176 pages; hard cover; full color

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!