The Book of Spies: An Anthology of Literary Espionage (Modern Library Classics) [Paperback]

Alan Furst (Editor, Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Modern Library Classics | Publication Date: June 8, 2004

Here is an extraordinary collection of the world’s best literary espionage, selected by Alan Furst, a contemporary master of the genre. The Book of Spies brings us the aristocratic intrigues of The Scarlet Pimpernel, in which French émigrés duel with Robespierre’s secret service; the savage political realities of the 1930s in Eric Ambler’s classic A Coffin for Dimitrios; the ordinary (well, almost) citizens of John le Carré’s The Russia House, who are drawn into Cold War spy games; and the 1950s Vietnam of Graham Greene’s The Quiet American, with its portrait of American idealism and duplicity. Drawing on acknowledged classics and rediscovered treasures, A Book of Spies delivers literate entertainment and excitement on every page.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

With the author of Red Gold and other smart thrillers acting as editor, this should be a Furst-class anthology. Selections date back to Joseph Conrad and Maxim Gorky.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Furst, one of our best modern espionage writers (Kingdom of Shadows), brings together selections from the work of some of the genre's founders and a few of its most celebrated practitioners. This being a Modern Library edition, the emphasis is on the literary side of spy fiction, so it's no surprise to find work by everybody's highbrow division Big Three--Conrad, Greene, and le Carre-- but even with the obvious authors, Furst shows some spirit in his selections. With le Carre, for example, we don't get the expected Smiley moment but, instead, are offered the marvelous opening from the less-known but superb Russia House. Furst is very good, both in his introduction and in the blurbs that precede each selection, at pinpointing the influence on the genre of the various authors, especially such pioneers as Eric Ambler and W. Somerset Maugham, whose Ashenden, excerpted here, is often considered to have paved the way for the disenchanted spies of Greene and others. A superior anthology for anyone interested in the roots of espionage fiction. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (June 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037575959X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375759598
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Literary Spy Fiction, June 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Spies: An Anthology of Literary Espionage (Modern Library) (Hardcover)

"The Book of Spies" caught my attention because it is edited by Alan Furst, who also wrote the introduction. I have been reading Furst's excellent literary novels of espionage and I was curious to read works by other authors he recommends. Furst is often compared to Eric Ambler and Graham Greene, whom I've read. But what would Furst himself select? "A Coffin for Demetrios" is the first selection and there's one from "The Quiet American" by Graham Greene, but many of the other selections are unexpected and riveting. The only one I had read was the Ambler. I ran out and bought "The Quiet American," but I'm also going to read "Tremor of Intent" by Anthony Burgess, "Under Western Eyes" by Joseph Conrad, "Ashenden" by W. Somerset Maugham (probably the most intriguing selection in the entire anthology), and "The Tears of Autumn" by Charles McCarry. In his introduction Furst notes that the date of publication is important for each selection because they are essentially political novels, tied to and shaped by a particular place and time. I was struck by the variety among these selections and although I had my favorites, I was sorry when each ended. The anthology is not a substitute for the full-length novels, but rather provides an overview of the genre and serves a guide for further reading.

2.0 out of 5 stars Misleading title, August 14, 2010

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Book of Spies: An Anthology of Literary Espionage (Modern Library Classics) (Paperback)

This is a collection of excerpts from novels by 11 different authors. Contrary to the title, they are not all about spies. Some are about revolutionaries, at least one about wartime resistance, and one is about two men stranded on a road at night in Vietnam. The point in time is not always clear. The stories are in no particular order by chronology or subject, but are simply in alphabetic order by the authors' last names. The writing quality is mixed and some are skimable. Some seem to have too much background color and not enough story. I think the collection could have been much better considering the literature available. The best value that I obtained was identifying authors to avoid.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I invite this author to add a few more names I can share with him, April 17, 2011

By 

Rick A Hyatt (Saratoga, Wyoming, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Spies: An Anthology of Literary Espionage (Modern Library Classics) (Paperback)

Just Following Orders
I invite this author to check out my own newest ebook about espionage. Being born to former East German STASI "Master Spy" General Markus "Mischa" Wolf, I was bred to be one of his specialties, a life-long "Manchurian Candidate." I was to be used in a court precedence regarding inheritance law, which would have eventually communized the Right to Own Property - In timing and conjuction of our most recent attempted take-over and Communizing of our country by the Socialist Democrats.
But I was unknowingly "Turned" by the CIA and used to lure Wolf to the West by putting me in US Army M.I. Wolf was "Turned" in 1977, and counter-run, a major to now unknown secret.
There is a major scandal brewing in DC as certain documents are now being unsealed in the Phoenix Federal Court system.
Guess what they are?
Guess just who else Wolf bred, groomed, created a false Legend and documentations for, and yet planted therein, his eventual failure?
Yes, just who is listed as "Father" on that infamous Birth Certificate that HI Gov. Acrocrombie frantically tries to hide?
And an Indonesian black mother?