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Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 941
EAN: 9780452287471
ISBN: 0452287472
Label: Plume
Manufacturer: Plume
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: July 25, 2006
Publisher: Plume
Studio: Plume
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Editorial Review:
Queen Elizabeth I and Englands First Spymaster Sir Francis Walsinghams official title was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I, but in fact this pious, tight-lipped Puritan was Englands first spymaster. A ruthless, fiercely loyal civil servant, Walsingham worked brilliantly behind the scenes to foil Elizabeths rival Mary Queen of Scots and outwit Catholic Spain and France, which had arrayed their forces behind her. Though he cut an incongruous figure in Elizabeths worldly court, Walsingham managed to win the trust of key players like William Cecil and the Earl of Leicester before launching his own secret campaign against the queens enemies. Covert operations were Walsinghams genius; he pioneered techniques for exploiting double agents, spreading disinformation, and deciphering codes with the latest code-breaking science that remain staples of international espionage.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Slim; skim it or skip it
Tipoff at that start that this was not going to be anything but an exhaustive first draft of history: a 4-page list of names at the beginning of a small book that barely topped 200 pages. And author Budiansky proceeds to use them all in journalistic style, with no summary, narrative, or placing of Walsingham in the context of modern espionage as the subtitle claims.
I ended up skimming the last 100 pages.
Rating:  - Espionage, Black Propaganda and Covert Action, in Elizabethan England. Learn how a brilliant master did it.
A short, yet comprehensive study of Sir Francis Walsingham. A brilliant spy master. He coordinated espionage activities against Spain and France and internal enemies (both real and unfortunately imagined) of Queen Elizabeth I.
This history shows black operations and black propaganda, influence operations, the acquisition of foreign intelligence, the recruitment of agents, covert action, mail intercept, etc. It's about the figurative "puppet master" - the Privy Councillor - that affected ... Read More
Rating:  - OK in its way
I found the book interesting, but not absorbing. The writer jumps from subject to subject and event to event. The writing is good, but it could be more chronological.
Rating:  - espionage and treachery under Elizabeth I
This is a popular history of events in the reign of Elizabeth I, focused on the life of Sir Francis Walsingham, a senior member of the privy council who was responsible for a wide array of cloak-and-dagger work. It includes many details of the intricate and treacherous world of spies and double agents of the period, including the intercepted letters that eventually led to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.
It is sometimes a little light, but it is very readable. It helped me better understand ... Read More
Rating: - Disappointing
After buying this book following a positive newspaper review, I was very disappointed. I was expecting a discussion of Francis Walsingham, with some historical background and supporting commentary on Elizabeth I and her times. Instead, the book is a commentary on the times of Elizabeth I and associated historical events that just happens to mention Francis Walsingham. If you're looking for a broad view of the times and events leading up to Walsingham's more well-known exploits, this book may interest you. Even ... Read More
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