From Hitchcock to Herron, Spies on Screen is the first comprehensive guide of the modern era, including the British and American films that have defined the genre alongside their foreign influences. It features more than 900 case studies and covers every major espionage movie and TV series, by way of romance, escapism, explosive action and gritty realism. Written by a lifelong lover of espionage on screen, each entry notes the director, key actors, writers, plot outlines and their inspirations - from both the real world and fiction.

More popular than ever, the genre that first exploded during the Cold War continues to offer an insight into the world around us, reflecting topical concerns surrounding geopolitics, personal betrayals, issues of privacy and state control, cyber wars and counterterrorism. In a series of compelling and accessible essays, this guide defines the trends, themes and transformations of spying across more than a century of hot and cold conflict.

Taking in everything from Oscar winners, Nobel laureates, auteurs and real-life spies to the high octane thrills of Bond and Bourne and the calculated cool of mole hunter George Smiley; from silent movies to the latest streaming series - they are all here. Whether you are hoping to discover a new series or to reconnect with a forgotten classic, look no further.

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By Paul Burke



Spies on Screen is utterly comprehensive, but it is more than that. Burke has provided a judicious overview of each era of espionage on film and television and selected the keystones of the genre with intelligence and care. Along with his upcoming Encyclopedia of Spy Fiction it will prove to be utterly indispensable to anyone who has an interest in this great genre, which reflects the headlines of the day and delves deeply into the human psyche of loyalty and betrayal. Burke is a master chronicler who understands not just the classics of the genre but the comedies, action thrillers and satires too. It is impossible to imagine that this book will ever be bettered. The only problem is that we need to clone Burke so it can be updated forever]]>