Espionage: An Encyclopedia of Spies & Secrets (Virgin True Crime) [Paperback]

Richard M. Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Virgin True Crime | Publication Date: June 2002

Failure to foresee and defend against the US terrorist attacks of 11th September 2001 has drawn unprecedented public attention to the intelligence services and modern-day global espionage. From the CIA's involvement in the Middle East and various aspects of European, Asian and African politics, to FBI agents releasing highly classified national security information to Russia, this reference source contains over 500 entries covering every aspect of modern-day espionage. The book includes entries covering aspects of counter-terrorism, funding and commercial terrorism and biographies of spies, politicians and diplomats. Key historical events and scandals are examined and terminology and equipment are explained.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Numerous references have already been published on espionage, and with the spectacular failure of American intelligence in September 2001, many more are sure to appear. This one includes over 500 entries on people, places, equipment, policies, and government organizations. Many of the entries have been written to incorporate events surrounding 9/11, and Bennett (Fighting Forces), a longtime contributor to defense publications, is not afraid to pen caustic opinions of the individuals and government policies connected to that fateful day. In fact, he seems to be thoroughly disgusted with many of the people, attitudes, and policies of the intelligence establishment. This reviewer liked the British flavor of Bennett's writing and the focus on British organizations and events, as one can easily find plenty of information on American topics in works such as Norman Polmar and Thomas B. Allen's Spy Book: The Encyclopedia of Espionage. Of greatest interest are the descriptions of British and foreign intelligence organizations and the biographical details of important individuals. Although there are See references, the book has no cross references, no suggested readings, no chronology, and a tiny bibliography. Suitable for the reference collections of public and academic libraries.
Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glyn Eilyn, IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Accessible reference work includes historical events, scandals, terminology and biographies of important spies and diplomats, as well as the events of 11 September.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: Virgin Publishing (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852279427
• ISBN-13: 978-1852279424
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,333,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clarification, March 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Espionage: Spies and Secrets (Paperback)

It should be noted that this book was written by Richard Bennett and contains only a FOREWORD written by James Bamford. Otherwise the reference book contains interesting and accurate insights into various terms and events inside/outside the intelligence community.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ambitious, but erroneous, September 5, 2002

By 

Mark on Amazon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Espionage: An Encyclopedia of Spies & Secrets (Virgin True Crime) (Paperback)

Tries to cover a wide area, but makes factual mistakes. For one example, the author has decided to include entries for special operations forces around the world. For the US entry, he asserts that the US Army's special forces are simply "elite infantry" similar to the French Foreign Legion. Entering the SF world is a process in which an NCO does not only change his unit of assignment but also his MOS (job description) to one of several specialties. 18 series MOSs (SF) cover medical, engineering, and communications in addition to light and heavy weapons. SF training spans military free fall parachuting to foreign language training. There is no way that someone with even casual knowledge of Army SF could confuse them with the Legion's infantry. A majority of the military info seems to have come from the "Soldier of Fortune Magazine"-types who sit on bar stools and recite anecdotes of stuff they never did. Not being a spy, I don't know how accurate the stuff closer to center mass of his subject matter is, but if the military material is any indicator.... And then there's the preface. Let's just say that the writer of that part of the book has, let us say, 'questionable', credentials.
On the other hand, it DOES cover a whole lot of material. Some of it may not be true, but it IS interesting to browse through. A few years ago a book came out entitled, "The Spy Book". That was a far better encyclopedic intelligence book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Espionage Richard M. Bennett, October 10, 2002

By 

James Howard (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Espionage: An Encyclopedia of Spies & Secrets (Virgin True Crime) (Paperback)

ESPIONAGE, An Encyclopedia of Spies & Secrets will become a standard work for those who wish to lift the curtain on the hidden world of the intelligence services. Bennett pulls no punches in his caustic comments and analysis of the events of 9-11 and the failure of Western Intelligence. It makes a hugely refreshing change from the stale old, but politically acceptable analysis pumped out by authors like Nigel West and others. Bennett redraws the battle lines on many historical espionage events and dares to disagree with the usually accepted versions. Perhaps his views might be questioned sometimes, but in a ground breaking work like Espionage that comes with the territory. I found his listings of the worlds major Intelligence services fascinating and very useful. I would have liked to see more cross-referencing and background material, but perhaps when the paper-back edition is published next year we can hope for it to be an updated and expanded edition as well. Overall a must buy and I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who harbors any doubts about 'official' versions of events or the willingness of 'established' authors to rock-the-boat.