Synopses & Reviews
Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies is a book about concealing and revealing secret communications. It is the first history of invisible writing, uncovered through stories about scoundrels and heroes. Spies were imprisoned or murdered, adultery unmasked, and battles lost because of faulty or intercepted secret communications. Yet, successfully hidden writing helped save lives, win battles, and ensure privacy; occasionally it even changed the course of history.
Kristie Macrakis combines a storytellerandrsquo;s sense of drama with a historianandrsquo;s respect for evidence in this page-turning history of intrigue and espionage, love and war, magic and secrecy. From the piazzas of ancient Rome to the spy capitals of the Cold War, Macrakisand#39;s global history reveals the drama and importance of invisible ink. From Ovidandrsquo;s advice to use milk for illicit love notes, to John Gerardand#39;s dramatic escape from the Tower of London aided by orange juice ink messages, to al-Qaedaandrsquo;s hidden instructions in pornographic movies, this book presents spellbinding stories of secret messaging that chart its evolution in sophistication and its impact on history. An appendix includes fun kitchen chemistry recipes for readers to try out at home.
Review
"For every person who experimented with secret inks in our youth, at last we have a splendidly written history of how these inks were developed and the role they played in history. As a bonus, in the Appendix is a useful guide to secret inks and 'kitchen chemistry experiments,' where the reader will find the secret formulas and instructions needed to make your messages disappear... and appear again! I enthusiastically recommend this book!"and#8212;H. Keith Melton, coauthor (with Robert Wallace) of Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda
Review
and#8220;Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies is a thorough and interesting historical look at the origin and evolution of 'secret' or 'invisible' writing. The book is written in a very reader friendly, accessible style, making it suitable for a broad audience. The brief historical vignettes of individuals such as Kurt Frederick Ludwig and Madame Maria de Victorica and their use of invisible ink are light, breezy, and easily digested."and#8212;Allen Hornblum, author of Acres of Skin and The Invisible Harry Gold
Review
and#8220;Kristie Macrakis here reveals long-hidden secrets of invisible ink, microdots, and other ways spies, lovers, generals, businessmen, and ordinary folk have concealed messages they didn't want others to read.and#160; No one else has ever done this so well and so fully.and#160; A tour de force!and#8221;and#8212;David Kahn, author of The Codebreakers
Review
and#8220;Kristie Macrakis's fascinating, pathbreaking book shows how secret writing was developed by both lovers and spies (an exotic combination in the history of covert communication). Though nowadays widely regarded as child's play, in the world wars and Cold War of the twentieth century, secret writing remained, asand#160;Macrakis vividly demonstrates, a deeply serious business."and#8212;Christopher Andrew, Cambridge University
Review
"Prisoners, Lovers and Spies captivates with its tales of early secret communication.and#8221;and#8212;Suzy Spencer, KirkusReviews.com
Review
"An utterly fascinating account . . . the author knows her territory. Read this book."and#8212;Joseph C. Goulden, The Washington Times
Review
and#8216;Kristie Macrakisand#8217;s Prisoners, Lovers and Spies is subtitled The Story of Invisible Ink from Herodotus to al-Qaeda, and this curious accoutrement of the spyand#8217;s trade provides an immensely diverting overview of secretandnbsp; and hidden writing, from lovers making clandestine assignations to Mata Hari providing information for her paymasters ad to details of terrorist operations hidden in pornography.and#8217;and#8212;Barry Forshaw, The Independent
Review
and#8216;Kristie Macrakisand#8217;s gripping study of secret writing in its hidden or invisible form is chiefly a history of espionage techniques, or what John le Carre used to call tradecraft.and#8217;and#8212;Roger Lewis, Daily Mail
Review
and#8216;Kristie Macrakis, an American historian of secrecy, has chosen a subject full of colour and humour.and#8217;and#8212;Oliver Moody, The Times
Review
'A beguilingly informative and sweeping survey of hidden communication.'and#8212;Nigel Jones,
The Spectator
Synopsis
The first history of invisible ink revealed through thrilling stories about scoundrels and heroes and their ingenious methods for concealing messages.
Synopsis
The first history of invisible ink revealed through thrilling stories about scoundrels and heroes and their ingenious methods for concealing messages.
Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies is a book about concealing and revealing secret communications. It is the first history of invisible writing, uncovered through stories about scoundrels and heroes. Spies were imprisoned or murdered, adultery unmasked, and battles lost because of faulty or intercepted secret communications. Yet, successfully hidden writing helped save lives, win battles, and ensure privacy; occasionally it even changed the course of history.
Kristie Macrakis combines a storyteller s sense of drama with a historian s respect for evidence in this page-turning history of intrigue and espionage, love and war, magic and secrecy. From the piazzas of ancient Rome to the spy capitals of the Cold War, Macrakis's global history reveals the drama and importance of invisible ink. From Ovid s advice to use milk for illicit love notes, to John Gerard's dramatic escape from the Tower of London aided by orange juice ink messages, to al-Qaeda s hidden instructions in pornographic movies, this book presents spellbinding stories of secret messaging that chart its evolution in sophistication and its impact on history. An appendix includes fun kitchen chemistry recipes for readers to try out at home."
About the Author
Kristie Macrakis, the author or editor of five books, is professor of history, technology, and society at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her other books include Surviving the Swastika and Seduced by Secrets. She lives in Atlanta, GA.