Nigel Warburton is determined to lay to rest the myth that Ian Fleming based his James Bond villain on modernist Erno Goldfinger. Goldfinger had a reputation as a bully, but Fleming never met him - he just liked the name. But Warburton's defensive tone comes over a little heavy considering the wildly contrasting views his sources give of Goldfinger. His life in Paris in the 1920s is portrayed in love letters exchanged with his future wife Ursula Blackwell, while early years of practice in London revolve around horror stories of former staff. Goldfinger was alternately charming and difficult and the conflicts make this slim book readable and lively.
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