Mike Marsland/WireImage.comFrom Sean Connery with love comes a memoir that will leave fans of the legendary actor shaken and stirred.
The original James Bond plans to unveil his long-awaited memoirs Aug. 25—the day of his 78th birthday—which also conveniently happens to be the final day of the Edinburgh International Book Festival in his native Scotland.
Connery, who was born in Edinburgh and once worked as a milkman and a model there before becoming a movie star, will be on hand for the launch of Being a Scot, a chronicle of his life before, during and after 007 in a film career that spanned more than 50 years.
The Oscar-winning thesp cowrote the autobiography with a little help from Scottish writer and filmmaker Murray Grigor. The title is also a nod to his deep devotion to supporting his country's independence movement.
"In this special year, it was obviously essential to bring Sir Sean back to the city of his birth, on the day of his birthday, for a world-exclusive launch of his first book," said festival director Catherine Lockerbie.
The Book Fair kicks off Aug. 9 and is considered one of the publishing world's biggest events. More than 800 authors will participate in 750 events, among them Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood.
But having Connery on hand is extra special because it's also the centennial of James Bond creator Ian Fleming's birth. A new adventure featuring the superspy, entitled Devil May Care and penned by Sebastian Faulks, just hit book stores last month to commemorate the occasion.
The Untouchables star quietly retired from the big screen after 2003's box office dud The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Connery subsequently turned down an offer by director Steven Spielberg to reprise his role as Indy's father in a cameo in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, saying he found retirement "just too damned much fun."