Goldfinger

First edition cover - published by Jonathan Cape. Note gold coins.
Author	Ian Fleming
Cover Artist	Richard Chopping (Jonathan Cape ed.)
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	James Bond
Genre(s)	Spy novel
Publisher	Glidrose Productions
Released	23 March 1959
Media Type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
ISBN	NA
Preceded by	Dr. No
Followed by	For Your Eyes Only

Goldfinger is the seventh novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. First published by Jonathan Cape on March 23, 1959. Image File history File links FlemingGF.jpg‎ James Bond 007 - Goldfinger - First edition with artwork by Richard Chopping © 1959 Jonathan Cape This image is of a book cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned either by the artist who created the cover or the publisher of the... Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was an English author and journalist, best remembered for writing the James Bond series of novels as well as the childrens story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ... The spy fiction genre (sometimes called political thriller) first arose just before the First World War, at about the same time, the first organized intelligence agencies were being formed. ... Ian Fleming Publications is the production company formerly known as both Glidrose Productions Limited and Glidrose Publications Limited, named after its founders John Gliddon and Norman Rose. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... 2002 reissue of the original novel. ... 2003 Penguin Books paperback edition For Your Eyes Only is a collection of James Bond short stories by Ian Fleming, first published in 1960. ... Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was an English author and journalist, best remembered for writing the James Bond series of novels as well as the childrens story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ... Jonathan Cape has been since 1987 an imprint of Random House. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1964 it was adapted as the third film in the EON Productions James Bond series and was the third to star Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond. See Goldfinger (film) for discussion of the film. Goldfinger is the third film in the EON Productions James Bond series, and the third to star Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond 007. ... EON Productions is a film production company known for producing the James Bond film series. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25, 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is an Oscar-winning Scottish actor and producer who is well-known for his portrayal of James Bond. ... Goldfinger is the third film in the EON Productions James Bond series, and the third to star Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond 007. ...

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. A 2002 Penguin Books paperback edition Moonraker is the third James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming. ... Casino Royale is the first James Bond novel by Ian Fleming. ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... Card tray with a stock and a frozen discard pile. ... Auric Goldfinger is a fictional character in the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger. ...

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. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Soviet redirects here. ... SMERSH (in capitalised letters) is a Soviet counterintelligence agency that was featured in Ian Flemings early James Bond novels and films as 007s nemesis. ...

Bond is then sent on a mission to find Goldfinger's supply of gold that he has been smuggling and bring it back to England. Bond manages to trace Goldfinger to a warehouse in Geneva where the gold is being melted into chairs to be smuggled into India. Bond is then captured and tortured for information until he blacks out.

He then wakes up in New York and is taken to Goldfinger's warehouse where he is told he will be working for Goldfinger.

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 water-borne nerve agent (GB, also called sarin) and then using a stolen U.S. tactical atomic bomb missile warhead to break into Fort Knox's impregnable vault. ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ... The U.S. Bullion Depository at Ft. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Felix Leiter is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming in the James Bond series of novels and films. ... Sarin, also known by its NATO designation of GB (O-Isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is an extremely toxic substance whose sole application is as a nerve agent. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ...

In the novel, Pussy Galore is the lesbian leader of an all-female criminal organisation from New York City called the Cement Mixers. They had previously been circus acrobats and cat-burglars. 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". Martial arts expert Oddjob appears with a lethal metal-rimmed bowler hat, but it is Oddjob who is sucked to his death through the window of the airplane. Pussy Galore is a fictional character from the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Diamonds Are Forever is the fourth novel in Ian Flemings James Bond series. ... Oddjob is a henchman to the villain Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film and novel, Goldfinger. ... The bowler hat is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown created for Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester of Holkham, in 1850. ...

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 some accessories (though not the set of the film), as well as a homing device similar to that seen in the movie; however, Q is not in the book. See also Aston Martin DB3 for the racing car often confused with the Mark III The DB Mark III was a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1957 through 1959. ... Q is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. ...

Characters in Goldfinger

1961 edition by Pan Books. Note Pussy Galore appearing as described in the novel

• James Bond - British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond 007, is the protagonist of the story. He is sent to investigate a gold smuggling operation, and after doing so learns of Auric Goldfinger's plan to steal fifteen billion dollars worth of gold bullion from Fort Knox, Kentucky. Bond previously had a run in with Goldfinger in Miami, where Bond humiliated Goldfinger for his cheating in a game of Canasta.

• M - M orders Bond to investigate a gold smuggling operation from England to India. He is frequently helped by his secretary Miss Moneypenny and his Chief of Staff Bill Tanner.

