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 20
... play seemed to him much more real . Bernard smiled . His smile was not engaging . " Do you know that I have only to go to the police and tell them about you to have you arrested ? Do you know what a Swiss prison is like ? " " No , I've ...
... play seemed to him much more real . Bernard smiled . His smile was not engaging . " Do you know that I have only to go to the police and tell them about you to have you arrested ? Do you know what a Swiss prison is like ? " " No , I've ...
Page 34
... play . He had ( he flattered himself ) few illusions about himself , and so far as bridge was concerned none . He knew that he was a good player of the second class , but he had played often enough with the best players in the world to ...
... play . He had ( he flattered himself ) few illusions about himself , and so far as bridge was concerned none . He knew that he was a good player of the second class , but he had played often enough with the best players in the world to ...
Page 71
... play- ing till we reached Rome , but you are sympathetic to me . If it is your own money I do not want to win any more of it . ' He picked up the cards and put them aside . Ashen- den somewhat ruefully took out a number of notes and ...
... play- ing till we reached Rome , but you are sympathetic to me . If it is your own money I do not want to win any more of it . ' He picked up the cards and put them aside . Ashen- den somewhat ruefully took out a number of notes and ...
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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