Thrilling Cities

This book is a in depth look at the world of the mid 20th century as seen by Ian Fleming, best known as the author of the James Bond novels. It is fascinating to see how much has changed and what remains the same.The book is divided into two parts, a round-the-world journey by air and a road trip through Europe. Fleming avoids the usual tourist attractions, and instead visits the kind of places Bond would like. At the end of each chapter, he has an 'incidental intelligence' section, where he details the best hotels and restaurants in each city. Many of the places are still in business, although the section for Las Vegas is a list of bygone days.If you enjoy the novels, you will enjoy this book.

What an amazing travelogue. It is so different from what is currently printed that it made me laugh. The amount of information dedicated to a gentleman finding and having a good time with a lady of the evening is quite amusing. The recommendations for rooms and food makes me want to go and see what remains of Ian Fleming's top picks 50 years later. Fascinating book and a must read for anyone that loves the Bond bokks and wants more Fleming.

Overall a very descriptive travel memoir by Mr. Ian Fleming. I did not care for the first half of the book. Here Fleming traveled the world in a matter of weeks. It seemed rushed and I felt you could tell Fleming did not enjoy his travel assignment. The second half featured Europe's thrilling cities which I found more enjoyable to read. Fleming takes the reader on a descriptive journey as he travels the European countryside. Within each city he finds a subject to expand upon whether it be banking in Switzerland or casino operations in Monte Carlo.

This book appears to have been out of print for a long time, but I had never heard of it until it became available as an e-book.This is a collection of essays, basically a travelogue that were written for the Sunday Times around 1958. At that time they were censored to exclude some of the more racy descriptions of prostitution and the like. The edited parts have now been restored so you can now read them as Fleming intended.What struck me the most was how Flemings' real life adventures detailed here are reflected in the James Bond books. The early movies with Sean Connery are also much influenced by the places Fleming had visited. If you have seen the movies or read the books you will find lot's of familiar scenes. Fleming obviously wrote quite a bit of what he saw into the James Bond books.As this was written in a time gone by, many of the things are totally out of date. Despite that, I would describe most of it as 'quaint' rather than dated. Most of the cities are not like this today and it is refreshing to read what things were like a generation or two ago.If you are nostalgic for the 60's, James Bond and travel to exotic cities then you will enjoy this.

Good book, but not as 'Thrilling' as Ian Flemings' other books, especially the James Bond series. I am curious if any of the specific places he mentions are still open and operating today.

very well written. Even though things have changed I felt like I was going back in time. His side stories were so very interesting. He knew so many famous people.

Having read in initial publication (this was really a 'pot boiler,' written in order to fund the very activity of world tour) but not since, it's revelatory to reread after having dove deeply into Clavell's "Tai Pan" and "Noble House" series ... for Fleming's host in Hong Kong is none other than the Tai Pan of the Noble House, not the mythical Struan's but instead it's real life basis, head of the Jardine family of Jardine-Matheson, on whom Ian Struan Dunross appears based. Worth the price of admission for just those stories, and the perspective it gives on all the other "Thrilling Cities" he tours. And where I once found offense in his description of my native New York, it now appears remarkably prescient!

Not a travel guide of practical use either now, nor perhaps at the time it was written, but totally engaging and entertaining! Loved his sharp-witted, sometimes scathing commentary on the various peoples and sights of his visits. Just wish there had been even more to read!

Very much of its time and containing some views that will gall today e.g. condescending views about women but nevertheless a nice, tight piece of writing with interesting insights about the cities visited. Fascinating from the perspective of recent history. Difficult not to be astonished to realise just how much things have changed in such a comparatively short period.

gives a view of the past of these cities, did expect a few more though and a little boring in the way the visits seem to whizz through without too much detail

If you want to understand his novels, read this hugely enjoyable book. Flemings power of observation and detail, hallmarks of the Bond novels, are here to the full..

Excellent set of essays by ILF as he goes on a number of excursions, fully expensed by The Times. The observational pieces are fascinating as are a number of stories related which without this work would probably be long forgotten.

I found this book extrenely interesting for some of the cities but not all of them . It's full of interesting facts though from a bygone era. I'm glad I bought it and it's certainly an insight into James Bond.