Product Review

From Library Journal Written by an intelligence professional, this treatment of Civil War espionage reflects his background; he frequently interjects his opinions and provides deep detail for operational topics. Although Markle's informal and enthusiastic style is quite readable, the book's topical organization and exhaustive treatment of some fairly arcane topics make it more useful for researchers than general readers. In fact, the book's final five chapters have a quasi-reference organization; featuring Markle's discussions of all known Civil War spies, they would alone make the book worth considering for academic libraries... this is the most general account in print. Fritz Buckallew, Univ. of Central Oklahoma Lib., Edmond From Booklist The history of Civil War espionage is usually mentioned only in passing in general accounts of the war. Lying under a cloud of romanticism, its details have had to be ferreted out in specialized sources. For his complete account of the subject, Markle draws upon just about all the available material and summarizes it with judgment, balance, clarity, and occasional wit. Among the subtopics are technology (photography for mapmaking and Confederate use of a forerunner of microfilm), the value of women spies (less subject to suspicion, they could move with greater freedom than male spies), and the roles of blacks as spies. A good case could be made that this volume is the single most valuable contribution to general Civil War literature so far this year. Roland Green