 007. An excellent book that covers a great amount of information and enhanced with magnificent photgraphs and pictures. A must-have for all Bond fans!
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