minted notes and coins as change, a club tradition. As a favour to M, Blades also stocks a cheap Algerian red wine to which M is partial, but does not include it on the wine list; he calls it "Infuriator" and drinks it only in small quantities unless he is in a very bad mood. Amenities offered by the club include: Overnight lodgings, in which guests' money is taken away and replaced with newly minted notes/coins each morning Freshly ironed newspapers in the reading room Soaps and lotions from Floris of London in all bedrooms and lavatories A direct line to Ladbrokes from the porter's lodge Reserved tents and boxes at horse race meetings and other sporting venues Automatic membership at the leading club in the capital of any foreign country visited by a member Membership at Blades costs £100 for an initial entrance fee, and £50 in annual dues. Each member is required to win or lose at least £500 per year at the gaming tables or else pay a fine of £250. No bills are presented for any meals; at the end of each week, the total cost is prorated among the winners and deducted from their profits. Blades plays a prominent role in the novel Moonraker. Both M and club chairman Basildon suspect another member, Sir Hugo Drax, of cheating at bridge. Because Drax is involved in a nuclear missile project crucial to national security, M and Basildon wish to avoid a scandal. Knowing of Bond's skill at cards and training in catching cheaters, M invites him to Blades to ascertain Drax's method. Bond discovers that Drax is using a highly polished silver cigarette case as a "shiner" − a mirror that allows him to see the cards as he deals − and devises a plan to discourage him from further cheating, with help from M and Basildon. During a very high-stakes bridge game, Bond switches in a cold deck in order to deal an extraordinarily good hand to Drax and thus increase his confidence. Not knowing that Bond has dealt himself a grand slam, Drax doubles and accepts an immediate redouble by Bond; Drax loses, costing him a total of £15,000 for the entire evening. References Bibliography Ian Fleming, Moonraker London: Penguin Books., 1955 . Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice (Glidrose, 1964). Gary Giblin & Christopher Lee, James Bond's London (Daleon Enterprises Inc., 2001). John