Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes: The Story of George Scovell

Description

In 1812 two mighty armies manoeuvred across the Spanish plains. They were finely balanced, under skilful leaders. Each struggled to gain an advantage. Wellington knew that if he defeated the French, he could turn the tide of the war. Good intelligence was paramount, but the French were using a code of unrivalled complexity - the 'Great Paris Cipher'. It was a daunting challenge, and Wellington looked to one man to break the code: Major George Scovell.

Mark Urban is the Diplomatic Editor of the BBC's 'Newsnight' and was formerly defence correspondent for the Independent. He has covered many wars and is remembered for live broadcasts under a Scud attack in Saudi Arabia in 1991 or while being fired upon in Kosovo. His books include Big Boys' Rules: The SAS and the Secret Struggle against the IRA, described by John Stalker as 'a book which needed to be written', and UK Eyes Alpha: Inside British Intelligence, which the Sunday Times found 'accurate, revelatory and fascinating'.