Here are some key books on the history of intelligence and espionage, with a focus on Britain, for lovers of history who aren’t historians. Click the title or cover to find the book at Amazon and choose your favourite format. Peter Dixon
The Scarlet Papers, by Matthew Richardson
A gripping spy novel that blends so neatly into real life that it is hard to know what is true.
The Secret World, by Christopher Andrew
A detailed but readable account of the under-recognised role of espionage in world history, from Moses to the present day, by the official historian of MI5.
MI6, by Keith Jeffery
The authoritative official history of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service up to 1949.
GCHQ, by Richard Aldrich
The development of British code-breaking from the Bletchley Park days to today’s secret ‘special relationship’ with the USA.
Enigma: The Battle for The Code, by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
The story of how spies, sailors and mathematicians captured Enigma code machines and broke the German codes.
Ghost Wars, by Steve Coll
The inside story of the CIA’s covert funding of an Islamic jihad against Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
Washington’s Spies, by Alexander Rose
The story of how espionage helped America win the Revolutionary War.
The Spy and the Traitor, by Ben MacIntyre
The gripping story of Oleg Gordievsky, the Cold War KGB officer who spied for Britain and defected to the UK.
Defend the Realm, by Christopher Andrew
The authorised history of the UK’s Security Service, responsible for counter-espionage and increasingly counter-terrorism
Or you might want to check out one from us. Guardians of Churchill’s Secret Army, by Peter Dixon
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