Spycraft : tricks and tools of the dangerous trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration /Nadine Akkermann & Pete Langman.

"As the sixteeth century drew to a close, Europe had become a hotbed espionage. Spies, spy-catchers, and conspirators pitted their wits against each other in deadly games of hide and seek. Theirs was a dangerous trade - only those who mastered the latest techniques would survive. In this engaging account, Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman explore the methods spies actually used in the period, including disguises, invisible inks, and even poisons. Drawing on a wealth of archival sources, they demonstrate how understanding the tricks and tools of espionage allows new insight into key events like the Babington and Gunpowder plots. They describe the technololgical innovations made by petty criminals, secretaries and other invisible actors which shaped the fate of some of history's most iconic figures. Spycraft traces how early modern spies sought to protect their own secrets while exposing those of their enemies - and provides the curious reader with a guide to this incredibly inventive moment in the long history of deception."