Secret agents, spies and intelligence throughout history

"The public appetite for spies, both real and fictional, seems inexhaustible.  But where and when did spying begin, and how has the art and craft of espionage developed over the centuries? Spies in History is a collection of portraits of some of the most famous spies we know, but it also contains some lesser-known and more surprising names. Included are, amongst others, Rahab, the Canaanite woman in the Bible who assists the Israelites before they attack Jericho;  Thomas Phelippes, a brilliant cryptographer and skilled handler of secret agents in the Elizabethan Age; and Noël Coward, the famous playwright  and singer who used his fame to influence American public and political opinion in favour of helping Britain during the Second World War.  A remarkable line-up of distinguished historians, scholars and  writers from around the world examine the evolution of intelligence  and counter-intelligence  from the ancient world via the Cold War to the  age of Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping, to reveal the truth about espionage  and the myths that surround it."