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 62
... train fever : an hour before his train was due he began to have apprehensions lest he should miss it ; he was im- patient with the porters who would never bring his luggage down from his room in time and he could not understand why the ...
... train fever : an hour before his train was due he began to have apprehensions lest he should miss it ; he was im- patient with the porters who would never bring his luggage down from his room in time and he could not understand why the ...
Page 251
... train and in Yokohama he had heard rumours that in one or two places bridges had been blown up and the line cut . He was told that the soldiers , completely out of hand , would rob him of everything he possessed and turn him out on the ...
... train and in Yokohama he had heard rumours that in one or two places bridges had been blown up and the line cut . He was told that the soldiers , completely out of hand , would rob him of everything he possessed and turn him out on the ...
Page 252
... train starts . There's al- ways an awful scrimmage and if you're not there in good time someone will pinch your seat . " The train started at midnight and Ashenden dined with Benedict at the station restaurant which was , it appeared ...
... train starts . There's al- ways an awful scrimmage and if you're not there in good time someone will pinch your seat . " The train started at midnight and Ashenden dined with Benedict at the station restaurant which was , it appeared ...
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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