NEXT Thursday April 13, 2023, marks the 70th anniversary of a momentous day in the life of a birdwatcher who lived in the West Indies.
It saw the publication of his first novel which opens with the sentence: "The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning."
Its title was Casino Royale, and its author was Ian Fleming who famously named his hero, 007, after James Bond (1900-1989), writer of the text for one of his favourite books, Birds of The West Indies.
Fleming, an Old Etonian, did not enjoy a long life - he died, aged 56, in 1964.
He once claimed to have daily smoked 70 cigarettes and drunk a bottle of gin.
In his notebook, he wrote: "Live until you’re dead."
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