Every Spy a Prince: The Complete History of Israel's Intelligence Community is a 1990 book by Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman on the history of the Israeli intelligence community.

Every Spy a Prince: The Complete History of Israel's Intelligence Community
AuthorDan Raviv and Yossi Melman
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherHoughton Mifflin
Publication date
1990
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages473 pp
ISBN978-0-395-58120-9
OCLC23685601

History

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In 1989, it was published in the United Kingdom as The Imperfect Spies: The History of Israeli Intelligence. The book was on the New York Times Best Seller list for 12 weeks (August 12, 1990 - October 28).[1] The title of the book comes from the Book of Numbers:[2]"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Send men that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers shall you send a man, everyone one a prince among them."(Numbers 13:1-2)

Critical acclaim

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A New York Times book review called it an "utterly fascinating account of Israeli intelligence." The critic said that the book suffered from the "kitchen-sink syndrome." Despite the fact that "many of the adventures recounted here have been told before," he concluded that the book broke "substantial new ground."[3] In a later review, Herbert Mitgang found it "a detailed though rambling look at Israel's intelligence community as it has developed since the founding of the Jewish state."[4] In Foreign Affairs, John C. Campbell described it as "investigative journalism of the first rank. It gives the most expansive account yet of the Mossad..."[5] Writer Daniel Pipes praised the book for sticking to sober prose, providing appropriate context for the activities described, and most importantly, for making "serious efforts to reach a balanced assessment of Israel's spies."[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 1990". Hawes Publications. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  2. ^ Raviv, Dan; Melman, Yossi (1990). Every Spy a Prince. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-58120-6.
  3. ^ Wise, David (1990-07-08). "Israel Is Watching". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  4. ^ Mitgang, Herbert (1990-07-14). "Books of The Times; Israel's Master Spies: A Legend, With Lapses". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  5. ^ Campbell, John C. (Fall 1990). "Book Review: Every Spy A Prince". Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 2004-07-17. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  6. ^ "Review of Every Spy a Prince". Orbis. Danielpipes.org. Winter 1991. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
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