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
Results 1-3 of 41
Page 160
... Dinner was at seven , and , wishing to be in the dining- room before anyone else so that he could take stock of his fellow - guests as they entered , he went down as soon as he heard the bell . It was a very plain , stiff , whitewashed ...
... Dinner was at seven , and , wishing to be in the dining- room before anyone else so that he could take stock of his fellow - guests as they entered , he went down as soon as he heard the bell . It was a very plain , stiff , whitewashed ...
Page 211
William Somerset Maugham. after dinner he could decently take his leave . At eleven he had an appointment with Herbartus at the Hotel de Paris . The dinner came to an end and coffee was brought in . Sir Herbert knew good food and good ...
William Somerset Maugham. after dinner he could decently take his leave . At eleven he had an appointment with Herbartus at the Hotel de Paris . The dinner came to an end and coffee was brought in . Sir Herbert knew good food and good ...
Page 260
... dinner speaker and had read all the best books on speaking in public . He knew ex- actly how to get on good terms with his audience , just where to put in the serious words that touched their hearts , how to catch their attention by a ...
... dinner speaker and had read all the best books on speaking in public . He knew ex- actly how to get on good terms with his audience , just where to put in the serious words that touched their hearts , how to catch their attention by a ...
Other editions - View all
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