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Books

From slaves' rectums to porn vids, there are few places people haven't tried to conceal secret messages

A review of Prisoners, Lovers and Spies: The Story of Invisible Ink from Herodotus to al-Qa’eda, by Kristie Macrakis. The ancients hid their intel in hares' bellies; today, jihadis use porn

19 July 2014

9:00 AM

19 July 2014

9:00 AM

Prisoners, Lovers and Spies: The Story of Invisible Ink from Herodotus to al-Qa’eda Kristie Macrakis

Yale University Press, pp.377, £18.99, ISBN: 9780300179255

John Gerard, a Jesuit priest immured in the Tower of London in 1597, and tortured by being hung from manacles until he temporarily lost the use of his arms, was a resourceful as well as courageous fellow.

Dependent on the kindness of his jailer, a warder named Bonner, for such intimacies as washing, dressing and shaving, Gerard also persuaded the turnkey to bring him a bag of oranges.

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