The Ultimate Spy Book - Hardcover

Melton, H. Keith

3.83

206 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0888505175 ISBN 13: 9780888505170

Publisher: Reader's Digest Canada, 1996

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The insider's guide to the secret world of espionage.

An inconspicuous figure in a raincoat... border crossings at midnight... living under constant threat of betrayal and torture. Are these images from the movies -- or reality? Secretive and shadowy, the world of the spy is one that only a privileged few have understood. Now The Ultimate Spy Book gives you a unique opportunity to enter that world. Keith Melton, an adviser to United Stated intelligence agencies, reveals some of the best-kept secrets of espionage.

Famous Spying Operations. Stranger than fiction, the true history of spying includes colorful characters, tales of intrigue, and exciting exploits. From the Civil War to both world wars and into the Cold War, The Ultimate Spy Book reveals what really happens in some of the most daring spying operations in history.

Spy Equipment and Techniques. Keith Melton has amassed a dazzling collection of spy devices, many never before seen by those outside the world's elite spying agencies. Cameras that look like a pack of cigarettes are just the beginning: this book reveals listening devices, suitcase radios, hidden messages, microdots, assassination devices, and concealed weapons -- everything the well-equipped spy could ever need.

How to be a spy. Discover the combination of quick wits and nerves of steel that makes a good spy. Learn about how spies are chosen and recruited, the training they receive, and the tricks of the trade. All the risks are revealed -- and all the rewards. For anyone who loves a good spy story -- or wants a glimpse into the world behind today's headlines -- The Ultimate Spy Book uncovers the clandestine activities that oil the wheels of international relations.

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Review:

Historian H. Keith Melton is a specialist in 20th-century espionage; he's also quite a fan of espionage gadgetry. Both interests make strong showings in this heavily illustrated glimpse into the shadowy world of modern spying. Melton examines the role of clandestine intelligence in revolutionary Russia and Nazi Germany, analyzes modern spy rings, and profiles a number of important figures in the demimonde of spooks, among them British code breaker Alan Turing and Yugoslav double agent Dusan Popov. He also showcases some astonishing hardware, ranging from suitcase radios to shirt button microphones and mechanical pencil pistols. Former CIA director William Colby and former KGB general Oleg Kalugin, who recruited the American traitor John Walker, contribute forewords.

About the Author:

H. Keith Melton is a renowned military historian and expert on clandestine devices and equipment. He is recognized internationally as an authority on espionage paraphernalia and has assembled an unparalleled collection of spy devices, books, and papers of famous spies. He is the author of three highly respected books: CIA Special Weapons and Equipment, OSS Special Weapons and Equipment, and Clandestine Warfare. Keith Melton is a member of the board of advisers of the National Historical Intelligence Museum in Washington, DC, and an active member of many other intelligence-related societies. He also serves as an adviser to US intelligence agencies on historical espionage equipment.

William Colby, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has a 30-year career in espionage, which began during World War II when he parachuted in to France and Norway to join and lean resistance groups against the occupying German forces. He joined the CIA in the 1950s and served in Scandinavia and Italy before becoming director in 1973. After his resignation from the CIA in 1976, Colby devoted his time to practicing law. His book, Honorable Men: MY Life in the CIA, is a unique revelation of the workings of the world of intelligence.

Oleg Kalugin spent 32 years with the KGB, recruiting his first spy in the US in 1958. His long involvement in espionage, recorded in his memoir The First Directorate, included a role in the assassination of the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov and a period as deputy station chief in Washington when he was involved with the activities of the spy John Walker. As chief of KGB Foreign Counterintelligence, Kalugin worked closely with the British spy Kim Philby. Until recently he was a People's Deputy in the Russian Parliament.

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