《The Man with the Poison Gun A Cold War Spy Story》 by Serhii Plokhy (Author) Product details Format Hardback | 352 pages Dimensions 156 x 235 x 29mm Publication date 06 Dec 2016 PublisherThe Perseus Books Group Imprint Basic Civitas Books Publication City/Country Washington, United States Language English ISBN10 0465035906 ISBN13 9780465035908 Product Deion Late in the summer of 1961, a KGB assassin defected to West Germany. Bogdan Stashinsky had already travelled on numerous occasions to Munich, where he d single-handedly tracked down and killed enemies of the communist regime. His weapon, a unique, top-secret design, killed without leaving a trace. Just hours before the border closed and work began on the Berlin Wall, Stashinsky crossed into West and spilled his secrets to the authorities. His trial revealed a gripping tale of exploding parcels, fake identities, forbidden love and a daring midnight escape. His life would serve as inspira

The fifteenth-century codex commonly known as the ?Voynich Manu*? is often considered the world?s most mysterious book. Written in an unknown * by an unknown author, the manu* has no clearer purpose now than when it was rediscovered in 1912 by rare books dealer Wilfred Voynich. The book?s language has eluded decipherment, and its elaborate illustrations remain as baffling as they are beautiful. For the first time, this facsimile allows readers to explore this enigma in all its stunning detail, from its one-of-a-kind ?Voynichese? text to its illustrations of otherworldly plants, unfamiliar constellations, and naked women swimming though fantastical tubes and green baths. ? The essays that accompany the manu* explain what we have learned about this work?from alchemical, cryptographic, forensic, and historical perspectives?but provide few definitive answers. Instead, as New York Times best-selling author Deborah Harkness says in her introduction, the book ?invites the reader to join us at the heart of the m