'The most comprehensive narrative of intelligence compiled ... unrivalled' Max Hastings, Sunday Times

'Captivating, insightful and masterly' Edward Lucas, The Times

The history of espionage is far older than any of today's intelligence agencies, yet the long history of intelligence operations has been largely forgotten. The first mention of espionage in world literature is in the Book of Exodus.'God sent out spies into the land of Canaan'. From there, Christopher Andrew traces the shift in the ancient world from divination to what we would recognize as attempts to gather real intelligence in the conduct of military operations, and considers how far ahead of the West - at that time - China and India were. He charts the development of intelligence and security operations and capacity through, amongst others, Renaissance Venice, Elizabethan England, Revolutionary America, Napoleonic France, right up to sophisticated modern activities of which he is the world's best-informed interpreter. What difference have security and intelligence operations made to course of history? Why have they so often forgotten by later practitioners? This fascinating book provides the answers.

A stupendous history of intelligence, its uses and its neglect - by the world's leading historian of intelligence.

About the Author
Christopher Andrew is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Cambridge University and one of the world's leading intelligence historians. His many books include KGB: The Inside Story (with Oleg Gordievsky) and the bestselling The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized Official History of MI5.

Reviews
To write a world history of intelligence, from the dawn of recorded history to the present day, is a daunting task. To make such a work accurate, comprehensive, digestible and startling, and all in a single volume, is a stellar achievement. But that is what Christopher Andrew has done in The Secret World. -- Edward Lucas * The Times *
Brilliant in its sweep and near-miraculous in the detail and confident judgements provided on two and a half millennia of spying ... The book is a crowning triumph of one of the most adventurous scholars of the security world -- John Lloyd * Financial Times *
Christopher Andrew delivers a stunning secret archaeology of a subject that he himself helped to create -- Richard J. Aldrich * Times Literary Supplement *



Book Information
ISBN 9780140285321
Author Christopher Andrew
Format Paperback
Page Count 960
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 698g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 42mm