James Roland Fleming (26 February 1944 – 22 November 2024) was an English author and editor of the journal The Book Collector from 2018 to 2024.Johnson, Alex. James Fleming, editor of The Book Collector, dies at 80 Fine Books and Collections, December 2024. He was the son of Richard Fleming who served in Scottish regiments during World War II (Lovat Scouts and Seaforth Highlanders) and nephew to spy author Ian Fleming.Fleming, James. 2017. “My Uncle Ian.” The Book Collector 66 (1): 11–14.
Fleming lived for the last 20 years in the remote North of Scotland in order to concentrate on his writing. His Charlie Doig Russian series gestated there. He became an honorary "Wicker" in the nearest town to his estate and immersed himself in community life.
He wrote two historical novels, the first in 2000, The Temple of Optimism, which was on the longlist for the 2000 Booker PrizeFleming, Fergus. "James Fleming." The Book Collector 74 (no.1) Spring, 2025: 10-13. and then in 2003, Thomas Gage, about the coming of the railway to Norfolk in the 1850s.
In 2006 Fleming wrote the first in a trilogy of thrillers, Cold Blood. Two more followed: White Blood (2008) and Rising Blood (2009) that featured the Scottish/Russian character "Charlie Doig."
His 2021 book, Bond behind the Iron Curtain, examined the Russian critique of Ian Fleming.Fleming, James, and Blazej Mikula. 2021. Bond behind the Iron Curtain. The Mead, Turkdean, Cheltenham: The Book Collector.News Story"Bond Behind the Iron Curtain" September 14, 2021
From 2018 Fleming was the editor of The Book Collector."Masthead" and "Notes on Contributors." The Book Collector 67 (no 4) winter 2018: 885. His essay on the process of indexing the backfile, “The Price of Passion: Indexing The Book Collector," illuminated the journal's history.Fleming, James. 2016. “The Price of Passion: Indexing The Book Collector,” The Book Collector 65 (4): 659–63. In 2023 a special issue of The Book Collector was devoted to Printing and the Mind of Man in which Fleming reviewed the correspondence of Percy Muir and John Carter, key organizers of the exhibit.Fleming, James. "Getting the Show on the Road or How to Borrow the World's Most Valuable Books for Ten Days." The Book Collector 72 (no 4) Winter 2023: 667-676.
Fleming died in Cheltenham on 22 November 2024, at the age of 80.James Fleming, editor of The Book Collector, dies at 80, finebooksmagazine.com, 30 November 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
Works
Fleming, James. (2018). "Cherry: A Bibliophile in Antarctica." The Book Collector 67 (no 3) Autumn: 499-513. Barry, Rebecca Rego. "James Bond & Russia: An Interview with James Fleming." Fine Books and Collections (July 2022).
References
Bibliography Personal website - archive.org copy of 16 February 2009 Author bio on Random House UK website Author bio on Simon & Schuster website Review of "Cold Blood" in The Times (2009)]