Spyology

Ologies #7

by Spencer Blake, Various (Illustrator), Dugald A. Steer (Editor)

A spy reveals startling secrets and carries out a breathless mission — in an astonishing guide that takes the 'Ologies to a new level.

The year is 1958, and British spy Spencer Blake, aka "Agent K," is on an undercover mission to expose a deadly criminal organization. As he traverses the globe with his American and Soviet cohorts — from Scotland to Berlin to Las Vegas to Cuba — he furtively records his secret techniques in a manual for new recruits.

Once they've primed themselves on the essentials of spy craft, keen-eyed readers will discover that Agent K has been setting them challenges and clues to decipher all along. If they are clever enough to unravel them all, a great reward awaits!

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Reference, Mystery

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2008

Reviews

[Lalani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super detailed. All the codebreaking and microdot messages are a blast to work through and discover.

[Truly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beli...enggak...beli...enggak...beli...
Sempat ragu untuk membeli buku ini. Pertimbangannya karena saya hanya tertarik pada urusan yang terkait fantasi. Tapi, dipertimbangkan dengan seksama plus rekoemdasi jastip yang kompeten, akhirnya luluh juga mengoleksi serial Ologies ini.

Satu persamaan dari beberapa buku yang saya baca (selain isi dan cara penyajiannya yang ciamik tenan), ada sejenis manik-manik pada tiap kover. Dibandingkan dengan buku yang lain, sepertinya ukurannya lebih besar sedikit (baru sadar ketika saya agak kesulitan memasukkan dalam plastik pembungkus sementara yang lain lancar jaya).

Bisa dikatakan buku ini mengupas tuntas tentang dunia mata-mata. Sungguh, saya merasa iri pada anak kecil yang membaca buku ini. Betapa serunya mereka bertingkah seolah-olah sedang menjadi mata-mata atau berburu seorang mata-mata. Aneka alat pelengkap sederhana tapi mampu membuat imajinasi berkembang bisa ditemukan dalam buku ini.

Sungguh, jika sayang anak belikan seri ini (kok jadi saya promosi).

[Barbi Faye (The Book Fae) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The year is 1958, and British spy Spencer Blake, aka "Agent K," is on an undercover mission to expose a deadly criminal organization. As he traverses the globe with his American and Soviet cohorts — from Scotland to Berlin to Las Vegas to Cuba — he furtively records his secret techniques in a manual for new recruits. Once they've primed themselves on the essentials of spy craft, keen-eyed readers will discover that Agent K has been setting them challenges and clues to decipher all along. If they are clever enough to unravel them all, a great reward awaits!" Book review

[Brenduh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I forgot about it for years, as a matter of fact I made a video about it in 2014. Here is the video: Spyology Review

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

120 - 2018

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites growing up.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of these books.

[Puigiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das Entschlüsseln der Botschaften - und sie überhaupt erst einmal zu finden - hat enorm viel Spaß gemacht. Mit diesem Buch muss sich jedes Buch messen, das behauptet, es gäbe Codes zu lösen!

[Rana Adham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is even fun for adults! The level of interaction with the story in the book is top-notch.

[Eilidh · Rating 5 out of 5]

STUNNIN

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one I had as a kid. Good puzzles in this one and a secret story with layers.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a bit too much going on for me; it took a long time to get through and it jumped from a storyline to a handbook to an actual spy mission, itself, on every page

[Stephkempf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the "Ology" books. I think this is one of the better themed ones. It took me longer to read than others because there are tons of codes to decipher and hidden messages to find.

[D.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a bit of a sucker for cool book design, and this volume in the Ology series really does it up well. There's a removable disc in the front cover that can be used as a red filter for images inside and as a magnifier to find/blow-up tiny messages inside (to say nothing of its use as a coder/decoder when in place in the cover); the usual sorts of little bits inside to explore; an occasional useable 'prop' for spy missions; and an extra cool surprise about its size that I'll leave it for fledgling spies to discover.
The conceit of this being a 'found' item written by a mysterious expert in the field is still there, as it is in all the Ology volumes. This time it's Spencer Blake, aka 'Agent K,' who's presumed dead since 1957 but assembled this handy guide for future agents' knowledge. Of course, being sourced so long ago does make all the info a little dated, and (at least this edition) originating in the UK makes it a bit Anglocentric, but it's all in good fun. And there's plenty of fun to be had. Not only is there the usual trek through a mysterious final story in a character's life, but codes to be broken, secrets to be gleaned and games (of a sort) to be played.
This is only the second Ology book I've been moved to buy (and the fourth I've read), and for a book-design geek it's a must. For Ology fans, it may come on a bit heavier than the past projects (especially since most of them are grounded in fiction) but is still a perfect addition to the set.
The only down side to getting this now, it seems, is that the usually easy-to-remove adhesive that was used in all the loseable bits has solidified & adhered with time. At least once, I had to do actual damage to the book just to get something open, so if buying your own, try to find a new printing!

[Sparrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the weakest of the ologies series (I can understand why this was sold so cheaply at Costco). This nearly isn't a children's book - a lot of the information is higher level and convoluted - even I felt a bit bored at times following the spy plot. The background information/history of spying was interesting (as much as it could be, anyway) and, as usual, the neat paraphernalia included was fun. But on to bigger better ones...

[Becca Jasman]

Publication Date: 2008

Genre: Engineered book

Awards won:

Themes: spies, ciphers, espionage

Annotation: A book that discusses the history, tools, and ways of spies. Flaps bring you into the spy world by showing spy journals, wallet contents, and other documents a spy would encounter.

Ways to use the book with children: engaging a student in reading, studying history of spies and spying, making ciphers

[Paula]

One of the books that I bought for my nephews. I wasn't sure what to buy since he hates reading. I figured this would be a good one because he wants to be a police officer and it isn't a book that you need to sit and read it completely, all at once. I will later give the rating, whatever he thinks it is worth.

[April Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed very, very much. I love all the "ologies," but this is the best one since "Egyptology" and "Dragonology." Loved the litle mystery readers have to follow along, and loved the historical footnotes.

[Drucilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only does this book have an intriguing story but it also covers a wide variety of cool spy stuff, including history, people, and gadgets. The only problem is that I still haven't been able to decode the last message.

[Whirlawayka · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book that i got was dameged so the drawer was gone. my name is kacey vicker.i read the Spyology

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was soo cool! It has all kinds of codes and ciphers! You can't really get it from the library because of all the stuff people would lose in it! I recommend buying it

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book has so many microdots! I can't wait to get more

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reminded me of the things we saw at the International Spy Museum, which is why I picked it up at the library when I stumbled upon it.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this ology book. I think it's my favorite. It has code's,secret's and a note in the spine of the book.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked it out from a bookmobile. It's really good and I love it. Would love the book even more if an idiot didn't have to rip so many clues unintentionally and stupidly.

[Matilda Bahadori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This behemoth has been through hell and back as my faithful companion.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and cute.

[memer · Rating 3 out of 5]

spys are cool

[Judy Zhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Remind me of the S.

[Aveline Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sophisticated, concise, and detail book ever! Just thought that spy only occures on books and movies, but within this book, it is clearly explained as a form of science since the beginning of 12th century.

In the introduction, the author challenges you whether you are capable enough to be a great spy by deciphering the pieces of information elabotated on each page. Besides, you will be surprised by the art of spyology while getting through the book.

A very recommended book for those who are addicted and infatuated in spyology.