• Auric Goldfinger - The richest man in England, Goldfinger is the treasurer for the Soviet counter-intelligence agency SMERSH. He intends to finance SMERSH's schemes by stealing fifteen billion dollars worth of gold bullion from the American bullion depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky, an operation codenamed "Operation Grand Slam."

• Pussy Galore - The head of an all lesbian gang known as "The Cement Mixers." The gang is enlisted by Goldfinger to aid in "Operation Grand Slam."

• Oddjob - An expert in unarmed combat and with a bow, he is Auric Goldfinger's henchman as well as personal guard, driver, and manservant. Oddjob wears a metal derby hat which is also used as a weapon.

• Felix Leiter - A long time agent of the CIA, Leiter was maimed by a shark in the previous adventure Live and Let Die. He is now working for Pinkertons Detective Agency.

• Jill Masterton - Jill is Auric Goldfinger's secretary. She helps him in Miami cheat Mr. Dupont in a game of Canasta. When she betrays Goldfinger by helping Bond, Goldfinger retaliates by painting her entire body with gold paint suffocating her. Tilly Masterton is her sister. (Note, this is a fictious method of murder. Humans can not be killed merely by covering the entire body with paint. [1])

• Tilly Masterton - Jill's sister, she tries to get revenge on Goldfinger, but is prevented from doing so by James Bond.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (522x832, 88 KB)James Bond 007 - Goldfinger © 1961 Pan Books. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (522x832, 88 KB)James Bond 007 - Goldfinger © 1961 Pan Books. ... 1961 Pan Books edition of Ian Flemings James Bond novel Goldfinger is an example of the type of publication for which Pan Books became popular. ... Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by novelist Ian Fleming, and the protagonist of the James Bond series of novels and films. ... M is the title and code letter for James Bonds boss and fictional head of the British Secret Intelligence Service or MI6. ... Miss Moneypenny is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. ... The following is a list of allies found throughout the James Bond film and novel series. ... Auric Goldfinger is a fictional character in the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger. ... Pussy Galore is a fictional character from the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger. ... Oddjob is a henchman to the villain Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film and novel, Goldfinger. ... Felix Leiter is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming in the James Bond series of novels and films. ... The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Government. ... Live and Let Die is the second James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, first published in 1954. ... Pinkerton guards escort strikebreakers in Buchtel, Ohio, 1884 The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. ... Jill Masterson is a fictional character in the James Bond film, Goldfinger. ... This is a list of James Bond allies in the film Goldfinger M - Bernard Lee Q - Desmond Llewelyn Felix Leiter - Cec Linder Tilly Masterton is a fictional character and Bond girl in Ian Flemings James Bond novel, Goldfinger. ...

Subtexts and motifs

• Goldfinger's first name, Auric, is a reference to the Latin word for gold (aurium). [The chemical symbol for gold is Au].

• In the novel Goldfinger has a yellow-jacketed pornographic book and gold-painted prostitutes, a yellow-painted car, a blonde secretary, and even a ginger-colored cat (which is eaten by Oddjob for dinner after Bond uses it in a ruse). He employs Korean servants who are repeatedly referred to as "yellow-faced." The film keeps the color of auto and secretary’s hair, but not the other insensitive material, and adds other gold motifs (see film discussion). A bit of Goldfinger's homage to gold ("I love its color, its brilliance, its divine heaviness.") is one of few dialogue lines from the novel to be kept relatively intact in the film.

• In the novel, Goldfinger appears even to eat and drink gold. At his house, Goldfinger and Bond dine on cheese soufflé, and curry (which in pre-1970 Britain referred to a dish colored yellow with turmeric; see British section in curry), and they drink Piesporter Goldtröpfchen wine (named for town and vineyard, but like all white wines, gold in color).

• Illiberalisms and stereotypes of the novel's time (none of which survive to the film): Du Pont remarks casually that the hotel of which he is part owner (the fictional Floridiana) has a restriction against Jews. Koreans are negatively characterized as a group in the novel, as are homosexuals. Although Pussy Galore has many skills, Goldfinger includes her group of female criminals primarily because he needs a group of women to impersonate Red Cross nurses for the covert attack on poison-stricken Fort Knox.

• Cat references in the novel: Pussy's acrobatic circus group is called Pussy Galore and the Abrocats. They become cat burglars, headed by Pussy, who dislikes men because she was abused by an uncle. Goldfinger's yellow cat is framed by Bond for ruining Goldfinger's surveillance film, and Goldfinger gives it to Oddjob to eat. "Curiosity killed the cat" remarks Goldfinger. Oddjob demonstartes his lethal derby for Bond while holding this cat with the other arm.

