Secret Service

Between Silk and Cyanide is a book by former SOE cryptographer Leo Marks, describing his work during the Second World War. The title is derived from an incident related in the book, when he is asked why spies in occupied Europe should have their cryptographic material written on silk (which was in very short supply). Marks said that he replied that it was "between silk and cyanide," meaning that it was a choice between a spy surviving, and having to take a suicide pill.

"A Comet book."

First paperback ed. published 1977.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 894-904) and index.

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London: Unwin Hyman. 1989. Octavo Size [approx 15.5 x 22.8cm]. Very Good in Very Good Dustjacket. DJ protected in our purpose-made clear archival plastic sleeve. 276 pages. Presents the history of Britain's covert counter-subversive agencies from earliest times to Spycatcher. It disentangles the secret state from the web of myth which has surrounded it in the past. Robust, professional packaging and tracking provided for all parcels. . 1st Edition. Hardback.

Philadelphia: L.C. Baker, 1867. Cloth is blind-stamped. Spine lettered in gilt. Spine is sunned to tan. Previous owner's signature in old hand on front free endpaper. Frontispiece portrait of the author with tissue-guard. Full-page illustrations scattered through the text. Lafayette Curry Baker (1826-1868) was a U.S. investigator and spy. He served in the Union Army under Lincoln and Johnson. He helped track down Lincoln's assassins, was later fired by Johnson who thought Baker was spying on him.... Read more about this item

London: Heinemann. 1985. Large octavo size [16x24cm approx]. Very Good condition in Very Good Dustjacket. DJ protected in our purpose-made plastic sleeve. Illustrated with Black and White Photographs. 616 pages. Robust, professional packaging and tracking provided for all parcels. . 1st Edition. Hardback.

New York: William Morrow and Company, 1982. Advance Reading Copy (ARC) . Large Softcover. Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. THE NEW COLLECTIBLE! This is the limited edition (advance) "Uncorrected Bound Galleys" state - not quite the same as, but often referred to as an Advance Reading Copy, or ARC - fast becoming an attractive "collectible", as it precedes the First Edition. Perry gives us a revelatory history of the CIA, paying special attention to the period... Read more about this item

Free Press (Simon & Schuster). Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Jacket. 1999. Reprint; 3rd Printing. Hardcover. 0684864223 . In 1942, with a black-market chicken tucked under his arm by his mother, Leo Marks left his father's famous bookshop, 84 Charing Cross Road, and went off to fight the war. He was 22, a cryptographer genius and became head of communications at the Special Operations Executive (SOE) , where he revolutionized the codemaking techniques of the Allies. ; Small 4to 9" -... Read more about this item

(Lawrence): University Press of Kansas, 1996. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First edition. 307pp. Fine in fine dustwrapper.