James Bond Creator Ian Fleming’s Favorite Book Will Surprise You — And It’s a Literary Epic

Ian Fleming may be best remembered as the man who gave the world James Bond — the impeccably dressed, martini-sipping spy with a penchant for danger — but his personal reading tastes reveal a far more surprising and introspective side.

In a rare 1963 appearance on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Fleming named his favorite novel: Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. The choice stands in striking contrast to the taut, fast-paced espionage thrillers that made him famous.

A Spy Novelist with Broader Horizons
Fleming, who wrote 12 Bond novels and multiple short stories from his Jamaican retreat, Goldeneye, drew heavily on his World War II service as a naval intelligence officer to craft iconic works like From Russia with Love and Dr. No. But when asked which book he would take to a desert island — alongside the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare — he chose Tolstoy’s sprawling 1869 masterpiece, and specifically requested it in German.

The linguistic twist was no affectation. After his education at Eton, Fleming studied in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, becoming fluent in both German and French. His request may have been practical as well as personal — War and Peace in German could offer both intellectual challenge and comfort.

A Novel of Depth and Scope
Tolstoy’s epic, spanning over 1,200 pages, would certainly keep a castaway occupied. Yet the appeal likely ran deeper. War and Peace’s moral complexity, its sweeping historical canvas, and its unflinching exploration of human nature stand worlds apart from the clipped, action-driven prose of Bond’s adventures. Fleming’s selection hints at a man drawn to the big questions of history, fate, and identity — the same philosophical territory that quietly underpins the Bond novels’ tales of loyalty, betrayal, and moral ambiguity.

A Glimpse into the Final Year
The Desert Island Discs interview survives only in a nine-minute fragment, but it also captured another telling detail: Fleming’s chosen luxury item was a typewriter with an endless supply of paper — the tools of a man who could not imagine life without writing.

Fleming died just a year later, at the age of 56, after visiting the set of Goldfinger. While his legacy will always be tied to 007, this brief glimpse into his personal library offers a richer portrait of the author: a man who, behind the glamour and gunplay, found solace and stimulation in one of the most profound literary works ever written.

In the end, it’s a reminder that even the creator of the world’s most famous spy was, at heart, a reader — one who sought depth, complexity, and the long view of history.

If you want, I could also create a sidebar piece comparing Tolstoy’s moral complexity with Fleming’s own themes in the Bond novels — the contrast is fascinating and surprisingly revealing.