The Secret Agent's Bedside Reader: A Compendium of Spy Writing

The Secret Agent's Bedside Reader: A Compendium of Spy Writing

by Michael Smith (Editor), Michael Smith (Editor), Michael Smith (editor) (Author), Michael Smith (Editor)

Synopsis

Espionage fact and fiction collide in this thrilling compendium of spy writing, where you'll fi nd some of the greatest spy stories ever written alongside genuine agent reports and instructions that changed the course of history - all within one definitive and unique collection. Daring wartime plans devised by Ian Fleming that could have come straight from the pages of a Bond novel are followed by the first appearance of John le Carre's George Smiley. Never-before-published reports from Cambridge spies Kim Philby and Guy Burgess to Moscow Centre are seen alongside literary classics by Graham Greene and Somerset Maugham. Genuine instructions to agents on how to tail a suspect, or how to stay alive inside wartime Germany - 'never confi de in women' - are interspersed with tales of derring-do inside Bolshevik Russia from Paul Dukes and Sidney Reilly, the original Ace of Spies. With an expert introduction to each extract, former intelligence officer Michael Smith deftly uses his own experience, and that of his many contributors, to take us on a fascinating journey inside the real world of espionage. The Secret Agent's Bedside Reader is a must-own for every espionage enthusiast and aspiring agent. Featuring John Le Carre, Erskine Childers, John Buchan, Ian Fleming, Graham Greene, Kim Philby, Joseph Conrad, Guy Burgess, Somerset Maugham and many more.

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Quantity

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Published: 30 Sep 2014

ISBN 10: 1849547408
ISBN 13: 9781849547406

Media Reviews
A Spectator Book of the Year: A compendium of fiction, memoir and archive material, never less than entertaining and surprisingly informative. The Spectator If you crave armchair action and adventure this well-chosen anthology should prove thoroughly satisfying. The Good Book Guide
Author Bio
Michael Smith is an award-winning journalist and number one bestselling author. He served in the British Army's Intelligence Corps before joining the BBC and has since worked as a reporter for both the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times, covering the wars in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. His many journalistic scoops include the publication of the Downing Street memos, which exposed the way in which intelligence was 'fixed' in Washington DC in order to justify the war in Iraq. Smith's many books include Six: A History of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service 1909 - 1939; The Secrets of Station X: How the Bletchley Park Codebreakers Helped Win the War; The Spying Game; Britain's Secret War 1939 - 1945; and Foley: The Spy Who Saved 10,000 Jews, which led to the naming of MI6 offi cer Frank Foley as Righteous Among the Nations, the highest award the Israeli state can give to a gentile. He is also the editor, with Ralph Erskine, of The Bletchley Park Codebreakers. He lives near Henley-on-Thames with his wife and family.