Research Catalog

Title

Stars and spies : intelligence operations and the entertainment business / Christopher Andrew and Julius Green.

Author

Andrew, Christopher M.

Publication

• London : The Bodley Head Ltd, 2021.
• ©2021

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Green, Julius

Description

502 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

"An original history about spying and showbiz from Shakespeare to the Cold War to present day stardom. A vastly entertaining and unique history of the interaction between spying and showbiz, from the Elizabethan age to the Cold War and beyond. Throughout history, there has been a consistent crossover between show business and espionage, often producing some of the most extraordinary undercover agents, and occasionallyleading to disastrous and dangerous failures. The fact that one relies on publicity and the other on secrecy might seem to rule out a successful symbiosis; but as both require high levels of creative thinking, improvisation, disguise and role-play, they inevitably attract some remarkably similar personalities. Stars and Spies is the first history of the interplay between the two worlds. We travel back to the golden age of theatre and intelligence in the reign of Elizabeth I, where we meet the playwright and spy Christopher Marlowe. In the Restoration we encounter in Aphra Behn the first professional female playwright and the first female spy to work for the British government. We visit Civil War America, Tsarist Russia and fin de siècle Paris where some writers, actors and entertainers become efficient and vital agents, while others are put under surveillance by the burgeoning intelligence services. And as the story moves through the twentieth century and beyond, and the role of spying in word affairs becomes more central, showbiz provides essential cover for agents to gather information while hiding in plain sight. The astonishing array of those who were drafted into the intelligence services includes Somerset Maugham, Graham Greene, Noel Coward and Alexander Korda. At the same time, spying enters mainstream popular culture, from the adventures of James Bond to the thrillers of John le Carré and long-running TV series such as The Americans. Written by two experts in their fields - Christopher Andrew, arguably the world's leading intelligence historian, and theatre producer and entertainment historian Julius Green - Stars and Spies is a unique and highly entertaining examination of the fascinating links between the intelligence services and show business"--Publisher's description.

Subject

• Espionage > History
• Spies > History
• Espionage
• Spies

Genre/Form

• Biographies.
• History.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 449-475) and index.

Contents

Introduction: the art of deception -- Golden age: theatre and intelligence in the reign of Elizabeth I -- 'Our revels are now ended': stars and spies under the Early Stuarts -- 'Astrea wants money': stars and spies after the Restoration -- British theatre, the 'Golden Rump' and the Ancien Régime -- The age of revolution -- From counter-revolution in Europe to Civil War in America -- The late nineteenth century: from the Fenians to 'J'accuse!' -- Spies and German spy scares -- The First World War: from Mistinguett to the Hush-Hush Revue -- Between the Wars: from Tallulah Bankhead to Secret Agent Ronald Reagan -- The Second World War: Soviet penetration and British deception -- Shaken not stirred: the 'Special Relationship' and the founding of the Central Intelligence Agency -- Cold War intelligence and the entertainment business -- Spies in the limelight.

Call Number

JFE 22-2288

ISBN

• 9781847925299
• 1847925294
• 9781847925282
• 1847925286

OCLC

1153499300

Author

Andrew, Christopher M., author.

Title

Stars and spies : intelligence operations and the entertainment business / Christopher Andrew and Julius Green.

Publisher

London : The Bodley Head Ltd, 2021.

Copyright Date

©2021

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 449-475) and index.

Added Author

Green, Julius, author.

Other Form:

ebook version : 9781473558281

Research Call Number

JFE 22-2288