Does James Bond play with a one- or two-handed backhand?
How does he spend his change-overs?
What's his favorite post-match quencher?

All the answers are in Devil May Care, the latest book in the spy thriller series that packs a couple of firsts:

• It's the first Bond book since Octopussy and The Living Daylights were published posthumously as a collection of short stories in 1966
• It's the first James Bond book that puts a racquet in the hands of the agent

Yes—finally and officially—tennis players can count 007 as a fellow player and discover what type of player he is and how he conducts himself on court.

It's easy to picture the world's most famous British spy dashing across the grass of the All England Lawn Tennisand enjoying Wimbledon, a major scene of this book places him on the red clay of Court 2 in the Bois de Boulogne—just a stone's throw from Paris' most famous courts at Roland Garros. True to the era of the series, Bond and his opponent, the "most dangerous opponent" Dr. Julius Gorner, play with wooden racquets and white Slazenger balls. More intriguing is that Dr. Gorner, a giant in the pharmaceutical industry, plays with a glove on his hand to disguise a birth deformity that made his hand resemble a monkey's paw...

The dozen books in the James Bond series have placed the agent in battles of wits and skill involving canasta, bridge and golf. And while it's no surprise that the Brit shoudd know his way around the white lines, Devil May Care is the first time tennis has been featured in a Bond novel.

The reason: Author Sebastian Faulks is a tennis player.

Faulks, a Briton whose books include Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, was commissioned by the Fleming estate to write this title for release on what would have been Fleming's 100th birthday, May 28, 2008. Devil May Care has been flying off shelves. In fact, more than 44,000 copies were sold in the first four days, making Devil May Care the fastest-selling hardcover book in Penguin Books' history.

The July issue of Vanity Fair magazine, on newsstands now, features an excerpt of the book that includes the Bond vs. Gorner match on Court 2.

While a seeming crossover between Ian Fleming and tennis might be Peter Fleming, the name of his brother, the fact is that his brother was a travel writer. The other Peter Fleming, from New Jersey, is the one who racked up most of his 59 doubles titles with John McEnroe. He recently signed on to run Heritage Key's Racquet Club in Kissimmee, Fla., which will feature 20 courts (hard and clay surfaces) and instructional programming at the recreational and competitive levels for peak performance.

Related links:
- Penguin Books' 007 website
- Ian Fleming Centre