1. Introduction

The introduction to Geographies, Genders, and Geopolitics of James Bond discusses the historical and geographical origins of cinema’s most famous spy, Commander James Bond 007. Written by former journalist and reserve naval officer, Ian Fleming, Bond’s origins lie with both the author’s experiences of World War II and his post-war life in Jamaica. The development of Bond as a character and the sites and spaces of his encounters owe much to Fleming’s geopolitical imagination, positing a world shaped by Anglo-American friendship, anti-communism, and fear that regions like the Caribbean and the Middle East were vulnerable to instability and violent change. Bond’s negotiation of Cold War and post–Cold War geopolitics depends, as the films suggest, on his astute handling of men and women, earthly forces, technology and locations.