KGB: The Inside Story of Its Foreign Operations from Lenin to Gorbachev [Hardcover]

Christopher Andrew (Author), Oleg Gordievsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

The international bestseller critically acclaimed as "undoubtedly the most important book ever written on Soviet espionage."--San Francisco Chronicle.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this analysis of Soviet intelligence from Lenin to Gorbachev, Cambridge historian Andrew and ex-KGB colonel Gordievsky open KGB files to reveal Soviet secret agents, espionage missions, British traitors and international targets for liquidation. Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 776 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060166053
• ISBN-13: 978-0060166052
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Andrew is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History and Chair of the Faculty of History at Cambridge University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent comprehensive work on the KGB, September 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: KGB: The Inside Story of Its Foreign Operations from Lenin to Gorbachev (Hardcover)

Oleg Gordievsky is the most remarkable and productive Soviet defector of recent times. When Gordievsky made his escape from Moscow in 1985, he departed with a gold mine of information on the KGB's operations, personnel, and organizational structure. Because Gordievsky was involved in researching histories of several different divisions at KGB headquarters, he possessed a unique knowledge of te organization's operations.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adds to Our Cumulative Knowledge., June 3, 2006

By 

Bernard Chapin "Ora Et Labora!" (CHICAGO! USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: KGB: The Inside Story of Its Foreign Operations from Lenin to Gorbachev (Hardcover)

I agree with the other reviewers here as this book is not perfect. It was written before the Venona Transcripts or the Mitrokhin Files became known, and, for this reason, is not as complete a work as something like the Sword and the Shield would be. Regardless, it is an extraordinary primary source testament concerning one of the most secretive, nefarious, and befuddling organizations in history. I got the impression that Mr. Andrew wrote this account based on notes he obtained from Mr. Gordievsky. The result is a somewhat lumbering, and often repetitive, narration. A few of the same sentences are repeated at different points in the book which could potentially irritate many a reader. I did like the chapter outline, however, as it was sequenced chronologically which is helpful considering the varying scenarios within the foreign directorate discussed. We're very lucky in the west that men like Gordievsky had the courage to defect because, if they didn't, there would have been little chance of obtaining information about the Soviet Union at all.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Flawed and incomplete yet still a good read, October 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: KGB: The Inside Story of Its Foreign Operations from Lenin to Gorbachev (Hardcover)

When this book came out, it was considered to be groundbreaking and astonishing as far as new information about Soviet operations goes. However, it is almost completely irrelevant. If one takes a close look at the book and compares it with "The Mitrokhin Files" (Mitrokhin being another KGB officer who defected several years later), it will be noted that much of the information Gordievsky SHOULD HAVE KNOWN if he really had access to all top Soviet files is missing. This, along with several other contradictory statements, leads us to conclude that the Soviets knew of Gordievsky's activities and so were using him to feed false and/or irrelevant information to the West.