Eric Ambler, Len Deighton, Geoffrey Household, John Le Carré, Compton Mackenzie, Ian Fleming—these are just a few of the well-known authors included, along with others who are lesser known, in this handy reference book. Donald McCormick considers their most important or unusual work, analyzes their role in the development of spy fiction as a genre and, perhaps most important, examines how spy fiction is often based on spy fact.Indeed many of the contributors included here have themselves been involved in Intelligence work, and they are often so close to the mark in their fiction that agencies such as the CIA and KGB employ staff solely to read all the espionage fiction that is published in case any of their operations have been "blown". Alphabetically arranged for easy reference, each entry contains brief biographical details about the writer as well as a survey of his or her work in this field. The entries are prefaced by an astute and provocative look at the development of spy fiction from the earliest Chinese practitioners to the present day.