The editors at HMSS have always had an eye for the ladies -- especially the ladies of the James Bond films.

We're Bond fans, and "fans," almost by definition, are listmakers and data compilers. To help us out with the heavy lifting, we recruited a couple of friends for additional input: former 007 author Raymond Benson, and Ian Fleming Foundation vice-president Doug Redenius. The job was tough sledding for both of our guest experts; Mr. Benson took pains to qualify his choices as being his list on and of that day, and certainly subject to change. Mr. Redenius simply charged that a list of only ten was insufficient to the quality of available choices, although he manfully adhered to the rules.

In compiling our lists of personal Top 10 Bond Girls, we all ran into the same hitch. Besides
those ladies that were our clear favorites for all the correct reasons, there were others that
we've always loved just for the sake of their looks -- you know, their hotness.

So, we decided to be honest with ourselves (and with our readers), and put together two
lists. The first, our FAVORITES, is what it sounds like -- the Bond girls who are
important to the story. The ones that are likable, brave, tough, resourceful, funny,
vulnerable... the ones portrayed by beautiful and skilled actresses. Many of them are
icons of the series. The second list, the HOTTEST, is also self-explanatory. These are
the girls that may or may not be critical to the film's plot, and may or may not be played
by the most brilliant of actresses. The thing is, though... they're hot. Yummy. Babelicious.
They're the eye candy of 007's cinematic world -- memorable, even iconic, in their own right.

There are some surprises here, regarding who made the lists and who didn't. Some made
it onto each. We used a thoroughly unscientific quantification system: candidates
ranked 1 through 10 received an inverse number of points -- a #1 pick received 10 points;
a #10 pick was awarded but a single point. Tie breakers were based on the number of votes received. Those who care about such matters can see the voting results on their requisite pages.

Everybody else can simply enjoy the countdown and the pictures, celebrating the James Bond Girls right along with us. Reader's comments, as always, would be most welcome.

So, have at it! This way to the galleries:

OUR FAVORITE BOND GIRLS
THE HOTTEST BOND GIRLS