They are cool, sophisticated and exude an air of elegant menace — not unlike 007 himself. Richard Chopping's stylish covers for Ian Fleming's James Bond novels undoubtedly contributed to the success of the series, which sold more than 100 million copies, yet the artist eventually fell out with the author, claiming he had been "swindled". Now a fascinating archive of correspondence between the pair is going on sale in New York at an auction devoted to British espionage and thriller fiction.
Although Chopping's anxieties about copyright are mentioned, the letters give no hint at the resentment he ultimately felt towards Fleming when he declared: "Fleming was not a nice man to work for. He was mean."
He complained: "The paintings I did for his dust jackets are now worth thousands and they sold as many books. But he would not even let me have my royalties. Quite honestly, I'm sick to death of it all."
Chopping completed nine covers, beginning with From Russia With Love in 1957. They were reproduced from watercolours that each took a month to paint.
On March 18, 1959, Fleming wrote to Chopping referring to the Goldfinger cover and his upcoming work For Your Eyes Only. "The new jacket is quite as big a success as the first one and I do think Cape [Fleming's publisher Jonathan Cape] have made a splendid job of it. ... I am busily scratching my head trying to think of a subject for you again. No one in the history of thrillers has had such a totally brilliant artistic collaborator!"
On July 20, 1960, Fleming asked Chopping if he would illustrate his next book, Thunderball. After the artist agreed, Fleming wrote again on August 4, 1960, saying: "Dear Dickie. Warmest thanks for your charming letter of July 29, and I am delighted that you will have a bash at the new jacket.
"The title of the book will be Thunderball. It is immensely long, immensely dull and only your jacket can save it!"
Fleming mulled over every detail for the jackets. On August 18, 1960, he insisted: "Two cards will definitely be better than one, and the second card should be an ace — perhaps the Ace of Spades — if you can bear the additional labour.
"Secondly, I think the Queen of Diamonds would be better than the Queen of Hearts as money is a keynote of the book."
The finished dust jacket showed the cards with a skeletal hand over them. A flick knife placed between the fingers pins the cards to the table.
By 1965, the year after Fleming's death, when Chopping did a painting for the cover of Octopussy And The Living Daylights, his fee had increased to 350 guineas. But as the Bond brand flourished, he felt more exploited. He said he was "sick of the whole thing", and described Fleming as "charming but horrid".
Chopping resented the fact that he wasn't paid a commission on the books sold and that his watercolours remained the property of the author.
He died in April 2008, aged 91. But while Fleming's name endures, the man who played no small part in his early success is now a footnote in James Bond history.
