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The Riddle of the Sands is one of the earliest examples of the spy novel genre, and became hugely popular shortly after its publication. Childers carefully interweaves fiction with real-world places, events, and politics, making for an extremely convincing story of invasion—so convincing that some (perhaps erroneously) credit the novel with spurring the creation of new English naval bases. The framing device, where Childers pretends to be an editor presenting a factual account, only adds to the believability of the story.
The novel begins with Carruthers, an official in the Foreign Office, accepting an invitation from his friend Davies for what he assumes is a pleasure trip on a sailboat in the Baltic sea. As the two embark on their journey, it quickly becomes apparent that not everything is at it seems on the German coast.
Riddle helped energize the spy novel genre, providing a template for countless authors to come, including Ian Fleming and John le Carré, and has been adapted numerous times for film, television and radio.
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Previews available in: English
Subjects
Great britain, fiction, Fiction, action & adventure, Fiction, thrillers, espionage, Fiction, alternative history, Fiction, sea stories, Large type books, Fiction, Invasions, History, Secret service, Sailing, British, Classic Literature, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, espionage, General, Invasions of Great Britain, English Spy stories, Secret service -- Fiction, Sailing -- Fiction, Spy fiction, Alternative histories (Fiction), Adventure fiction, Sea stories, Great Britain -- History -- Invasions -- Fiction, Frisian Islands -- Fiction, Great Britain -- History, Europe -- Frisian Islands, Great Britain, Readers, English language, juvenile literaturePlaces
Great Britain, Frisian Islands, EuropeShowing 11 featured editions. View all 526 editions?
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The Riddle of the Sands
Nov 07, 2017, Macmillan Collector's Library
hardcover
1509843159 9781509843152
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The Riddle of the Sands
Apr 16, 2014, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
paperback
1499158858 9781499158854
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The riddle of the sands: a record of secret service
2011, Penguin Books, Penguin Classics
in English
0143106325 9780143106326
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The riddle of the sands
2009, Atlantic Books
in English
- Crime Classics ed.
1843549085 9781843549086
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The riddle of the sands: a record of secret service
2007, Penguin Books
in English
0141190450 9780141190457
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The riddle of the sands: a record of secret service
1999, Penguin
in English
0141181656 9780141181653
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The riddle of the sands: a record of secret service
1978, Sidgwick & Jackson in association with New English Library
in English
- New edition.
0283985127 9780283985126
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The riddle of the sands: a record of secret service
1978, Penguin Books
in English
0140009051 9780140009057
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THE RIDDLE OF THE SANDS. A RECORD OF SECRET SERVICE. BY ERSKINE CHILDERS. FOREW. BY ERSKINE HAMILTON CHILDERS. INTROD. BY THE EARL OF LONGFORD
1972, SIDGWICK AND JACKSON
in English
0283979070 9780283979071
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Book Details
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Work 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.
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