Spies of the Kaiser: Plotting the Downfall of England

by William Le Queux

Overview

Le Queux was the first and most prolific of all British spy writers, but Spies of the Kaiser was not just another tale of scheming foreigners and plucky British heroes, for this paranoid tale of German secret agents plotting the invasion of Britain played a major part in the formation of MI5, Britain's counter-espionage organisation. In his introduction, intelligence historian Nicholas Hiley explains how Le Queux's powerful blend of fact and fiction inspired a whole generation of British secret service officers, and led MI5 in a nation-wide hunt for a non-existent enemy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780714642789
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/01/1996
Series:	Classics of Espionage Series
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Authored by William Le Queux

Table of Contents

Introduction, If England Knew 1. How the Plans of Rosyth were Stolen 2. The Secret of the Silent Submarine 3. The Back-Door of England 4. How the Germans are Preparing for Invasion 5. The Secret of the New British Aeroplane 6. The Secret of the New Armour-Plates 7. The Secret of the Improved 'Dreadnoughts' 8. The German Plot against England 9. The Secret of our New Gun 10. The Secret of the Clyde Defences 11. The Peril of London 12. Ho~ Germany Foments Strife 13. Our Wireless Secrets 14. Playing a Desperate Game

Editorial Reviews

"worthy of its place in the history of espionage - I consider it well worth a read". Bulletin of the Military Historical Society

"As Nicholas Hiley demonstrates in his fine introduction to Spies of the Kaiser, MI5 itself owed its inspiration to the fiction of William Le Queux. Here, it appears, we have art imitating life, which is itself imitating art (of a sort)." Times Literary Supplement

"Le Queux"s novel played a significant part in the founding of the modern British intelligence community and thus fully deserves its place in the new Frank Cass series, Classics of Espionage." Christopher Andrew, The Daily Telegraph

"Frank Cass are to be congratulated on reprinting, with its original illustrations, one of Le Queux"s most influential works ... greatly enhanced by a fascinating and expert 24-page, well-referenced introduction. Victorian Military Society

From the Publisher

A wildly paranoid tale, first published in 1909, in which patriotic British heroes battle German secret agents who are plotting the invasion of Britain. Historian Nicholas Hiley's introduction describes the novel (which Le Queux believed to be factually- based) as pivotal to the formation of M15, Britain's counter- espionage organization, which instigated a nationwide hunt for a non-existent enemy. Paper edition (unseen), $16.95. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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