Product Description: The Spycraft Manual is unique. There has never been a book to reveal the secret 'tradecraft' techniques used by spies the world over - until now...The Spycraft Manual is a step-by-step instruction book on the tradecraft and skills that spies use. Each individual subject contains masses of fascinating information, all graphically illustrated with simple black and white line drawings and photographs. From the seven basic drills of agent contact to satellite surveillance, The Spycraft Manual is a perfect reference to the whole world of espionage.
sloppy. icky. There are so many typos in this book, I started underlining them in case they turned into a secret message.
The tone is childish. The information isn't anything you couldn't find on the back of a DVD case for a spy genre movie: "The spy turned on the charm and the girl fell for it. Closing time was 3 pm, but the girl indicated that he could stay if he wanted -he did. In the four hours until the bar opened for the evening the spy made love to the girl three times -she was hooked. ...One day the spy simply never came back and after a time he was forgotten. He had managed to infiltrate a dangerous area by using a substantial and plausible cover story. ...With the use of alcohol he had gained valuable information from the farmers, with charm he had gleaned valuable information from the pub owner's daughter." p.20
Oh, and the "use of alcohol," mysteriously, consisted of walking into the pub and inquiring if anyone would like to have a drink in his car.
Overall, I'm disappointed.
excellent well thought out layout and excellent attention to audience lead this book to the top of the pack. Great for anyone not taking 500-level espionage.
James Bond it ain't I am writing this primarily as a counter to another poor review that expected more, and said that this was only for children and uninformed adults. How he decided that a real world example given in the book of a British operative seducing an Irish contact and having sex with her repeatedly to mine her for information on local IRA members, or an examination of using sexually compromising situations to recruit sources, or illustrations of how to seriously harm people and set booby traps is for kids is beyond me.
It's true that this is intended as a introductory work, but it is pretty much spot on. I've been trained in some of the methods described in this book and the portrayals are accurate, if a bit simple. There's a disclaimer early in the book warning that because of legal implications the author could only discuss things that already exist in the public sphere, and gives a bibliography of other private works as well as publically available military works for reference.
After reading this you will not be a secret agent able to HALO jump out of a Big Bird and infiltrate Damascus. You will, however, understand intellectually how it is done and might even have a leg up if you go to an agency or unit that does that kind of thing. This manual is good enough that when I was reading it in a cafe on a military base, (not a secret one) a Combat Diver NCO (read: special operator) in the US Army who happened by did a double take at the book and stopped to ask me about it.
For $15 or $20, it's a steal, unless you already know these kinds of things.
Sounds good on the web, but is lacking in person I was quite excited about the premise of a well written guide book for tradecraft, but sadly I was dissappointed by the book in person. To me, it's more of book geared toward children and uninformed adults than any aspiring or practicing security professional. Alternatively, there are several books on the market that cover the same material in a much more indepths and professional manner. This book isn't that big, so you cant expect a full experience on all the topics. The surveillance section is only a few pages in length, while whole books have been written on the subject. Most of the book is a broad overview of several items and lack any real details that the book promises. There are several books similar to this that don't make you expect a full course in tradecraft like this one. In the end, its a good read for the inexperienced or those seeking a basic intro, but it definately is the bible of tradecraft that the description promises it to be.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
