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The Riddle of the Sands: a Record of Secret Service (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

by Erskine Childers (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
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  • This item: The Riddle of the Sands: a Record of Secret Service (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) by Erskine Childers

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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (3 Jun 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141181656
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141181653
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 36,897 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #38 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Mystery > British Detectives

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Product Description

Product Description

Childers's lone masterpiece, THE RIDDLE OF THE SANDS, considered the first modern spy thriller, is recognisable as the brilliant forerunner of the realism of Graham Greene and John le Carre. Its unique flavour comes from its fine characterization,richly authentic background of inshore sailing and vivid evocation of the late 1890s - an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and intrigue that was soon to lead to war.


About the Author

Erskine Childers was born in Ireland in 1870 of Anglo-Irish parents. Educated at Cambridge, he worked at the House of Commons before volunteering at the outbreak of the South African War. In 1910 Childers resigned his post in the Commons to work for the Irish cause and later did reconnaissance work during WWI. After the war he settled in Ireland and joined the Republican Army at the establishment of the Free State. He was amongst those arrested and shot in the civil war that followed.
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The Riddle of the Sands: a Record of Secret Service (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (3)
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 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical spy thriller with a nautical theme, 19 Sep 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Riddle of the Sands (Paperback)
Set in the period before the First World War, this gripping story tells of the adventures of a yachtsman and his non-sailing friend as they uncover disturbing events in the eastern North Sea in a small boat.

For sailors and non-sailors alike, this is a classic spy novel where the protagonists' curiosity and sense of adventure combine with sinister military planning in the misty waters around the Frisian islands. If you enjoy historical novels, this is a great read.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book, 12 April 2006
By Sarah J. Marquis "SassyJ" (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Riddle of the Sands (Hardcover)
This is a beautiful book, I loved every second, have read it cover to cover many times. The story brilliantly captures the nervousness of the period leading up to the Great War. The atmosphere is amazing, you can almost see the cold windswept dunes of the German coast. The tension builds fast to the climax and the ambiguous ending just leaves you wishing that there was more.
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44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest adventure novel ever., 27 Oct 2003
By Ian Thumwood "ian17577" (Winchester) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Riddle of the Sands: A Record of Secret Service (Penguin Popular Classics) (Paperback)
This novel, the first ever spy story, is truly of it's era. The story's heroes may seem quaint by the standards of the 21st Century (it is interesting to observe the manners between foes!!)but Childer's novel accurately predicted that Britain's main threat at the turn of the 20th Century was Germany rather than the more traditional foe of France. Consequently, this book caused shock waves in England and Childers even received the wrath of Winston Churchill such was it's radical prediction. Whilst no invasion via the Frisian Islands materialised, it is allged that this book prompted the navy to develop it's base at Scarpa Flow. Clearly this book was explosive stuff one hundred years ago!
The story concerns two men who uncover the covert plans of the German navy whilst under the pretext of hunting for duck. Whilst the first half of the book concerns itself with aspects of sailing and builds up a tremendous atmosphere that evokes the period and bleakness of the coast of Germany, the pace accelerates as the incredible truth eventually becomes apparent...
Having re-visited this book over and over again, for me it represents my defining image of the twilight of the British Empire. This is a must for all lovers of well -written spy and adventure stories.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars My desert island read?
This is a book that I have returned to more times than I can count.

It has a great story line and to twenty first century eyes it provides a fascinating insight into... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Listener

4.0 out of 5 stars Heligoland interest
This was of especial interest because the reader's friend had been in charge of a boat in the area during the 2nd World War. He also thoroughly enjoyed it.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. Marion Ferrett

2.0 out of 5 stars Yachting for Boys
This is widely regarded as one of the very earliest spy novels and is of interest from that perspective. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Officer Dibble

3.0 out of 5 stars Any Curates out there?
This is a perfectly ADEQUATE edition of Childers' splendid mystery, certainly the first of a kind in the 20th century. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. N. Pittard

1.0 out of 5 stars the riddle of the sands
Found the plot painfully slow with odd flurry of excitement but overall boring and hard to follow, Gripped??...NOT. Would not recommend it.
Published 10 months ago by gill

2.0 out of 5 stars very slow starter
This book was recommended to me because I bought the 39 steps by John Buchan so I assumed it would be along similar lines. Read more
Published 12 months ago by H. R. Bowl

2.0 out of 5 stars Riddle: where's the spy story?
It has a nice picture on the front. And it has a few nice sea scenes in it (a lot of rain, mist and wind on the North Sea). Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2006 by WhiteCrow

4.0 out of 5 stars Riddle Of The Sands
This is just a beautifully crafted book. Although its espionage is old fashioned (no e-mails or computer codes here) the descriptive writing that Childers uses to depict the... Read more
Published on 14 Jul 2006 by R. W. Morrissey

5.0 out of 5 stars the riddle of the sands
I saw the film of this but I liked the book so much I read it 3 times. I enjoyed the way the plot unfolds and I loved the descriptions around the Frisian Islands of the maze of... Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2005 by R. C. Morris

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mystery on the Tides
I suspect, like many people, I was one of those who knew the title of this book but did not have the faintest clue as to its contents. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2001

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