Includes bibliographical references and index.

What is a spy? -- Types of spy -- Secret tool kit -- Seeing the invisible -- Bugs and taps -- Listening in -- Dropping in -- Animal spies -- Secret messages -- Codes and ciphers -- Intercepts and code-breaking -- Concealment -- Spies at war -- Cover story -- Agents, moles and defectors -- Secret weapons -- Cold War -- Spymasters -- Secret services -- Surveillance at work -- Industrial espionage -- Counterintelligence -- Spy-catching -- Spying without spies -- Spying today -- Spying and you -- Famous spies -- Spies in fiction -- Rogues' gallery -- Timeline of modern spying -- Find out more -- Glossary -- Index.

"This book presents information about men and women spies throughout history as well as about the tools and equipment they used in espionage and intelligence service. You can also be an eyewitness to some of the world's most shadowy characters, and get the inside scoop on the ingenious gadgets that real-life spies have used to gather and send information without getting caught."--Publisher's description.