The Literary Spy: The Ultimate Source for Quotations on Espionage & Intelligence

Rating:
Summary: Superb resource for amateurs and professionals
Review: I saw this book last night and snapped it up immediately. I have been an intelligence analyst for the government for a long time now, and I love using appropriate quotes to set off reports and presentations. Needless to say, "the Literary Spy" is jam-packed with them.

A few of the quotes aren't that striking, but a lot are. I particularly liked the sections about counterintelligence, deception, and traitors "in their own words."

I think this book is also a good one for the intelligence "buff" as well as people who just like pithy quotations. I imagine students writing papers about espionage would find it very useful as well.

In short, it's worth every penny, and I congratulate the author.

Rating:
Summary: A Singular Work
Review: Lathrop is to be commended for his literary accomplishment, accurately billed as "the ultimate source for quotations on espionage and intelligence." The Literary Spy, in fact, stands alone as the only reference of its kind on an intensely fascinating and largely unknown subject. Drawing upon his lengthy experience as a Central Intelligence Agency officer, Lathrop has amassed and catalogued over 3,000 quotations dealing with everything from "Assassination" to "Weapons of Mass Destruction" from sources as varied as the Old Testament to Washington Post columnist--and perennial CIA critic--Mary McGrory. The reader is treated to an enjoyable blend of timeless, "stand-alone" quotations made better by Lathrop's wit and scholarship. Henry Stimpson's quote (made in 1929) that "gentlemen do not read each other's mail," for instance, is followed by Director of Central Intelligence Allen Dulles' response (made in 1963) that "gentlemen do read each other's mail-if they can get their hands on it." The reader is further treated to quotes they would not otherwise have access to, such as a resume submitted by a dentist to the CIA, in which he proffers his services "for the interrogation of anybody you choose." [Lathrop assures the reader the dentist was not hired, despite his patriotic sentiment.] As a reference, the Literary Spy is remarkably well-structured. In addition to the necessary table of contents, glossary, and selected bibliography, Lathrop includes a useful index of sources, and separate subject index. The book is a must-have reference for any serious intelligence professional. If this reviewer has a criticism, it is only a minor quibble with the lack of quotes from retired Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters on the subject of Military and Naval Intelligence. A trifle, considering the priceless contribution Charles Erasmus Lathrop has made in the finest tradition of Sherman Kent, the man who urged the creation of literature for the intelligence profession.