Ashenden, Or: The British AgentAshenden: The British Agent is founded on Maugham's experiences in the English Intelligence Department during World War I, but rearranged for the purposes of fiction. This fascinating book contains the most expert stories of espionage ever written. For a period of time after it was first published the book became official required reading for persons entering the secret service. The plot follows the imaginary John Ashenden who during World War I is a spy for British Intelligence. He is sent first to Geneva and later to Russia. Instead of one story from start to finish, the chapters contain individual stories involving many different characters. All of the people whom Ashenden meets during his travels have their own reason for being involved in the spy game, and each are more complex than they first look. |
From inside the book
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Page 28
... Holzminden and wondered what on earth he was doing there . This was the German agent in Vevey and he came over to Geneva only on occasion . Once Ashenden had seen him in the old quarter of the city , with its silent houses and deserted ...
... Holzminden and wondered what on earth he was doing there . This was the German agent in Vevey and he came over to Geneva only on occasion . Once Ashenden had seen him in the old quarter of the city , with its silent houses and deserted ...
Page 29
... Holzminden had never set foot in that hotel before and it was unlikely that he had done so now without good reason . Ashenden asked himself whether this event had anything to do with the unusual presence in the dining- room of Prince ...
... Holzminden had never set foot in that hotel before and it was unlikely that he had done so now without good reason . Ashenden asked himself whether this event had anything to do with the unusual presence in the dining- room of Prince ...
Page 32
... Holzminden , Ashenden feeling very gay hazarded the shadow of a wink . The German agent could not be quite sure of it and if he suspected it might rack his brains to discover what mystery it portended . Ashenden walked up to the second ...
... Holzminden , Ashenden feeling very gay hazarded the shadow of a wink . The German agent could not be quite sure of it and if he suspected it might rack his brains to discover what mystery it portended . Ashenden walked up to the second ...
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Common terms and phrases
agent Alix ambassador Anastasia Alexandrovna answer Ashen Ashenden felt Ashenden knew Ashenden looked Ashenden saw Ashenden thought asked Ashenden baroness bassador Bolsheviks Brindisi Byring Caypor chance Chandra Colonel course cried Delilah detective dine dinner door enden English everything eyes face Fafner feeling fellow fool France Fritzi gave Geneva German Giulia give glance Gustav Hairless Mexican hand Harrington head heart Herbert Witherspoon Holzminden hour humour lake laughed Lausanne Lazzari letter Lucerne married Mexican opened mind Miss King Monsieur morning neutral country never night notion O'Malley once opened Paris passport Petrograd play round Russian scrambled eggs seemed shoulders shrugged Sir Herbert sitting smile Somerville stood story Swiss Switzerland talk tell there's thing Thonon tion told took train turned Vladimir wait walked watched wife woman wondered word write