Books
Below is a full list of books written by Phillip Knightley. Click on each to view a brief synopsis and country links to Amazon if you wish to purchase a copy and learn more. Alternatively, simply scroll down to see them all.
War and Propaganda
Spies and Spying
Miscellaneous
|
Alexander Orlov - The March of Time, Reminiscences (2004) |
|
|
| Alexander Orlov was a masterspy born in Russia just before the turn of the 20th century. Spotted by the founder of the Soviet secret police, Orlov was behind the creation of the notorious Cambridge network of British spies of Philby, Burgess, Maclean and Blunt, and recruited a large number of moles across Europe for the Russians.
However, when Stalin turned against him, Orlov fled to the States where he lived in secret for years until the American intelligence agencies finally discovered his true identity. Orlov remained undercover, only popping up in 1953 when he delivered an inside account of Stalinist terror in his book The Secret History of Stalin's Crimes. He never betrayed the men he had recruited and so was allowed to live out his days in peace.
As such, many questions remain about Orlov, his activities and his feelings and this book - his personal memoirs - published for the first time, will finally shed some light on this extraordinary man. Phillip edited the memoirs and has written the introduction and epilogue to this intriguing book about one of the intelligence world's most fascinating characters.
Return to top |
|
.
|
The First Casualty (1975, revised most recently 2003) |
|
|
The First Casualty: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist and Myth-Maker is recognised as the definitive book on war reporting and war propaganda.
From William Howard Russell who blew the whistle on the appalling conditions of the British forces in the Crimea, to the correspondents who lifted the lid on the reality of the Vietnam War, through to the modern day, it is a story of heroism and manipulation, censorship and espionage.
The lengths to which governments lie to fool the citizens of the enemy and, even more so, fool their own, has not diminished with the years, it is argued - it has grown.
Chosen as American Book of the Month Club main choice, 1975, the book has been continually revised over the years as new wars occur. An updated paperback edition of the book (November 2003) is now available in the UK to include the US-led war in Iraq.
Return to top |
|
|
Australia - A Biography of a Nation (2000) |
|
|
Part history, part travelogue, part memoir, this book tells the inspiring story of how a one-time British colony with only two sorts of citizens, convicts and gaolers, turned itself into a proud, prosperous and confident country, the greatest sporting nation on earth, where the citizens of its high-leisure cities enjoy a lifestyle that is the envy of the world.
Despite the appalling bloodshed of two world wars, the horror of the great depression, strikes, riots, secret armies and near civil wars, out of this amazing mix grew a new and unique character - the Australian. Through the eyes of ordinary people struggling with their passions, hopes, dreams and ambitions, Phillip Knightley describes the journey that has taken the Great South Land from a dark, racist and often murderous past to a working multi-cultural society.
Sharp, racy and irreverent.
Return to top |
|
|
A Hack's Progress (1997) |
|
|
In this revealing and very funny account of his career in journalism, Phillip Knightley tells the real story of a reporter's life. From inauspicious beginnings as a seaman, vacuum cleaner salesman and South Sea Island trader, he went on to work for the notorious, foul-mouthed Australian newspaper magnate Ezra Norton, whose lurid tabloid became the model for the Sun and the New York Post.
Eventually, Knightley moved to England and wriggled his way on to the staff of the Sunday Times just as it entered its golden years. Twice winner of the Journalist of the Year award, he covered some of the most dramatic and ground-breaking stories of his time - exposing the cynical double-dealing of Thalidomide, reporting on the shadowy machinations of the Profumo scandal and unravelling the Hitler Diaries fiasco. Knightley's investigations into the world of espionage led to an extraordinary correspondence with Kim Philby - the spy who betrayed a generation - and he became one of the few journalists to get access to Philby in Russia.
A Hack's Progress is a vivid and revealing portrait of the press, and a compelling insider's view of the stories behind the stories. At once thoughtful and marvellously entertaining, it is one of the best books ever written about journalism.
Return to top |
|
|
The Rise and Fall of the House of Vestey (1993) |
|
|
The Rise and Fall of the House of Vestey: The True Story of How Britain's Richest Family Beat the Taxman - and Came to Grief. Until 1991, the Vestey family had virtually disappeared from the news - from being Britain's wealthiest family they had slipped out of the top ten.
Then they made the headlines again, as the older generation, Sam and Edmund, were kicked out and replaced by 30-year-old Tim. The City said that their old-fashioned ways had cost them their share of the meat market. The House of Vestey looked as though it could go under - a case of "clogs to clogs" in two generations.
