Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Spycraft

  • Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration
  • By: Pete Langman, Nadine Akkerman
  • Narrated by: Nan McNamara
  • Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Spycraft

By: Pete Langman, Nadine Akkerman
Narrated by: Nan McNamara
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £15.99

Buy Now for £15.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

A fascinating exploration of the devious tricks and ingenious tools used by early modern spies—from ciphers to counterfeiting, invisible inks to assassination

Early modern Europe was a hotbed of espionage, where spies, spy-catchers, and conspirators pitted their wits against each other in deadly games of hide and seek. Theirs was a dangerous trade—only those who mastered the latest techniques would survive.

In this engaging, accessible account, Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman explore the methods spies actually used in the period, including disguises, invisible inks, and even poisons. Drawing on a vast array of archival sources, they show how understanding the tricks and tools of espionage allows us to reimagine well-known stories such as the Babington and Gunpowder plots. Exposing the murky world of spies, they demonstrate how the technological innovations of petty criminals, secretaries, and other hitherto invisible actors shaped the fate of some of history's most iconic figures.

Spycraft explains how early modern spies sought to protect their own secrets while exposing those of their enemies, showing the listener how to follow in their footsteps.

©2024 Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman (P)2024 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Thistle and the Rose cover art
Republic cover art
The Fall cover art
Royal Navy Versus the Slave Traders cover art
Spice cover art
The Eagle and the Lion cover art
Crypt cover art
Battle for the Island Kingdom cover art
Eighteen cover art
1177 B.C. (Revised and Updated) cover art
The Final Diagnosis cover art
The Norman Conquest cover art
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien cover art
A Man Lay Dead cover art
Devil-Land cover art
The White Ship cover art

What listeners say about Spycraft

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Academic Sleuthing Has Revealed How Spies Spied in the Past

What a wonderful book! Well read and fascinating from cover to cover. Learn about cyphers, fiendishly complex ways to fold a letter, codes and invisible ink in this fascinating description of early modern spycraft. I thoroughly recommend it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!