Oswald Frederick Snelling is best known for his 1964 bestseller, Double O Seven, James Bond, A Report, and is also noted for his books and articles on boxing and British thriller writers.
After serving in the British Army in World War II, he wrote book reviews, film criticism and articles on sports for magazines such as The Leader and Band Wagon.
Part of the book’s initial success was that its publication roughly coincided with the death of Fleming in August 1964 and included footnotes discussing the recently issued Bond novel, You Only Live Twice.
Snelling’s title sold over a million copies, appeared in French, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, and Israeli editions and translations, and it came out in the United States in 1965 under the imprint of the New American Library, Ian Fleming's own publishers.
Before his Bond success, Snelling became acquainted with Peter and Helen Kroger, who, using the cover of booksellers, assisted Soviet spy Konon Molody who had appropriated the identity of a Canadian, Gordon Lonsdale.