THE MAN WHO BROKE NAPOLEON'S CODES: The Story of George Scovell.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.[Complete number line 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1.] FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn but price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp, clean matt,colour pictorial painting (The Rearguard by J. P. Beadle reproduced with permission of Regimental Trustees the Royal Green Jackets) illustrated dw/dj panels with brown and b/w lettering to front; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Head of spine of dw/dj minimally bumped with reciprocal creasing.Top edges slightly aged/ toned but generally bright and clean,fore-edges less toned and brighter but with very faint, sporadic foxing (?); contents bright,tight, clean,solid and sound - near pristine - apart from some top corner dog-ear reading creases to pp33/4,pp123/4 and pp183/4 respectively.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,publisher's original plain dark blue cloth boards with bright, crisp,blocked white ink printed letters to spine/backstrip,a red+yellow striped headband and immaculate facsimile reproduction of numerical code illustrated endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,vii-xivpp+3-333pp [paginated] includes separate contents+illus lists/tables,list of 7 b/w maps,a preface,Pts I-IV comprising 19 chapters in total,contemporary b/w+colour illustrations,b/w facsimile reproductions and subject's sepia portrait photograph,notes on sources,the leading players and an index; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,a dedication and 2pp blanks at the rear of the book.
'Although we rarely find the truth in public reports of the French government or of their officers,I believe we may venture to depend upon the truth of what is written in cypher.' Lord Wellington,May 1813.
In 1812 two mighty armies manoeuvered across the Spanish plains. They were finely balanced,under skilful leaders.Each struggled to gain an advantage.Wellington knew that if he defeated the French,he could turn the tide of the war.Good intelligence was paramount,but the French were using a code of unrivalled complexity - the 'Great Paris Cipher'.It was a daunting challenge,and Wellington looked to one man to break the code: Major George Scovell.
In this compelling account of the officer who waged the intelligence battle against Napoleon's army,Mark Urban shows Scovell to be a forerunner to the great code-breakers of the 20thC.Using a network of Spanish guerillas,Scovell amassed a stack of coded French messages, and set to work decrypting them.But as a man of low birth,Scovell - even with his genius for languages,and bravery on a dozen battlefields - struggled for advancement amongst Wellington's inner circle of richer, better connected officers.Mark Urban draws on a wealth of original sources,including many ciphers and code-tables,to restore Scovell to his rightful place in history.
Please contact rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,because of the weight/value of this item for correct,insured 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.