The SAS Fighting Techniques Handbook

This diagram-illustrated guide to spy techniques used by England's Special Air Service amounts to a primer on covert and guerrilla warfare. Written by a former special-forces commando in the British Army, it covers creeping and crawling more than killing, although killing is frequently the tacit point; one section discusses historic cases of assassination and abduction. The handbook outlines preparation for a mission, reaching a target by air, land, or sea, survival techniques, and counterterrorism. A final chapter discusses intelligence organizations in the post-Soviet world. Reprinted from a 1997 revision (Robinson Publishing Ltd.) of a 1993 book (Century Random House). This edition's text is oddly fuzzy, though the type is quite large, dark, and legible. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)