Penguin Decades "From Russia With Love" Preview

The collections include Ian Fleming's "From Russia with Love", introduced by MI5 historian Christopher Andrew from the 1950. Joining 007 to represent the '50s will be "Scenes from Provincial Life" by William Cooper (introduced by Nick Hornby), "Lucky Jim" by one-time Bond continuation author Kingsley Amis (introduced by David Nicholls), "Billy Liar" by Keith Waterhouse (introduced by Blake Morrison) and "Memento Mori" by Muriel Spark (introduced by David Lodge).

There will also be "read-offs" featuring the Penguin Decades titles in libraries in four cities: Manchester, Leeds, Derby and Nottingham. It has not yet been confirmed if "From Russia With Love" will feature in these events.

These paperbacks come complete with original designs by four of today's most-renowned designers: Peter Blake, Zandra Rhodes, Alan Aldridge and John Squires.

Blake has designed the "From Russia With Love" cover, which has already been met with disappointment from fans. Oddly, Blake has used an image of a Walther P99 on the cover, a weapon first used by Bond in the 1997 film "Tomorrow Never Dies". In the novel, Bond uses a Beretta.

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About The Illustrator
Sir Peter Thomas Blake, CBE, was born on 25th June 1932 in Dartford, Kent. He is an English pop artist, best known for his design of the sleeve for the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Left: Artist Sir Peter Blake.

Official Blurb
Penguin Decades bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling.

Ian Fleming's From Russia with Love was published in 1957 and made suave, steely secret agent James Bond an icon. Here 007 encounters the deadly machinations of Russian organisation SMERSH, the fiendish Colonel Rosa Klebb - and the irresistible beauty Tatiana Romanova - in one of the most thrilling classic novels of the Cold War.