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The Secret World

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About this listen

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 codebreakers at Bletchley Park, the most successful World War II intelligence agency, were completely unaware that their predecessors in earlier moments of national crisis had broken the codes of Napoleon during the Napoleonic wars and those of Spain before the Spanish Armada.

Those who do not understand past mistakes are likely to repeat them. Intelligence is a prime example. At the outbreak of World War I, the grasp of intelligence shown by US President Woodrow Wilson and British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith was not in the same class as that of George Washington during the Revolutionary War and leading 18th-century British statesmen.

In this book, distinguished historian Christopher Andrew recovers much of the lost intelligence history of the past three millennia - and shows its relevance today.

©2018 Christopher Andrew (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Freedom & Security Military Politics & Government World Espionage War Middle Ages Imperialism Royalty Russia Interwar Period Latin American Soviet Union Self-Determination United Kingdom Middle East Iran Africa Winston Churchill Imperial Japan Socialism British Empire Crusade
All stars
Most relevant
excellent and informative but very variable sound quality throughout. A fascinating insight into intelligence gathering.

inconsistency

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I really enjoyed this book. It's less a history of secret intelligence and more a re-telling of major historical events with an emphasis on the role of secret intelligence (or, lack thereof) in those events - often completely altering our hitherto taken-for-granted understanding of those events and offering fresh insight. The narration is excellent, though there are a few editing blips as other reviewers have mentioned (hence 4 stars rather than 5). This is necessarily a very long book and takes many detours along the way, which in my opinion only adds to the intrigue and compelling narrative. It would be helpful to have a basic understanding of major world historical events prior to reading, but not essential. Overall I would highly recommend this to anyone interested not just in secret intelligence but in world history in general. A fascinating, informative and insightful piece of non-fiction.

An in depth history told compellingly

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If you're at all interested in the world of spying - especially in the often hidden craft of cryptography then this is a book you'll enjoy greatly. It doesn't drag and it covers a huge expanse, absolutely fascinating. The performance is good, but needs a bit of an edit as occasionally it repeats, but that really doesn't impact on the listening experience.

Exhaustive, fascinating

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you have to wait till the 17th century for the story to get exciting. as the early stages are a bit obscure.

wait for it

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Superbly researched, superbly narrated. I can honestly say this is the best I have listened to this year and us in my top three audiobooks.

Highly recommended.

Utterly engrossing

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