The Real James Bond

Join us for an evening with author Jim Wright whose book, The Real James Bond, tells the story of the Philadelphia ornithologist whose name was stolen by Ian Fleming for the dashing 007. The real James Bond spent his summers in Maine his whole life. He and his uncle even wrote a field guide to the birds here. Jim Wright’s book is packed with archival photos, many never before published, and interviews with Bond’s colleagues.

When James Bond published his landmark book, Birds of the West Indies, he had no idea it would set in motion events that would link him to the most iconic spy in the western world and turn his life upside down. Born into a wealthy family but cut off in his early twenties, James Bond took off to the West Indies in search of adventure. Armed with arsenic and a shotgun, he took months-long excursions to the Caribbean to collect material for his book, navigating snake-infested swamps, sleeping in hammocks, and island-hopping on tramp steamers and primitive boats. Packed with archival photos, many never before published, and interviews with Bond’s colleagues, here is the real story of the pipe-smoking, ruthless ornithologist who introduced the world to the exotic birds of the West Indies.

This will be a free online presentation hosted by the Camden Public Library. Here is the link to register for the event and receive the Zoom login info.

Jim Wright is the author of The Real James Bond and several other books, including large-format books about the New Jersey Meadowlands, Pennsylvania’s Hawk Mountain, Allendale’s Celery Farm Nature Preserve, and the largest rainforest in Central America. He has also written two e-books on Bald Eagles (including one for Duke Farms) and one on Red-shouldered Hawks. He has written “The Bird Watcher” column for The Record since 2009. He is a deputy warden of the Celery Farm, a board member of Allendale’s Lee Memorial Library, and on the Conservancy Council of the New Jersey Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. CLICK HERE to visit Wright’s blog.