Geoffrey Boothroyd
Geoffrey Boothroyd (1925 – 20 October 2001) was a British expert on firearms who wrote several standard reference works on the subject. He provided weapons advice to author Ian Fleming for the James Bond novels and their film adaptions.[1]
Career
Boothroyd was born in Blackpool and employed by Imperial Chemical Industries in the manufacture of ammunition.[citation needed] He wrote over a dozen books about firearms, beginning with A Guide to Gun Collecting (1961) and Guns Through the Ages (also 1961). His last original book was The British Over and Under Shotgun, published posthumously in 2004 and co-authored with Susan Boothroyd. Several of his textbooks have continued to be revised and issued as new editions after his death.[2]
James Bond
Boothroyd read
Boothroyd initially suggested that Bond should use a
For the cover of the novel From Russia, with Love (1957), Fleming wanted a design incorporating a pistol and a rose. Boothroyd posted his own weapon to illustrator Richard Chopping for use on the cover: a .38 Smith & Wesson snubnosed revolver, modified by removing a third of the trigger guard. Boothroyd was questioned by police when a similar weapon was used in a triple murder in Glasgow;[8] the revolver was determined to be unrelated and Peter Manuel was later arrested, convicted and executed for the murder.[citation needed]
In 1964, the
References
- ISBN 978-1-42593-100-1.
- ^ "Geoffrey Boothroyd: Books". Amazon.
- ^ "May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?". Letters of Note. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ BBC 2(video). 17 September 1964.
- ISBN 978-9-03661-510-5.
- ^ "James Bond's Walther PPK". CIA Museum. 8 November 2007. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-4088-3064-2.
- ^ "Richard Chopping: Artist and writer best known for his striking designs for the covers of the James Bond novels". The Times. 26 April 2008. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008.
- ^ "The Guns of James Bond (1964)". IMDb.
External links
- Fleming, Ian (19 March 1962). "The Guns of James Bond". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011.