This week, we feature the first novel of an iconic fictional spy and a fascinating analysis of the world economy’s most indispensable inventions.
Fiction James Bond’s Grand Entrance
‘Casino Royale’
By Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming was a British intelligence officer during World War II and transferred his experiences, although obviously embellished, to pen and paper. “Casino Royale” launched the most iconic fictional spy in literary history and is arguably his best Bond book.
Thomas & Mercer Reprint Edition, 2012, 188 pages A Classic Western Hero
‘Shane’
By Jack Schaefer
Among the novels set in the Old West, “Shane” is considered a classic. The stoic Shane drifts into the lives of the Starrett family, works as a hired hand on their homestead, and eventually must revert to his violent past to help his employer and other homesteaders take a stand against the rancher set on driving them away. The novel is also the coming-of-age story of 11-year-old Bob Starrett, the narrator who idolizes Shane and then gradually begins to understand him. A great read for teens and adults….