Under Every Leaf
By William Beaver
Biteback, 340pp, £9.99/$14.95
Most students of history will be familiar with the enormous extension of European empires in the second half of the 19th century, in which the likes of Russia, France and Britain seized swathes of territory in Asia and Africa. Less well known is the role played by the War Office Intelligence Division in helping the British expand and consolidate their empire, and its role in checking the ambitions of the Russians and the French.
In this lively, witty and meticulously researched work, subtitled How Britain Played the Greater Game from Afghanistan to Africa, William Beaver, former operational combat intelligence officer and present-day Anglican clergyman, outlines how this clandestine body of graduates turned intelligence into a weapon of warfare.
