American Rivals of James Bond
(0 vote)Average rating:
| 0 | rating |  = We can do without |
| 0 | rating |  = Good book |
| 0 | rating |  = Excellent book |
| 0 | rating |  = Unique / a reference |
Your rating: -
Book Presentation:
This is a critical history of spy fiction, film and television in the United States, with a particular focus on the American fictional spies that rivaled (and were often influenced by) Ian Fleming’s James Bond. James Fenimore Cooper’s Harvey Birch, based on a real-life counterpart, appeared in his novel The Spy in 1821. While Harvey Birch’s British rivals dominated spy fiction from the late 1800s until the mid–1930s, American spy fiction came of age shortly thereafter. The spy boom in novels and films during the 1960s, spearheaded by Bond, heavily influenced the espionage genre in the United States for years to come, including series like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Matt Helm. The author demonstrates that, while American authors currently dominate the international spy fiction market, James Bond has cast a very long shadow, for a very long time.
About the Author:
Graham Andrews lives in Brussels, Belgium.
Press Reviews:
• "[A]ssiduously researched and enthusiastically written"—Crime Time
• "[A] thorough history of spies and secret agents of all kinds in pop culture…[it’s] readable, it’s quite entertaining at times, it’s most certainly informative, and clearly well-researched"—Forces of Geek.
> On a related topic:
Spies, Lies and Disguises (2025)
The 101 Best (and Worst) Spy Movies
James Bond's Socialist Rivals (2024)
Television Spy Heroes and Popular Culture in the Cold War East
by Tarik Amar
Screen Enemies of the American Way (2010)
Political Paranoia About Nazis, Communists, Saboteurs, Terrorists and Body Snatching Aliens in Film and Television
The Blunt Affair (2020)
Official Secrecy and Treason in Literature, Television and Film, 1980-89
British Thrillers, 1950–1979 (2020)
845 Films of Suspense, Mystery, Murder and Espionage
Back
