14 used & new from £2.73
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
MI6: Fifty Years of Special Operations
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

MI6: Fifty Years of Special Operations (Paperback)

by Stephen Dorril (Author)
2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


1 new from £65.95 13 used from £2.73
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 22 used & new from £4.86
Paperback Order it used
12 Days of Christmas Sale in Books
12 Days of Christmas Sale in Books
Get up to 65% off some of our top titles. Shop now

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Jobs at MI6 opens new browser window
www.sis.gov.uk  -  People from the whole community Wanted to help protect the UK. 
   Special Ops Watches opens new browser window
www.SpecialOpsWatch.co.uk  -  It's Time you Had this Watch Great Value - Order Now! 
   Global Security India opens new browser window
www.globalsecindia.com  -  Dedicated Trade Show On Homeland Security In India. 28-30 Apr 2010 
  
 

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

MI6

MI6

by Stephen Dorril
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £12.49
MI6 and the Machinery of Spying (Studies in Intelligence)

MI6 and the Machinery of Spying (Studies in Intelligence)

by PHILIP DAVIES
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £20.23
British Intelligence: Secrets, spies and sources

British Intelligence: Secrets, spies and sources

by Stephen Twigge
3.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £9.00
The Operators: On the Streets with Britain's Most Secret Service (Pen & Sword Military Classics)

The Operators: On the Streets with Britain's Most Secret Service (Pen & Sword Military Classics)

by James Rennie
4.2 out of 5 stars (20)  £5.49
Global Intelligence: The World's Secret Services Today (Global Issues)

Global Intelligence: The World's Secret Services Today (Global Issues)

by Paul Todd
£6.44
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 928 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd; New edition edition (5 Feb 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857027019
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857027013
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 14.8 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 277,954 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

To the person in the street, the British secret service conjures up images of the shaken, but never stirred suavity of James Bond. The reality of life inside MI6--the Security Service responsible for British operations outside of the United Kingdom--is a more dark narrative of intrigue and ineptitude, alleges Stephen Dorril, author of this comprehensive and weighty tome. Don't plan to put this on your light reading list, for MI6 is a huge and dense book: 800 pages of text, plus a list of acronyms that runs to six pages and over 60 pages of notes. Dorril begins by observing that "Researching secret agencies--and there are a few more secret than MI6--is obviously a difficult task"; in the light of this he's done an admirable job. From his position as an outsider (Dorril has never been a member of the Security Services but has been researching their activities for nearly 20 years), his access to information and scholarship has little parallel in the murky history of whistle-blowers and legal actions. MI6 is crammed with information for the security service buff and the lay-person alike (although the latter may find the denseness of the text a little hard-going at times), which is by turn extraordinary, darkly comical and alarming, but never less than a remarkable insight into a service that operates in our name. --Carina Trimingham --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Guardian

'A remarkable achievement ... which any student of the secret world should read."
See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(7)
(6)
(5)
(3)
(4)
(4)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

MI6: Fifty Years of Special Operations
48% buy the item featured on this page:
MI6: Fifty Years of Special Operations 2.8 out of 5 stars (4)
Global Intelligence: The World's Secret Services Today (Global Issues)
18% buy
Global Intelligence: The World's Secret Services Today (Global Issues)
£6.44
MI6 and the Machinery of Spying (Studies in Intelligence)
17% buy
MI6 and the Machinery of Spying (Studies in Intelligence) 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
£20.23
At Her Majesty's Secret Service: The Chiefs of Britain's Intelligence Agency, MI6
9% buy
At Her Majesty's Secret Service: The Chiefs of Britain's Intelligence Agency, MI6
£16.27
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
2.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A mammoth piece of work, 28 Sep 2001
By A Customer
This book took me about four months to read, which was not for want of trying to finish it or because I became bored of the reading. It was more to do with the fact that it is a huge piece of work and and should not be read whilst in a half-hearted state or before bed. To enjoy reading this book, the reader must be alert and in the right frame of mind. At times it is very detailed and complex, there are a multitude of names to remember and it truly is one the most informative books I've ever read. A potential buyer would do well to read up what the book is about before jumping into a random purchase that they might regret at a later date. The book is both informative and a very historical narrative of MI6; detailing influential figures, strategies adopted and operations undertaken (both those carried out and those aborted). There are eye-opening sections of the book and Dorril whips off the cloak that the Secret Service has previously been shrouded in. No stone is left unturned in what must have taken many painstaking hours of research, and the reader is left with the unassailingly distinct impression that they have learnt a great deal about MI6, and to a lesser extent, MI5. There are great moments in the book when the United Kingdom government are shown to have awareness of situations that they openly deny in the House of Commons and when questioned by the media. I would be lying if I said the book didn't become tedious at times, especially when the narrative of historical information is at its peak; but you have to appreciate the reasons Dorril had for writing this book. It is a truly memorable piece of research that it undoubtedly a work of art for any study encompassing the secret service in this country. Bearing in mind the purpose of the book, it is only right it receives the full five stars.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Very Difficult, 2 Jul 2004
I'm afraid that I have to agree with the opinion that this book is difficult to read. I have no quibble with the writing style, simply the level of detail included about events which most readers will consider of little interest, for example, the exact details of the agenda and individuals present at a whole series of JIC meetings in the 40s. Twice I have had to put it back on the self out of sheer boredom - it won't be attempted a third time.
As an academic study, I am sure that it is unrivalled but I cannot recommend it to anyone simply interested in the general area.

Note to the author or his editor - cut this book by approx. 60% and you will have yourself a bestseller, especially in the current climate of 'dodgy dossiers' etc.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and detailed but a very tough read., 1 Mar 2001
This review is from: MI6 - Fifty Years of Special Operations (Hardcover)
The subject matter is perhaps too broad for the average reader (i.e. me!!). I was more interested in the more recent history of MI6, but found myself reading through chapters and chapters of meticulous descriptions of events during and after the second world war, very tedious. Sorry Mr Dorril, I had great hopes for this book but found myself being bogged down by irrelevant details. Worth reading if you start from the back and work your way forwards!!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars More proofreading required...
I'm currently rereading this, having got it when it came out. I have it as a reference shelf stalwart, because the index is somewhat extensive. Read more
Published 1 month ago by BristleKRS

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject













i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.