Changes: Goldfinger (novel)

Revision as of 22:30, 25 December 2020

Novel — Film — Radio drama — Comic — Game — Soundtrack — Song — Characters — Releases

Goldfinger, published in 1959, is the seventh James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming. It is also the third James Bond film in the official EON Productions series, and the third to star Sean Connery as the suave and sophisticated British Secret Service agent James Bond.

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 $50,000, $35,000 to balance out the cheating, $10,000 to buy Bond's silence, and $5,000 for wasting Mr. DuPont's time.

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.

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 a water-borne toxin and then using an atomic bomb to break into Fort Knox's impregnable vault.

Pussy Galore, the head of a criminal organization from New York City, called the Cement Mixers, 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".

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 lethal accessories, as well as a homing device similar to that seen in the movie; however, Q is not in the book.

Characters

ISBN numbers

ISBN 0142002046 (hardcover, 2002, reprint)
ISBN 0685112179 (paperback)

Trivia

In the story Goldfinger's gold ingots are distinguishable by a small Z etched somewhere on the bar. In alchemical symbolism, the Z is one of the symbols for gold.

Comic strip adaptation

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.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Literary}}
 {{Goldfinger}}
+{{Infobox book
-{{Bondbook
-|image = Goldfinger_(First_Edition).jpg
+|image= Goldfinger_(1st_Edition_Cover).png
-|caption = Goldfinger (1st edition cover)
+|caption= Above: Goldfinger (1st edition cover)
+|titles= Goldfinger
-|author = [[Ian Fleming]]
+|alt_titles= ''The Richest Man in the World'' (working title)
-|publisher = Glidrose Productions
+|author= [[Ian Fleming]]
-|hardbackUK = 1959
+|illustrator= [[Richard Chopping]]
-|hardbackUS = 1959
+|country=
-|paperbackUK = 1961
+|language=
-|paperbackUS = 1960
-|titles =
+|series=
+|genre=
-|preceded = [[Dr. No (novel)|Dr. No]]
+|publisher= [[Ian Fleming Publications|Glidrose Productions]]
-|followed = [[For Your Eyes Only (book)|For Your Eyes Only]]
+|hardback = {{Book Releases|UK=1959}}
+|paperback = {{Book Releases|UK=1961|US=1960}}
+|media_type=
+|pages=
+|preceded= [[Dr. No (novel)|Dr. No]]
+|followed= [[For Your Eyes Only (book)|For Your Eyes Only]]
 }}
 '''''Goldfinger''''', published in 1959, is the seventh [[James Bond]] novel written by [[Ian Fleming]]. It is also the third James Bond film in the official [[EON Productions]] series, and the third to star [[Sean Connery]] as the suave and sophisticated British Secret Service agent James Bond.
 ==Plot summary==
-The novel begins in a similar fashion to ''[[Moonraker (novel)|Moonraker]]'' with an acquaintance of Bond (Junius Du Pont from ''[[Casino Royale (novel)|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 (Literary)|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.
+The novel begins in a similar fashion to ''[[Moonraker (novel)|Moonraker]]'' with an acquaintance of Bond ([[Junius Du Pont]] from ''[[Casino Royale (novel)|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 (Literary)|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 $50,000, $35,000 to balance out the cheating, $10,000 to buy Bond's silence, and $5,000 for wasting Mr. DuPont's time.
-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]].
+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 <small>[[SMERSH]]</small>.
-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 (Literary)|Felix Leiter]] work to prevent the villain from executing his plan, which involves killing the soldiers of Fort Knox with a water-borne toxin and then using an atomic bomb to break into Fort Knox's impregnable vault.
+Bond learns that Goldfinger intends to finance <small>SMERSH</small>'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 (Literary)|Felix Leiter]], work to prevent the villain from executing his plan, which involves killing the soldiers of Fort Knox with a water-borne toxin and then using an atomic bomb to break into Fort Knox's impregnable vault.
-[[Pussy Galore (Literary)|Pussy Galore]], the head of a criminal organization from [[New York|New York City]], called the Cement Mixers. Her group, as well as various other mobs including the Mafia and the Spangled Mob from ''[[Diamonds Are Forever (novel)|Diamonds Are Forever]]'', have been employed to aid Goldfinger in the planning and execution of "Operation Grand Slam".
