| Vendor | |
|---|---|
|
Fletcher Agency
Melissa Chinchillo |
| Original language | |
| English | |
PRISONERS, LOVERS & SPIES
The Story of Invisible Ink from Herodotus to al-Qaeda
A social and cultural history of invisible ink, hidden writing and secret communications, along with the colorful cast of characters who have used them over the ages.
More than a fascinating curiosity, the history of invisible ink and steganography (hidden writing) offers us a window into the world of secrecy. It’s a dramatic narrative where the outcome of wars, the unmasking of enemy intentions and the fate of political leaders depended on the arcane expertise of a small group of scientists.
Harvard Ph.D. Kristie Macrakis pieces together this rich history through individual stories that are often suspenseful and always fascinating, tracing the life and times of secret writing from the ancient Greeks to the present day. Prisoners, Lovers and Spies is bookended on one end with Herodotus’ wax tablets and on the other end with Al-Queda’s hidden messages in digital pornographic movies.
In between are stories of international intrigue, of life and death, of love and war, and of magic and wonder. From Ovid advising lovers to use invisible writing for their risqué communications, to George Washington calling it “the sympathetic stain” that helped him win the revolutionary war, to German spies who soaked and squeezed invisible ink from a scarf to write a secret letter to spy headquarters—secret communications have played a pivotal role throughout history.
Spies were imprisoned or died, adultery unmasked and battles were lost because of faulty or intercepted secret communications, but successful hidden writing helped save lives, win battles, ensure privacy and, at least once, changed the course of history.
The book also reveals one of the CIA’s closely guarded secrets, made possible by documents Macrakis obtained from European archival sources. The papers relate to German secret ink during World War I and the CIA has refused to de-classify the documents to this day.
Kristie Macrakis holds a Ph.D. in the history of science from Harvard University and is the author of three earlier books: Surviving the Swastika (Oxford, 1993), Science under Socialism (Harvard, 1999) and Seduced by Secrets (Cambridge, 2008). She is Professor of History, Technology and Society at the Georgia Institute of Technology and her articles have appeared in American Scientist, The Intelligencer, Endeavour, and Nature magazines. She has received grants and awards from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the National Science Foundation as well as Fulbright and Humboldt Foundation grants.
Harvard Ph.D. Kristie Macrakis pieces together this rich history through individual stories that are often suspenseful and always fascinating, tracing the life and times of secret writing from the ancient Greeks to the present day. Prisoners, Lovers and Spies is bookended on one end with Herodotus’ wax tablets and on the other end with Al-Queda’s hidden messages in digital pornographic movies.
In between are stories of international intrigue, of life and death, of love and war, and of magic and wonder. From Ovid advising lovers to use invisible writing for their risqué communications, to George Washington calling it “the sympathetic stain” that helped him win the revolutionary war, to German spies who soaked and squeezed invisible ink from a scarf to write a secret letter to spy headquarters—secret communications have played a pivotal role throughout history.
Spies were imprisoned or died, adultery unmasked and battles were lost because of faulty or intercepted secret communications, but successful hidden writing helped save lives, win battles, ensure privacy and, at least once, changed the course of history.
The book also reveals one of the CIA’s closely guarded secrets, made possible by documents Macrakis obtained from European archival sources. The papers relate to German secret ink during World War I and the CIA has refused to de-classify the documents to this day.
Kristie Macrakis holds a Ph.D. in the history of science from Harvard University and is the author of three earlier books: Surviving the Swastika (Oxford, 1993), Science under Socialism (Harvard, 1999) and Seduced by Secrets (Cambridge, 2008). She is Professor of History, Technology and Society at the Georgia Institute of Technology and her articles have appeared in American Scientist, The Intelligencer, Endeavour, and Nature magazines. She has received grants and awards from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the National Science Foundation as well as Fulbright and Humboldt Foundation grants.