Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration

Pete Langman · Nadine Akkerman

Jun 2024 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Nan McNamara

About this audiobook

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.

About the author

Pete Langman is an academic, OED bibliographer, author of Killing Beauties, and manuscript editor for Early Modern Low Countries Journal.

Nadine Akkerman is professor of early modern literature and culture at Leiden University and author of the acclaimed Invisible Agents.

Nan McNamara is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator and garnered the "Best Audiobook of 2016" distinction for her narration of Mister Monkey by Francine Prose. She has more than twenty years of experience as a professional actress on stage, television, and film.