• Amazon (cat)women in the 50's: Bond's encounter with Pussy Galore and the Abrocats is in the tradition of a 1950's science fiction sub-genre in which groups of isolated women (often on other planets) "have no use for men" until a real man in the form of an adventurer teaches them the error of their ways. For examples see Cat-Women of the Moon (1953), Queen of Outer Space (1957), and Missile to the Moon (1958).

2002 Penguin Books paperback edition

An Indian chicken curry A curry is any of a variety of distinctively spiced dishes, best-known in Indian, Thai and other South Asian cuisines, but curry has been adopted into all of the mainstream cuisines of the Asia-Pacific area. ... A term used to describe a wine made in and around the village of Piesport on the north bank of the Middle Mosel region of Germany. ... Oddjob is a henchman to the villain Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film and novel, Goldfinger. ... The 50s saw a huge increase in Schlock Sci-Fi movies, including Plan 9 from Outer Space and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman [1]Cat Women of the Moon is a particularly cheap and unintentionally funny example of the this genre. ... Queen of Outer Space is a science fiction movie filmed in 1958 starring Zsa Zsa Gabor as the Queen of Venus. ... Categories: Movie stubs | 1958 films | Science fiction films ... Download high resolution version (431x648, 37 KB)Aug. ... Download high resolution version (431x648, 37 KB)Aug. ... Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ...

Trivia

• The villain's name was borrowed from Fleming's neighbor, architect Ernő Goldfinger, and his character bears some resemblance. Erno Goldfinger consulted his lawyers when the book was published, prompting Fleming to suggest renaming the character "Goldprick", but eventually settled out of court in return for his costs, six copies of the book, and an agreement that the characters' first name Auric would always be used.

• Goldfinger is typically a German-Jewish name, and the protagonists of the novel Goldfinger know this, but neither Bond nor Du Pont think Goldfinger is Jewish. Instead Bond pegs the red-haired blue-eyed man as a Balt, and indeed Goldfinger proves to be an expatriate Latvian.

• Ian Fleming himself liked the color of gold enough to own a gold-plated typewriter, on which he wrote some Bond novels. In the mid-1990s this machine was purchased by the 5th official Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan, in Jamaica.[2]

• Goldfinger plans to poison all of the Fort Knox water supply with 3 pints of GB/sarin. This far underestimates the potency of nerve agents (as does even the film).

• In the novel the Aston Martin DB III merely has switchable tail-lights, reinforced bumpers for ramming (Bond simply backs up into and rams Tilly), a receiver for the homing device, and hidden compartments for a large pistol and other contraband. Bond simply draws it from the motor "pool" where he has a choice between it and a Jag. There is no Q branch as such. The smaller homer tracking device is missing in the novel (the other one uses a vacuum tube).

• In the novel, Bond does not learn of Jill's death by gold painting until after his golf match with Goldfinger. Jill has been painted, then cleaned, but dies later in a hospital anyway, apparently of clogged pores. She tells her sister Tilly what happened before she dies. (N.B see above: clogged pores cannot kill a human being [3]).

• Dialog left out of movie: Bond to Goldfinger, while being tortured by Oddjob and about to be sawn in half: (politely) "Then you can go and --- yourself." Goldfinger to Bond, with good humor: "Even I am not capable of that, Mr. Bond."

Ernő Goldfinger (November 11, 1902 - November 15, 1987) was a Hungarian born architect and designer of furniture, and a key member of the architectural Modern Movement after he had moved to the United Kingdom. ... Pierce Brendan Brosnan (Honorary) OBE (born May 16, 1953) is an Irish actor and producer, who currently has United States citizenship. ... Sarin, also known by its NATO designation of GB (O-Isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is an extremely toxic substance whose sole application is as a nerve agent. ...

Publication history

March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jonathan Cape has been since 1987 an imprint of Random House. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately-held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. ... New American Library (aka NAL) began publishing paperbacks in the 1940s. ... 1961 Pan Books edition of Ian Flemings James Bond novel Goldfinger is an example of the type of publication for which Pan Books became popular. ... Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hodder Headline. ... Anthony Burgess (February 25, 1917 – November 22, 1993) was an English novelist and critic. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Viking Press was founded on March 1, 1925, in New York City, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim. ... Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ... Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ... October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ... Ben Schott is a widely acknowledged British writer and author of the highly successful Schotts Original Miscellany series. ...

Comic strip adaptation

Main article: James Bond comic strips

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. Starting in 1958 and continuing to 1983, James Bond, the fictional character created by author Ian Fleming appeared in 52 comic strips that were syndicated in British newspapers, 7 of which were initially published abroad. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... The Daily Express is a conservative, middle-market British tabloid newspaper. ... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... John McLusky, born the son of creole lesbians, lived a life of prostitution and debauchery. ... Titan Books is a UK publisher of graphic novels. ...