The Master Spy: The Story of Kim Philby - Softcover

Knightley, Phillip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0679726888 ISBN 13: 9780679726883

Publisher: Vintage, 1990

Synopsis

Chronicles the career of Cold-War double agent Kim Philby, a British counter intelligence officer and KGB operative

About this title

From Library Journal:

Another book on Kim Philby? And Knightley's second ( Philby: The Spy Who Betrayed a Generation) on the same topic? Why? Knightley addresses these reservations by proving that his unique chance to interview the dying Philby in 1988 has produced a tantalizing, intimate story. The author's portrait is excessively personal and verges on a grudging sympathy. "Yes, Philby was a traitor," he admits. "But traitor to what, remains open to debate." Other books, like Robert Cecil's A Divided Life: A Biography of Donald Maclean (LJ 2/15/89), are not so kind to Philby et al. But this offers enough Philbyan tidbits and minutiae, from tales of the Cambridge days to the "hero's welcome" in Moscow in January 1963, that the reader will find it most satisfying. Well written for a well-worn tale, spiced with asides from numerous interviews.
- John Yurechko, Georgetown Univ . , Washington, D.C .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Knightley, who obtained a series of uncommonly frank interviews with Kim Philby not long before his death, has written an intimate portrait of the man widely regarded as the most successful penetration agent in the history of espionage. "The book is a journalistic coup of the first order," observed PW .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0679726888
• ISBN 13: 9780679726883
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 292