The fates of nations, outcomes of wars and general sweep of history have often hinged upon the deciphering of devilishly difficult codes and devious deceptions by spymasters.

In Spydle, The National Archives and Britain’s leading puzzle masterminds, Dr Gareth Moore and Laura Jayne Ayres, have drawn on five centuries of British spycraft and cryptography to compile an unputdownable history of real-life codebreaking and espionage through a series of addictive puzzles.

Using original documents, maps, ciphers, plans, letters and telegrams from plots and espionage relating to Mary, Queen of Scots, the Gunpowder Plot, Mata Hari, Agent Zigzag and dozens more, Spydle’s puzzles are based on real codes and conundrums.

Packed with fiendish puzzles covering over 500 years of espionage, could you be a code-cracking spymaster and untangle history’s most cryptic mysteries?

Play Spydle to find out . . .

For over eight decades, The United States Government Manual has been known as the official handbook of the federal government. This annual resource provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, as well as quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Each agency's description consists of a list of principal officials heading major operating units; a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the federal government; a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority; and a description of consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, and publications. The United States Government Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register. Its focus is on programs and activities.

Known as the official handbook of the federal government, this annual resource provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, as well as quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Each agency's description consists of a list of principal officials heading major operating units; a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal Government; a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority; and a description of consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, and publications. The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register. Its focus is on programs and activities.

Known as the official handbook of the federal government, this annual resource provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, as well as quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, boards, commissions, and committees. Each agency's description consists of a list of principal officials; a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the federal government; a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority; and a description of consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, and publications.

This project documents the rich source material in European and North American repositories relating to the history of countries formerly under colonial rule. The manuscript and document holdings of public and private archives, libraries, museums and other institutions referred to in the guide cover all aspects of history. The primary emphasis is on political, diplomatic, commercial and military history, but there is good coverage of cultural history - especially in the reports and correspondence of explorers and travellers in missionary archives. Each series, of which this is the third, is arranged by country; sources within national volumes are described by repositories and archival groups.

At head of title: The Danish National Archives.

The bloody history of Britain through the stories of its most notorious traitors A History of Treason details British history from 1352 to 1946, covering major historical moments in a fascinating and innovative way, using the history of high treason and deception as its theme. Appealing to a range of audiences, it covers more than 650 years of momentous history through the use of both famous and lesser known events which shaped Britain. Using original documents and detailed research undertaken by The National Archives' record specialists, it will cover moments in history which led to fundamental changes in eras. It will also include unique discoveries from these archives, uncovering mysteries and stories of how dealing with treason have brought about the changes which have influenced and shaped Britain throughout the centuries. Among these are: the trial and execution of Anne Boleyn on the orders of her husband, Henry VIII several major acts of sedition, including the Gunpowder Plot and the revolution plotted in the Cato Street conspiracy the evidence brought against Sir Roger Casement, executed at Pentonville and his remains later exhumed and given a state funeral in Ireland the trial and execution of the William Joyce who, as 'Lord Haw-Haw', broadcast Nazi propaganda from Berlin during the Second World War The book covers many stories that explore the nature of treason and how the crown and state reacted to it - from the introduction of the Treason Act in 1352 right through to the twentieth century. Written by experts from among the historians at the National Archives, the book is copiously illustrated with images from the unrivalled collections of The National Archives.

Known as the official handbook of the federal government, this annual resource provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, as well as quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, boards, commissions, and committees. Each agency's description consists of a list of principal officials; a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the federal government; a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority; and a description of consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, and publications.

Known as the official handbook of the federal government, this annual resource provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, as well as quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, boards, commissions, and committees. Each agency's description consists of a list of principal officials; a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the federal government; a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority; and a description of consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, and publications.

A collection of one hundred documents that were important in the development of the United States from its founding to 1965, including the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and lesser-known writings.

Spies claim that theirs is the second oldest profession. Secret agents across time have had the same key tasks: looking and listening, getting the information they need and smuggling it back home. Over the course of human history, some amazingly complex and imaginative tools have been created to help those working under the cloak of supreme secrecy.

During the Second World War, British undercover agents were the heroes behind the scenes, playing a dangerous and sometimes deadly game - risking all to gather intelligence about their enemies. What did these agents have in their toolkits? What ingenious spy gadgets did they have up their sleeves? What devious tricks did they deploy to avoid detection? From the ingenious to the amusing, this highly visual book delves into espionage files that were long held top secret, revealing spycraft in action.

For centuries, ships' commanders kept journals that recorded their missions. These included voyages of discovery to unknown lands, engagements in war and sea and general trade. Many of their logs, diaries and letters were lodged at The National Archives and give a vivid picture of the situations that they encountered. Entries range from Captain James Cook's notes of his discovery of the South Pacific and Australia, to logs of the great naval battles, such as Trafalgar and the Battle of the Nile. From the ships that attempted to stop piracy in the Caribbean, to the surgeons who recorded the health of the men they tended and naturalists who noted the exotic plants and animals they encountered, comes a fascinating picture of life at sea, richly illustrated with maps, drawings and facsimile documents found alongside the logs in the archives.