A History of the World in Spy Objects

Can you ever truly suppress a curious mind? If there was one aim of Mao Zedong’s Cultural ... more

Where does a leader like Fidel Castro place his trust? The answer comes in the form of a b... more

What would you need to go it alone behind enemy lines? For the agents of the notoriously b... more

How does the old spy regard himself, when he’s left alone with his thoughts? The answer to... more

If Nijo Jinya’s walls could talk, what story would they tell? World-renowned architect Ken... more

What’s it like to be the child of a world-famous spy? Gary Powers Jr. takes his name and h... more

Who pays for all the King’s secrets? In between the lines of a tired old accounts ledger, ... more

How dangerous is metadata? According to the artist and author Trevor Paglen, it can be dea... more

Who keeps on moving the coffee pot? That innocent question plunges one East German woman i... more

How did Napoleon keep a sprawling empire under his thumb? Ask Sheehan Quirke – who runs th... more

What secrets are hiding under the bed? For the Portuguese artist and sculptor, Joana Vasco... more

How do you solve a problem like a Russian radar? That question lies at the heart of one of... more

What official secrets hide inside that battered red leather box? Popular historian Dan Sno... more

What did George Orwell and the CIA have in common? Perhaps more than the great socialist w... more

To whom do retired spies turn after the collapse of their mission? Los Angeles’ Wende Muse... more

What does it take to betray your country? Less than you might think. Dr. Elizabeth Bruton ... more

How many secrets weigh 1500 lbs, cost $100 million, and travel at 600 mph? Only one that w... more

How much depended on breaking Enigma’s code? Mathematician James Grime and host, Alice Lox... more

For how long could you keep a secret? In the case of Joan Bright Astley, the answer was ‘T... more

How can a button save your life?  It depends on who your tailor is. Military history exper... more

What was the sharp pain that Georgi Markov felt in his ankle as he crossed London’s Waterl... more

What connects the radical 20th century painter Jackson Pollock and the CIA?  More than you... more

The Enigma Machine. The B2 stealth bomber. The poisoned-tipped umbrella. Napoleon’s Briefc... more