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The Secret Life of Bletchley Park Sinclair McKay

The Secret Life of Bletchley Park By Sinclair McKay

The Secret Life of Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay


£3.50
New RRP £9.99
Condition - Very Good
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Summary

The first oral history of one of the most fascinating aspects of the war effort.

The Secret Life of Bletchley Park Summary

The Secret Life of Bletchley Park: The History of the Wartime Codebreaking Centre by the Men and Women Who Were There by Sinclair McKay

Bletchley Park was where one of the war's most famous - and crucial - achievements was made: the cracking of Germany's "Enigma" code in which its most important military communications were couched. This country house in the Buckinghamshire countryside was home to Britain's most brilliant mathematical brains, like Alan Turing, and the scene of immense advances in technology - indeed, the birth of modern computing. The military codes deciphered there were instrumental in turning both the Battle of the Atlantic and the war in North Africa. But, though plenty has been written about the boffins, and the codebreaking, fictional and non-fiction - from Robert Harris and Ian McEwan to Andrew Hodges' biography of Turing - what of the thousands of men and women who lived and worked there during the war? What was life like for them - an odd, secret territory between the civilian and the military? Sinclair McKay's book is the first history for the general reader of life at Bletchley Park, and an amazing compendium of memories from people now in their eighties - of skating on the frozen lake in the grounds (a depressed Angus Wilson, the novelist, once threw himself in) - of a youthful Roy Jenkins, useless at codebreaking, of the high jinks at nearby accommodation hostels - and of the implacable secrecy that meant girlfriend and boyfriend working in adjacent huts knew nothing about each other's work.

The Secret Life of Bletchley Park Reviews

'McKay's book is an eloquent tribute to a quite remarkable group of men and women, whose like we will not see again.' Four stars **** Mail On Sunday 'I found this a truly breathtaking, eye-opening book.' -- A. N. Wilson Reader's Digest 'It is their stories, and the humbling thought of what their dedication to duty achieved, that make this book worth reading.' Four stars **** Daily Telegraph

About Sinclair McKay

SINCLAIR MCKAY is the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bletchley Park and The Secret Listeners for Aurum, as well as histories of Hammer films, the James Bond films, and the pastime of rambling. He lives in London.

Additional information

GOR003030002
9781845136338
1845136330
The Secret Life of Bletchley Park: The History of the Wartime Codebreaking Centre by the Men and Women Who Were There by Sinclair McKay
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Aurum Press
2011-08-01
368
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Secret Life of Bletchley Park