The Riddle of the Sands A Record of Secret Service Recently Achieved

"The first and best of spy stories."--The Times "This is a book of great renown. . . . Its beautifully sustained atmosphere . . . adds poetry, and . . . real mystery." -Ian Fleming While on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Written by Childers who served in the Royal Navy during World War I, as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses, The Riddle of the Sands accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since, praised as much for its nautical action as for its suspenseful spycraft. "First published in 1903, Childers' novel caused a sensation in Britain. It is a vivid account of German preparations to invade England, released at a time when tensions between the countries were rising. Carruthers, a young staff member in the foreign office, is invited by Davies, a Cambridge friend, on a yachting holiday in the Frisian Islands along Germany's north coast. Carruthers is appalled. The "yacht," Dulcibella, is a spartan 30-footer, and the poorly charted sea is a maze of shifting sands, conflicting currents, and volatile weather. The two men soon come to believe that the German government is planning war, and they set out to gather proof. Named by The Guardian as one of the 100 greatest novels of all time, The Riddle of the Sands has delighted generations of sailing aficionados and thriller readers with its nautical and political verisimilitude. That said, it is also a Victorian-era tale that challenges contemporary readers with its dense and detailed expository writing about sailing and the machinations of the Germans." -Thomas Gaughan, Booklist