The Moneypenny Diaries
Encyclopedia
The Moneypenny Diaries is a series of novels and short stories chronicling the life of Miss Moneypenny
, M
's personal secretary in Ian Fleming
's James Bond
series; it is considered an official spin-off
of the Bond books. The diaries are penned by Samantha Weinberg
under the pseudonym
Kate Westbrook, who is depicted as the book's "editor." The series is planned to be a trilogy, although in 2006, Weinberg also published two short stories: "For Your Eyes Only, James" and "Moneypenny's First Date With Bond", both of which appeared in UK magazines.
Miss Moneypenny
Jane Moneypenny, better known as Miss Moneypenny, is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. She is secretary to M, who is Bond's boss and head of the British Secret Service...
, M
M (James Bond)
M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. The head of MI6 and Bond's superior, M has been portrayed by three actors in the official Bond film series: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown and since 1995 by Judi Dench. Background =Ian Fleming...
's personal secretary in Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
's James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
series; it is considered an official spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of the Bond books. The diaries are penned by Samantha Weinberg
Samantha Weinberg
Samantha Fletcher is a British Green politician, and under her maiden name of Samantha Weinberg, a novelist, journalist and travel writer. Educated at St Paul's Girls' School and Trinity College, Cambridge, she is the author of books such as A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth and...
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Kate Westbrook, who is depicted as the book's "editor." The series is planned to be a trilogy, although in 2006, Weinberg also published two short stories: "For Your Eyes Only, James" and "Moneypenny's First Date With Bond", both of which appeared in UK magazines.
Stories in the series
- The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian AngelThe Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian AngelThe Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel is the first in a planned trilogy of novels chronicling the life of Miss Moneypenny, M's personal secretary in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. The diaries were authored by Samantha Weinberg under the pseudonym Kate Westbrook, who is depicted as the book's...
(2005): The first diary fills in the gaps between a number of agent 007's missions including the period between On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice, but also includes an entire backstory for Moneypenny. For the first time since Fleming introduced the character alongside Bond in Casino RoyaleCasino Royale (novel)Casino Royale is Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. It paved the way for a further eleven novels by Fleming himself, in addition to two short story collections, followed by many "continuation" Bond novels by other authors....
, Moneypenny is given a first name: Jane.
- "For Your Eyes Only, James" (2006 short story): Published in the November issue of TatlerTatlerTatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications...
, the short story tells the tale of a weekend shared between Bond and Moneypenny at Royale-les-Eaux (see Casino RoyaleCasino Royale (novel)Casino Royale is Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. It paved the way for a further eleven novels by Fleming himself, in addition to two short story collections, followed by many "continuation" Bond novels by other authors....
) in 1956.
- Secret Servant: The Moneypenny DiariesSecret Servant: The Moneypenny DiariesSecret Servant: The Moneypenny Diaries is the second in a trilogy of novels chronicling the life of Miss Moneypenny, M's personal secretary in Ian Fleming's James Bond series...
(2006): Taking place around the time of The Man with the Golden GunThe Man with the Golden Gun (novel)The Man with the Golden Gun is the twelfth novel of Ian Fleming's James Bond series of books. It was first published by Jonathan Cape in the UK on 1 April 1965, eight months after the author's death. The novel was not as detailed or polished as the others in the series, leading to poor but polite...
, the secret service is in chaos with one senior official on trial for treason, another having defected to MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and agent 007 brainwashed by the Soviets.
- "Moneypenny's First Date With Bond" (2006 short story): Published in the November 11, 2006 issue of The SpectatorThe SpectatorThe Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, the short story tells the tale of Moneypenny's and James Bond's first meeting.
- The Moneypenny Diaries: Final FlingThe Moneypenny Diaries: Final FlingThe Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling is the third in a trilogy of novels chronicling the life of Miss Moneypenny, M's personal secretary in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. The diaries are penned by Samantha Weinberg under the pseudonym Kate Westbrook, who is depicted as the book's "editor"...
(2008):