Hosted by Joe Shemtov and Andrea Lemoins

Our first season will be dedicated to artifacts kept at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

In this episode, we speak with Jim Wright, who recently wrote the book, "The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue and Ian Fleming." In his book, Wright explores a case of stolen identities and dives into how Fleming “stole” the name of James Bond, a real-life well-known Philadelphia Ornithologist. This episode is timely not only because Sean Connery recently passed away, but also since the latest James Bond movie is to be released next year. A significant part of Wright's book is based on his research at the Free Library of Philadelphia, which keeps the James Bond collection (given by his widow, Mary Wickham Bond). We also talk to Katie Birkwood, Rare Books and Special Collections librarian at the Royal College of Physicians in London, England. In 2016, she curated the exhibition Scholar, Courtier, Magician: the Lost Library of John Dee. Birkwood discusses the alleged origin of the term "007" -- rumors have it that it originated from Dee, a 16th-century advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. We have a rare map of the Northwest West Passage made by John Dee in the Rare Book Department.

The opening narration by Raphael Corkhill is from the Audible version of "The Real James Bond," published by Schiffer Publishing.

This podcast was edited by Hannah Cho.

S1 Episode 7: Now Is the Time. Connecting Three Historical Figures: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Stephen Girard, and Toussaint Louverture

Story Search From Special CollectionsBy The Free Library of PhiladelphiaFeb 22, 2021