Crowdy, Terry 1970-

PERSONAL:

Born 1970, in London, England.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Kent, England.

CAREER:

Military historian; former bassist in a rock group.

WRITINGS:

MILITARY HISTORY

French Napoleonic Infantrymen, 1803-15, Osprey Publishing (Oxford, England), 2002.

French Soldier in Egypt, 1798-1801: The Army of the Orient, illustrated by Christa Hook, Osprey Publishing (Oxford, England), 2003.

French Revolutionary Infantry, 1789-1802, Osprey Publishing (Oxford, England), 2004.

French Warship Crews, 1789-1805: From the French Revolution to Trafalgar, Osprey Publishing (Oxford, England), 2005.

The Enemy Within: A History of Espionage, Osprey (New York, NY), 2006.

French Resistance Fighter: France's Secret Army, illustrated by Steve Noon, Osprey (New York, NY), 2007.

Military Misdemeanors: Corruption, Incompetence, Lust, and Downright Stupidity, Osprey Publishing (Oxford, England), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Terry Crowdy is a British writer whose study of military history, particularly concerning the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, led to his writing articles for military magazines. Crowdy is also the author of a number of volumes on these subjects.

French Soldier in Egypt, 1798-1801: The Army of the Orient follows Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt in 1798, during which the French were cut off because of the destruction of the French naval fleet by Admiral Nelson. Crowdy draws on diaries and journals of the French soldiers and civilians in describing their adaptation to the very different climate in which they fought to survive. The French suffered from bubonic plague and at the hands of the Bedouin, who tortured and sexually assaulted the French soldiers. Richard Moore, a reviewer for Napoleon Bonaparte, a bookseller specializing in Napoleonic history, wrote: "This is an excellent addition to the knowledge base of the Napoleonic Era and easily conveys to the reader the various challenges of the Egyptian Campaign."

The Enemy Within: A History of Espionage traces the history of espionage from ancient Egypt until the present day. As Crowdy points out, women have played a significant role in this activity, including Delilah's biblical tempting of Samson, World War I spy Mata Hari, Marthe Richer, who infiltrated German intelligence, and Elsbeth Schragmüer, who worked for the Germans. Other well-known spies include the Rosenbergs, who were executed for stealing atomic bomb secrets from the United States. Crowdy notes that unidentified spies may have been responsible for such recent deaths as those of Ukrainian leader Viktor Yuschenko and the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in England. Crowdy writes of the technologies that have been used in spying, including invisible inks and coding devices, as well as more modern methods, such as wiretapping, miniature cameras, and satellite surveillance. Booklist reviewer Roland Green considered the volume to be an "effective, readable summary of espionage in human history."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2006, Roland Green, review of The Enemy Within: A History of Espionage, p. 7.

Library Journal, September 1, 2006, Daniel K. Blewett, review of The Enemy Within, p. 160.

Publishers Weekly, June 19, 2006, review of The Enemy Within, p. 51.

ONLINE

Napoleon Bonaparte (bookseller), http://www.napoleonguide.com/ (July 15, 2007), Richard Moore, review of French Soldier in Egypt, 1798-1801: The Army of the Orient.

Telegraph Online (Calcutta, India), (December 22, 2006), Uddalak Mukherjee, review of The Enemy Within.