Published by Warner (London), the book is currently out of print. Used copies are available from Amazon.
Return to top |
|
|
The Master Spy: The Story of Kim Philby (1989) |
|
|
Philby, the agent, double agent, traitor and enigma revealed all to Knightley just before his death. Few knew the real man that for years fooled British Intelligence, the CIA and the FBI and was simultaneously head of the British Intelligence Service's anti-Soviet section and a long-time KGB agent.
After he defected to Russia in 1963, he maintained a code of silence for 25 years - until a few weeks before his death. He invited Phillip Knightley to his Moscow apartment and in six days of conversation bared his soul.
He told of his childhood, the influence of his extraordinary father and the events that lead him inexorably to turn traitor. He tells the story before and after defection and discusses everything from loyalty and patriotism to pop music and Margaret Thatcher.
Available form Andre Deutsch (London) and Knopf (New York), an updated paperback edition (October 2003) is available in the UK.
Return to top |
|
|
An Affair of State: The Profumo Case and the Framing of Stephen Ward (1987) |
|
|
An Affair of State: The Profumo Case and the Framing of Stephen Ward examines the scandal that shook the British government in 1963 and tells how the establishment tried to hush it up by framing a society osteopath on procuring charges.
The book presents new evidence to clear Stephen Ward, who committed suicide following his involvement in the scandal, of espionage. Based on Ward's own tapes and writings, numerous interviews and previously classified FBI documents, this fast-paced book brings one of the most fascinating scandals of the 20th century back to life.
Written with Caroline Kennedy and published by Cape (London) and Simon and Schuster (New York).
Return to top |
|
|
The Second Oldest Profession: Spies and Spying in the 20th Century (1986) |
|
|
The Second Oldest Profession: The Spy as Bureaucrat, Patriot, Fantasist and Whore, Andre Deutsch (London) and as The Second Oldest Profession: Spies and Spying in the Twentieth Century, W. W. Norton (New York) is a comprehensive and controversial history of espionage in our times.
The first permanent intelligence agency was created in 1909, and within a few years all the great powers had similar agencies. Concentrating on Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, the book reveals why these services are not worth the enormous sums they cost, are not effective in predicting enemy actions, and cause more trouble than they prevent.
It includes anecdotes of failed operations, and questions the official versions of such famous operations as Ultra, Magic, and the XX Committee. An updated Pimlico paperback edition (October 2003) is available in the UK. Chosen as Book of the Month Club Alternative choice, 1986.
Return to top |
|
|
Suffer the Children (1979) |
|
|
Suffer the Children covers the scandal of the drug Thalidomide, which was sold around the world as a cure for morning sickness but instead produced thousands of deformed babies.
The book expands on the famous articles written by the Sunday Times' Insight team into the drug and the shocking lapses in its testing. At the time, it wasn't necessary to test new drugs in pregnant animals before their administration to humans, although some large drug companies would do tests on rats if the drugs were to be recommended for use by pregnant women.
This book covers the entire story, including the legal tactics used by pharmaceutical companies to avoid paying out huge compensation bills and talks to those personally affected by the drug.
Published by Andre Deutsch (London) and Simon and Schuster (New York), the book is currently out of print. Used copies available from Amazon.
Return to top |
|
|
The Death of Venice (1976) |
|
|
The Death of Venice, written with Sunday Times journalist Stephen Fay, covers the international efforts made to save Venice from sinking and how they were frustrated by Italian governments.
When Venice was founded in the 421, the level of the Adriatic was 16 feet lower than today. For centuries, the water level rose very slowly but that rate has increased in the last century with the weight of the buildings drivings them into the seabed.
It is estimated that without drastic intervention a good proportion of this city's famous walkways, plazas, and ground-level floors will be submerged by 2055. Efforts continue today.
Published by Andre Deutsch (London) and Praeger (New York), this book is currently out of print. Used copies are available from Amazon.
Return to top |
|
|
The Secret Lives of Lawrence of Arabia (1969) |
|
|
The Secret Lives of Lawrence of Arabia, Nelson (London and New York), tells the amazing story of the many secret lives of this international hero, British intelligence officer and saviour of the Middle East.
The book, written in 1969, came after Phillip and fellow Sunday Times reporter Colin Simpson were allowed access to the TE Lawrence document collection at the Bodleian Library in Oxford by Lawrence's youngest brother Arnold.
It also benefits from the lifting of an embargo on official British secret documents concerning TE's activities in the Middle East, providing a fascinating insight into a remarkable man.
Currently out of print. Used copies are available from Amazon.
Return to top |
|
|
