The Riddle of the Sands

"Erskine Childers's 'The Riddle of the Sands' is often cited as the first modern spy novel. Whether or not that is true is perhaps debatable. However, since 1903 it has remained in print and has been a perennial favorite of readers....Given the directions the spy novel has taken over the past ninety years, 'The Riddle of the Sands' now probably will remind readers more of a Buchanesque adventure novel than an espionage thriller of derring-do....Still, as a precursor to le Carre and company, the novel remains of real interest because it helped to establish the conventions of the genre and stimulated a future interest in spy fiction."Erskine Childers is the author of 'The Riddle of the Sands', published 2000 under ISBN 9780141181653 and ISBN 0141181656.