Table of Contents

List of Plates – ix
Acknowledgements – xi
Prologue – 1
1. Son of the Manse – 3
2. ‘Ma V=voisine chez Shakespeare’ 12
3. Spain – 15
4. The Party and British Attitudes to the USSR – 25
5. War: James Recruited by the Intelligence Corps – 38
6. The Family in Berkshire, 1940-1941 – 47
7. Barbarossa – 52
8. Natasha – 58
9. Code Name ‘Dolly’ – 64
10. The Red Army: From Disaster Towards Victory – 72
11. Tehran and the D-Day Plans – 76
12. ‘He’ll be writing yellow boots’ – 80
13. The Good Life in America – 88
14. The Security Service Takes an Interest – 96
15. A New Author; A New Firm – 108
16. ‘Not the way it’s generally done’ 115
17. A Visit from Mr Skardon – 151
18. Mr White Misses the Plane – 161
19. A New Director: Would He Fit In? 171
Epilogue – 179
Appendix – 187
Notes – 206
Sources – 217
Index – 219

Promotional Information

A few years before he died, James MacGibbon confessed to his closest family members that he had spied for the Soviet Union during World War II.

About the Author

Hamish MacGibbon was Director of the Publishing House James and James. He is the son of James and Jean MacGibbon.

Reviews

'the story of James and Jean's marriage, their children's upbringings and the family's literary and political endeavours, providing an enchanting snapshot of life in North London throughout the 20th century.'--Zoe Paskett, Ham&High (09/28/2017)