SPYCATCHER: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer.

US,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.[Title page WILLIAM HEINEMANN: AUSTRALIA,but copyright page with Printed in the US by R.R Donnelley & Sons.] FINE-./FINE. No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy,wrap-around black background with illustrated colour infographic of 3 flags - Russia, Britain and America,and capitalised silver/grey lettered title and lower cased subtitle;and capitalised silver/grey lettered authors' names and other lettering,spine/backstrip with repeated capitalised, silver/grey lettered single author (PETER WRIGHT) and part-title (SPYCATCHER) with similar coloured+lettered publisher's name only,to foot of same, rear panel with superimposed thumbnail b/w portrait photograph of Peter Wright ,and with silver/grey text of bullet points,no bar code,only an ISBN No. [0855610980.] Negligible shelf-wear,bumping,creasing to edges and corners - no nicks,tears or splits present.Top+fore-edges edges whilst lightly toned; top edges are with faint,minimal dust flecks and fore-edges are foxing-free; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - appears unread,other than my own collation.Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,unblemished, sharp-cornered,original dark grey paper-covered boards with black linen cloth blind-spine with bright,crisp,blocked silver gilt lettering,a b/w chequered headband and clean plain white endpapers.US,8vo HB+dw/dj,1stedn,2- 392pp [paginated] includes a Prologue,23 chapters,8pp contemporary b/w portrait photographs in 1 block, between pp202/03,a glossary,and an Index; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,a dedication with blank verso,and 2pp blanks at the rear of the book. Visually the exterior appearance is still exceptional,and even internally,the book is in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of its 35+ year-old age. It is only the minimal exterior faults that prevents a slightly higher grading for the book particularly. Despite them,it really is still an exceptional copy for its cleanliness,brightness and solidity. Published first in Australia,31st July,1987. In September 1987,the UK government applied for orders to prevent publication in Australia,but lawyer Malcolm Turnbull representing the publisher, successfully resisted the application,as he did again on appeal in June,1988.The book was banned in England (but not Scotland) due to its allegations about government policy and incidents.Even by 2021,the (UK's) Cabinet Office was still blocking freedom of information requests for files on the Spycatcher affair despite the rule that documents should be released after 30 years. i.e. be released publicly,thirty years after they were originally created. Eventually,in 1988,the book was cleared for legitimate sale in the UK,when the Law Lords acknowledged that overseas publication meant it contained no secrets. Peter Wright initially joined Britain's Secret Service,known as MI5 in 1955 in the capacity of the organization's principal scientist,and devoted himself in the early years to the invention of various gadgets for use in the espionage trade. Along the way,he deomstrated a brilliant flair for the art of counter-intelligence. The identity of the so-called Fifth Man Soviet spy puzzled and fascinated many for decades. In 'Spycatcher', Peter Wright shares his conviction that the Fifth Man was none other than Sir Roger Hollis,long the head of MI5 itself! The story of how he and many of his MI5 colleagues came to this conclusion makes for some of the best reading found anywhere in the vast literature on espionage.As a result of a great many trips Peter Wright made to the United States in his capacity as Britain's principal liason with American intelligence officials,his book is replete with sharply etched and sometimes humerous anecdotes about such notables as J. Edgar Hoover, Richard Helms, Bill Sullivan, William Harvey, and, above all, James Jesus Angleton, Wright's insights about the CIA and the FBI,their relationships with each other, with the rest of the U.S. government,and with America's allies is riveting stuff.American interest ought to be especially aroused by Peter Wright's charge that there was a conspiracy within MI5 to overthrow then Prime Minister Harold Wilson in the mid-1970s,and that it was instigated from within the CIA.Wright's memoirs is also of interest because it is a firsthand account of the bugging of embassies (of friend and foe alike),as well as other aspects of electronic eavesdropping,codebreaking, and "wet" affairs (assassinations). But the most important aspect of this book is that it offers a rare inside glimpse of the real day-to-day goings-on within the intelligence world over a long period of time from a very high-level, authorative voice. Please contact seller, because of the weight/value of this item, for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note, stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded, after order's receipt and before the order's despatch, especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence, then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.