The Definitive Monograph
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Coming February 2026
432 pages
900 images
deluxe hardcover
printed in italy
A World First
fifty years in waiting
Ten Years in the Making
Who was the man behind the most famous Bond poster ever made? Renato Fratini's art defined British cinema and the pop glamour of the Swinging Sixties—yet after his sudden death in 1973, aged just forty, his name all but vanished.
Authorised by the Fratini Estate, The Art of Renato Fratini restores his lost legacy. Based on a decade of research, rare interviews, and passionate collecting, this visual biography unveils hundreds of rarely seen works—a celebration of an artist almost lost to time.
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About the book
In London's swinging sixties, Renato Fratini became the most sought-after illustrator in British cinema and publishing. Movie studios, publishers, and ad agencies competed for his brush.
He painted the definitive From Russia with Love poster that shaped Bond's visual identity. He defined the Carry On franchise across nine films. He produced over 600 book covers for Fontana, Penguin, Corgi, and Heinemann—transforming how romance, crime, and adventure looked on paperback racks across Britain.
His work sold tens of millions of books and drew queues around cinema blocks. Yet until now, his name remained largely unknown.
The Art of Renato Fratini is the first book to tell his extraordinary story and showcase his astonishing body of work—over 900 images spanning film posters, paperback covers, and magazine illustrations.
Edited by Professor Steve Chibnall, the world's only Professor of British Cinema and one of the UK's leading film historians.
Author Timothy Smith has dedicated ten years to researching, collecting, interviewing, and unearthing hundreds of unseen paintings, posters, and illustrations, many never credited, never catalogued, never shown until now.
The Art of Renato Fratini is a beautifully written and designed 432-page volume featuring hundreds of illustrations, many never seen before. Printed to the highest standards in Italy and available with exclusive collector editions, it stands as the ultimate tribute to a forgotten master of commercial art.
Selected works
