The Diamond Smugglers

The Diamond Smugglers
1st edition cover
Author(s)	Ian Fleming
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Subject(s)	Crime
Genre(s)	Non-fiction
Publisher	Jonathan Cape
Publication date	1957
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN	NA

The Diamond Smugglers is a non-fiction work by Ian Fleming that was first published in 1957 in the United Kingdom and in 1958 in the United States.

One of Fleming's few books that did not feature his superspy creation, James Bond, The Diamond Smugglers tells the true story about a huge diamond smuggling operation responsible for smuggling 10 million pounds sterling worth of gems out of Africa every year. The novel expands upon articles Fleming wrote for the London Sunday Times in 1957.

The book is often erroneously listed in some sources as a Bond novel, in part because it was published by the same company. It was, in fact, the first Fleming work to carry the Glidrose Productions copyright. This company, which later became known as Ian Fleming Publications, holds the publishing rights to all official James Bond novels.

Around the time of Fleming's death, there were plans to produce a movie based upon this book, but it never materialized.

Fleming's fascination with the world of diamond smugglers also manifested itself in his James Bond novel, Diamonds Are Forever, and may have formed the basis for a story idea Fleming allegedly collaborated on with author Geoffrey Jenkins in his unpublished James Bond novel Per Fine Ounce (circa 1966). ^[1]

References

1. ^ Lane, Andy and Paul Simpson. The Bond Files: An Unofficial Guide to the World's Greatest Secret Agent revised edition. London: Virgin Books, 2000; p. 433.