Ian Lancaster Fleming was born in London in 1908. His first job was at Reuters news agency after which he worked briefly as a stockbroker before working in Naval Intelligence during World War II. His first novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953 and was an instant success. Fleming went on to write 12 other Bond books as well as two works of nonfiction and the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Bond books have sold more than sixty million copies and earned praise from figures such as Raymond Chandler and President Kennedy. The books inspired a hugely successful series of film adaptations which began in 1961 with the release of Dr No, starring Sean Connery as 007. Fleming was married to Anne Rothermere with whom he had a son, Caspar. He died in 1964.