Book and Dagger How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II

"In her lively Book and Dagger, the historian Elyse Graham rescues a cast of scholar-spies from obscurity." - New York Times Book Review

"Graham is right to stress that archivists, number-crunchers and humanities professors holed up in mostly drab offices made some of America's most innovative contributions to the secret war against Hitler. . . . Graham's account is well-researched and scrupulously footnoted, but she also writes with a pulpy panache that turns the book into a well-paced thriller."

"A fascinating new study. . . Book and Dagger tells the story of four such recruits-and surveys many others-with an almost breathless sense of wartime romance and drama. It makes for entertaining, atmospheric reading." - Wall Street Journal

"Fascinating." - People

"Snappy and entertaining...Although we likely picture ingenious feats of deception and infiltration when we think of the OSS, in this book Graham persuasively argues that the spy agency's most consequential achievements were in fact its innovative and resourceful methods of collecting, organizing, and weaponizing information...Perhaps it's time for Hollywood to tell the story of the scholars and archivists who made victory possible, set in a reading room or in front of a wall of card-catalog shelves, for as Graham concludes, 'the war may have been fought on battlefields, but it was won in libraries.'" - New Republic

"The spycraft of World War II continues to surprise and delight." - Parade

"Thrilling. . . With a keen ear for narrative prose, Graham builds suspense and intrigue, and the book is a pulpy delight. . . . Book and Dagger is a necessary reminder of the value of the humanities and of the freedom of information and ideas at a time when both of those things are under threat." - BookPage (starred review)

"Entertainingly conveyed, with great respect and deep appreciation for their ingenuity and drive, Graham's history is a powerful symphony for these unsung heroes whose professional skills and personal courage brought down the Nazi state. The modern intelligence community owes its existence to their rigor and resourcefulness. Readers fascinated by espionage will be eager to checkout Graham's fresh telling of the surprising story of the OSS." - Booklist (starred review)

"An engaging study of wartime American intelligence. . . . Graham makes a good case for studying the humanities as both an instrument of learning and a weapon of war. Bibliophiles with a taste for cloak-and-dagger work will enjoy this lively book." - Kirkus Reviews

"Written like a spy thriller, this well-researched tale shines a light on a little-known side of espionage history." - Arlington Magazine

"This deeply researched and engaging account shines a light on a vital but little-known aspect of intelligence gathering. Readers interested in World War II espionage and the role scholars have played in surveillance and reconnaissance campaigns will enjoy this volume." - Library Journal

"Entertaining. . . Enriched by Graham's exuberant prose, this is a colorful salute to some of WWII's more bookish heroes." - Publishers Weekly

"Book and Dagger brings to light a spellbinding, untold aspect of World War II history...Graham takes readers all over the world to show that as the Nazis burned books, book lovers were defending the freedom of ideas, with relish." - BookPage, 14 Most Anticipated Books of Fall

"Gripping. . . Graham demonstrates the humanities' power to change the course of history and argues for its lasting value as a discipline." - Shelf Awareness

"Perfect for booklovers and history buffs. . . Discover the incredible lives of these unsung heroes and how their unique skills helped bring down the Nazi regime in this revelatory volume." - BookBub