+[[Pussy Galore (Literary)|Pussy Galore]], the head of a criminal organization from [[New York|New York City]], called the Cement Mixers, as well as various other mobs including the Mafia and the [[Spangled Mob]] from ''[[Diamonds are Forever (novel)|Diamonds Are Forever]]'', have been employed to aid Goldfinger in the planning and execution of "Operation Grand Slam".
-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 lethal accessories, as well as a homing device similar to that seen in the movie; however, [[Q]] is not in the book.
+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 lethal accessories, as well as a homing device similar to that seen in the movie; however, [[Q (Literary)|Q]] is not in the book.
 ==Characters==
-<gallery orientation="square" spacing="small" widths="113" captionalign="center" bordercolor="#000000" hideaddbutton="true" captionposition="below" captionsize="small">
+<gallery orientation="square" spacing="small" widths="125" captionalign="center" position="left" hideaddbutton="true" captionposition="below" captionsize="small" navigation="true" bordersize="none">
-James Bond (Literary) - Profile.jpg|[[James Bond (Literary)|James Bond]]|link=James Bond (Literary)
-M art.jpg|[[M (Literary)|M]]<br>|link=M (Literary)
+James Bond (Literary) - Profile.jpg|link=James Bond (Literary)|[[James Bond (Literary)|James Bond]]
-Monneypenny.jpg|[[Miss Moneypenny (Literary)|Miss Moneypenny]]|link=Miss Moneypenny (Literary)
+M by George Almond - Profile.png|link=M (Literary)|[[M (Literary)|M]]<br>
-Leiter (Generic) Profile.png|[[Felix Leiter (Literary)|Felix Leiter]]|link=Felix Leiter (Literary)
+Moneypenny (Literary) - illustration by Howard Mueller.png|link=Jane Moneypenny (Literary)|[[Jane Moneypenny (Literary)|Miss Moneypenny]]
-Auric_Goldfinger.png|[[Auric Goldfinger (Literary)|Auric Goldfinger]]|link=Auric Goldfinger (Literary)
+Felix Leiter by George Almond - Profile.png|link=Felix Leiter (Literary)|[[Felix Leiter (Literary)|Felix Leiter]]
+Auric Goldfinger by George Almond - Profile.png|link=Auric Goldfinger (Literary)|[[Auric Goldfinger (Literary)|Auric Goldfinger]]
-Image820.jpg|[[Tilly Masterton (Literary)|Tilly Masterton]]|link=Tilly Masterton (Literary)
-Oddjob.jpg|[[Oddjob (Literary)|Oddjob]]|link=Oddjob (Literary)
+Tilly Masterton (Literary) by McLusky - Profile.png|link=Tilly Masterton (Literary)|[[Tilly Masterton (Literary)|Tilly Masterton]]
-PGL.jpg|[[Pussy Galore (Literary)|Pussy Galore]]|link=Pussy Galore (Literary)
+Oddjob by George Almond - Profile.png|link=Oddjob (Literary)|[[Oddjob (Literary)|Oddjob]]
-Jill Masterton.jpg|[[Jill Masterton (Literary)|Jill Masterton]]|link=Jill Masterton (Literary)
+Pussy Galore (Literary) - Profile.png|link=Pussy Galore (Literary)|[[Pussy Galore (Literary)|Pussy Galore]]
-Generic Placeholder - Profile.jpg|[[Bill Tanner (Literary)|Bill Tanner]]|link=Bill Tanner (Literary)
+Jill Masterton (Literary) - Profile.png|link=Jill Masterton (Literary)|[[Jill Masterton (Literary)|Jill Masterton]]
+Bill Tanner by Yaroslav Horak.png|link=Bill Tanner (Literary)|[[Bill Tanner (Literary)|Bill Tanner]]
+Generic Placeholder - Profile.jpg|link=Colonel Smithers|[[Colonel Smithers]]
+Generic Placeholder - Profile.jpg|link=Junius Du Pont|[[Junius Du Pont]]
+File:Jed Midnight in the comic.PNG|link=Jed Midnight (Literary)|[[Jed Midnight (Literary)|Jed Midncght]]
+File:Billy "The Grinner" Ring.PNG|link=Billy "The Grinner" Ring|[[Billy "The Grinner" Ring|Billy Ricg]]
+File:Helmut Springer.PNG|link=Helmut M. Springer|[[Helmut M. Springer|Helmut Springer]]
+File:Mr. Solo in the comic|link=Mr. Solo (Literary)|[[Mr. Solo (Literary)|Mr. Solo]]
+File:Jack Strap in the comic.PNG|link=Jack Strap (Literary)|[[Jack Strap (Literary)|Jack Strap]]
+Generic Placeholder - Profile.jpg|link=Hawker|[[Hawker]]
 </gallery>
@@ Line 51: / Line 68: @@
 ==Covers==
-<gallery widths="145" spacing="small" orientation="portrait">
+<gallery orientation="none" widths="200" spacing="small" bordersize="none">
-Goldfinger (First Edition).jpg|1st edition Jonathan Cape hardback (UK)
+Goldfinger_(1st_Edition_Cover).png|1st edition Jonathan Cape hardback (UK)
+James Bond Goldfinger.jpg|Signet Books paperback P2729 (US June 1960)
 Goldfinger (Pan, 1961).jpg|British Pan paperback 1st-3rd editions (1961 onwards)
+Goldfinger Signet film.jpg|US Signet paperback film edition (1964)
+Goldfinger Pan Green.jpg|UK Pan paperback (mid-1960s)
 Goldfinger (Pan, 1972).jpg|British Pan paperback 22nd-26th editions (1972 onwards)
+Goldfinger (UK 1982).jpg
+-goldfinger2.jpg
+d37a4d82a6f3ec221da1368748b21--rear-window-book-jacket.jpg
 Goldfinger (Penguin, 2002).jpg|Penguin USA paperback 1st edition (2002)
+.jpg|Penguin paperback (2009)
+GFbook.jpg|Kindle Edition (2012)
 </gallery>
 {{James Bond novels}}
 [[Category:Ian Fleming novels]]
+[[Category:Books]]