Bond, Queer Bond - The Fabulous Other History of a Spy

Bond, Queer Bond - The Fabulous Other History of a Spy is an original, warm-witted and illuminating chronicle about the queer talents, beats and personalities that have shaped the James Bond phenomenon in all its forms.

Blending historical insight with new observations and interviews, Bond, Queer Bond is a dynamic and entertaining James Bond compendium - full of new insight, imagery and an alternative timeline of 007 history few know exists.

The book can be pre-ordered at Amazon UK (£22) and will be released on 14 May 2026.

Bond, Queer Bond is not just the fascinating story about the LGBTQ creativity, temperaments, battles, and voices behind the openly straight James Bond. It is a distinctive, energetic, and original story about identity in pop culture, the difference between gay history and queer expression, and how the deceptively diverse Bond world has always operated alongside both.

From the vibrant Bond lyricist who created a musical genre, the hellraising artist who first branded Bond, the 1960s film editor who gave 007 his momentum, the quiet musician who became a gay icon, how pop art icons influenced Bond, the vital advocacy of a publishing editor, how the AIDS crisis saw the Bond project step up before any government did, the fashion houses that dress Bond, closeted Cold War espionage, how the world’s most influential drag and queer artists celebrated 007, why Oscar Wilde was instrumental and how author Ian Fleming was ahead of the culture-war curve.

In Bond, Queer Bond what might begin as a thoughtful new dive into an adjacent world of 007 fast becomes a rich, colourful, compelling, and fun manifesto about the queer DNA of a cultural icon - with LGBTQ names such as Harvey Milk, Truman Capote, Francis Bacon, Judy Garland, Divine, Cecil Beaton, Studio 54, Sylvester, Danny La Rue, Tom of Finland, Noel Coward, Doris Fish, Tom Ford, John Sex, Guy Burgess, Andy Warhol, RuPaul, Keith Haring and many more forming the rainbow crosshairs of this book.

Joining O’Connell are guest contributions from the likes of Barbara Broccoli, David Arnold, Mark Gatiss, Putter Smith, Peaches Christ, John Glen, Ann Magnuson, Jon Lys Turner, Jany Temime, Maud Adams, key Bond and queer alumni, and more.

About the author

Described by The Times as ‘007’s number one fan’, Mark O’Connell is a writer, author and pop culture commentator. His books - including Catching Bullets – Memoirs of a Bond Fan - earned critical acclaim and both national and international media attention. A frequent voice across all news platforms, channels and global outlets, he was recently a producer on acclaimed Bond documentary, The Other Fellow (2023).