The Secret Army: The IRA [Paperback]

J. Bowyer Bell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1560009012 | ISBN-13: 978-1560009016 | Publication Date: January 1, 1997 | Edition: Revised and Exp

This is the definitive work on the Irish Republican Army. It is an absorbing account of a movement which has had a profound effect on the shaping of the modern Irish state. This book is the culmination of twenty-five years of work and tens of thousands of hours of interviews.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Accurate, readable and honest... essential and compulsive reading." Maurice Manning

About the Author

J. Bowyer Bell (1931-2003) was professor of international relations at Columbia University and president of International Analysis Center. He focused on problems of unconventional law, terrorism, deception, and crisis management. He was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and recipient of more than seven Guggenheim Fellowships. Bell’s consultancy firm, The International Analysis Centre, which he founded, focused on problems of terrorism, deception, risk analysis, and crisis management and had many governmental clients including the United States Department of the State and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Product Details

• Paperback: 702 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers; Revised and Exp edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560009012
• ISBN-13: 978-1560009016
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #652,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Novel, August 13, 2006

By 

Melissa R. Hufjay "Ben Franklin Lover" (Philadelphia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Army: The IRA (Paperback)

One of the few books about the IRA, this book is a stunning masterpiece, beautiful from beggining to end. An absolute must-read!

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tired and Outdated, October 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Secret Army: The IRA (Paperback)

For years, this and Tim Pat Coogan's book on the IRA stood as the only significant volumes on the subject. Both Bell and Coogan have kept their books in print by issuing "revised" versions every few years. The truth is, neither book was very good to begin with, though Bell's journalism and craftmanship is slightly ahead of Coogan's sloppy, slapdash approach. They both suffer from a similar problem - they seem to be written from a great distance from the subject, more like a series of newspaper reports than a thoughtful, fully realized nonfiction book. Bell's book (or Coogan's for that matter) can't hold a candle to Ed Maloney's "Secret History of the IRA," which is, quite simply, the definitive account of the IRA, especially in its analysis of Gerry Adams and the Peace Process.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mac Geough, July 21, 2006

By 

S. Goff (Jackson, WY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Army: The IRA (Paperback)

If you are into detail, this is what you want. Forget your own politics, read and try to shut up until you get to the end. Then write! Goes VERY well w/ T.A. Jackson.s: IRELAND HER OWN.