David Owen

Spies: the Undercover World of Secrets, Gadgets and Lies David Owen

An illustrated guide to the deadly world of espionage.

Agents, double agents and multiple agents are vital to waging war successfully and they often help nations avoid war altogether. Spies have affected the outcomes of wars and crucial battles throughout history.

Spies exposes the secret successes and public failures of intelligence gathering and operations from ancient times to the current war on terrorism.

Using easy-to-follow illustrated case studies and sidebar features, Spies reveals the behind-the-scenes stories of famous spies, international secrets, betrayals and bravery in the long history of spying.

The book describes in exciting detail:

• The art of spy tradecraft
• Techniques spies use to gather and send secrets
• Devices used to steal state secrets
• How agents survive in hostile environments
• Whether or not spies like James Bond really exist.

Today, sophisticated digital and space-based technology gathers untold amounts of raw data. Yet far from rendering the spy on the ground obsolete, human intelligence is more vital than ever to separate the truth from the deception.

Spies is a factual and fascinating look into a dangerous world where nothing is what it appears to be.