Author: Gardiner, Philip

Ian Fleming's stories about "Bond...James Bond" are not just popular spy thrillers. They're also a collection of secret codes.

"The Bond Code is the remarkable story of how Fleming's association with the occult world led him to create a masterful series of clever clues, ciphers, and codes within his books. Philip Gardiner finally unravels the secret of James Bond piece by piece from the novels and films used to create his aura of mystique. This book introduces not just new material, but radically reappraises everything we thought we knew about James Bond-and his creator.

"Gardiner reveals a plethora of fascinating clues that have been hiding in plain sight. For example, Bond's famous 007 designation-a sacred numerological code-was the way Dr. John Dee, an infamous 16th century magician, occultist, and spy, signed his letters. And Queen Elizabeth I signed her replies to Dee as "M"! Dee was thrown out of his university for claiming to create a flying machine. Unknown to many, it was Ian Fleming who wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, featuring, of course, a flying car. Was it a coincidence that Fleming was reading a biography of Dee while he was writing Casino Royale, the first Bond novel?

"In You Only Live Twice, Fleming's final novel published while Fleming was alive, Bond is "promoted" and given a new number-7777, which, numerologically, means "it is done." This novel also has a very Japanese flavor because interestingly, in Eastern numerology, 7777 represents the absolute limit or the end.

"There are numerous references throughout the books to Gnostic, mystic, and alchemist symbols. Even character names are often clues to Fleming's secrets. Auric Goldfinger, for example, is an alchemical term. Auric means "gold" and the golden finger indicates the alchemist himself, who turns lead into gold. Hugo (mind, spirit, or heart) Drax (dragon or winged serpent) means the "mind of the serpent"-in alchemy, the serpent is the symbol of regeneration and wisdom, but also of negative energy.