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 46
... things , " thought Ashenden , " it's cheap and tawdry fiction . " ) — and she had been seized with a desire to do ... thing that was important only in her addled old brain . Ashenden was sick of the people who saw spies in every ...
... things , " thought Ashenden , " it's cheap and tawdry fiction . " ) — and she had been seized with a desire to do ... thing that was important only in her addled old brain . Ashenden was sick of the people who saw spies in every ...
Page 112
... thing . Popular Spanish music and a mantilla , a fan and a high comb . She's been dancing all over Europe for the ... thing rings true , anyhow you'll be reading them , and you can tell me what you think . And then people say there's no ...
... thing . Popular Spanish music and a mantilla , a fan and a high comb . She's been dancing all over Europe for the ... thing rings true , anyhow you'll be reading them , and you can tell me what you think . And then people say there's no ...
Page 148
... thing I should like to ask . I think you have some heart . " " Whatever I can do for you , you may be sure I will . " " What are they going to do with his things ? " " I don't know . Why ? " Then she said something that confounded ...
... thing I should like to ask . I think you have some heart . " " Whatever I can do for you , you may be sure I will . " " What are they going to do with his things ? " " I don't know . Why ? " Then she said something that confounded ...
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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