The author has chosen seventeen of the most important or representative British spy novelists to write about. He presents some basic literary analysis and criticism, trying both to place them in historical perspective and to describe and analyze the content and form of their fiction.

Additional edition statement from dust jacket.

This book, first published in 1955, was written at the request of the BBC in an attempt to help the professional writer to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the television medium. This title will be of interest to students of history, literature and media studies, and will also appeal to the general reader who is interested in knowing how television programmes were constructed.