An exciting look into the "science" of espionage.

- How did the British break the German Enigma machine code?
- How do spies' secret devices work?
- How did CIA and KGB agents survive the Cold War?
- What did US intelligence agencies know before the 9/11 attacks?
- How are double agents recruited and interrogated?

From invisible ink to satellite tracking, and from Mata Hari to the Iraq War and today's British spies in Putin's Russia, this gripping book reveals classified espionage stories, the plans implemented, and the means used by states and their agents to acquire and safeguard sensitive and highly valuable information.

The spy is a mysterious person. His role ignites our imagination; his actions are thrilling and far from everyday life: fake identity; secret devices; disguise; interrogation techniques; hideouts; scenarios of death and survival; codes and ciphers; forged documents; dead drops. His life depends on his ability to adapt to his new environment, think quickly, observe and remember important details, gain the trust of strangers, and avoid capture.
In the world of spies, technology and money play a significant role, survival requires courage, determination, and cleverness, while personal life is used only as a deceptive activity.

From Antiquity to the modern war in Iraq, espionage is the secret weapon used by states to advance their interests, undermine the opponent's strategy, and win all kinds of wars.

David Owen delves deeply into the art and history of espionage, from medieval Venice to modern Russia under President Putin, its operating methods, and the breadth of its networks, the patriots, profiteers, and traitors. With rich photographic material, many previously classified documents, and countless real espionage stories, the book sheds light on the daily challenges, personalities, and priorities of spies from the past, and some still among us.

Moses sent his "spies" to the Promised Land to learn about the people, the terrain, and the fertility of the land. The Venetians established their power in the eastern Mediterranean by spying on the areas of their commercial rivals. In 16th century England, Queen Elizabeth's counterintelligence uncovered numerous plots aimed at her removal. In the English and American civil wars, the Russian Revolution, the two World Wars, the turbulent decades of the Cold War, the American invasion of Iraq, and the war on terror, spies reveal weak points in the opponent's defense and gather information about their condition.

Hidden within the organization of the enemy, the commercial competitor, the opposing state, the different faith, spies have proven to be an essential "tool" for victory.

Modern techniques in information gathering are far removed from those available to the classic spy of empires, monarchies, and the Cold War: quantum cryptography, satellites, remotely piloted aircraft, infrared scans, radio locators capable of monitoring one hemisphere, signal traffic analysis, reading radio messages and electronic correspondence, and countless other known and classified methods.

As technology develops at a dizzying pace, it is certain that the world of espionage will include even more inventive ways of obtaining information.