LIFE 50 YEARS OF JAMES BOND ON THE RUN WITH 007 HC

Fifty years (and five billion dollars in ticket sales) ago, the dashing Scottish actor Sean Connery declared suavely that he was "Bond, James Bond." Thus began a cinematic series unlike any other. LIFE was on the scene in the swinging '60s when James Bond became a cultural icon, and now LIFE tells the whole story in this commemorative book. Ian Fleming, a high-ranking officer in British Naval Intelligence during World War II, dreamt up his MI6 spy, code number 007, in 1953, and a decade later, with Dr. No, saw his creation take on a life entirely his own. All the fun of Bond is here: the movies; the reminiscences by the stars; the LIFE photo shoots; the knock-offs and spoofs; the artifacts; the trivia; and more!