"Before the end of the year Crassus set out for Syria, with the intention of attacking the Parthians. He was anxious to distinguish himself in war, like Pompey and Caesar, and, though upward of 60 years of age, he chose rather to enter upon an undertaking for which he had no genius than to continue the pursuit of wealth and influence at home. He crossed the Euphrates in B.C. 54, but, hesitating to proceed at once against Parthia, he gave the enemy time to assemble his forces, and returned to Syria without accomplishing anything of importance. He spent the winter in Syria, where, instead of exercising his troops and preparing for the ensuing campaign, he plundered the temples, and employed his time in collecting money from every quarter.

"In the following spring (B.C. 53) he again crossed the Euphrates, and plunged into the sandy deserts of Mesopotamia. He trusted to the guidance of an Arabian chieftain, who promised to lead him by the shortest way to the enemy. But this man was in the pay of Surenas, the Parthian general; and when he had brought the Romans into the open plains of Mesopotamia, he seized a frivolous pretext, and rode off to inform Surenas that the Roman army was delivered into his hands. The Parthians soon appeared. They worried the densely-marshaled Romans with showers of arrows; and by feigned retreats, during which they continued to discharge their arrows, they led the Romans into disadvantageous positions.

"On the following day they continued their retreat; and Surenas, fearing that Crassus might after all make his escape, invited him to an interview. He was treacherously seized, and, in the scuffle which ensued, was slain by some unknown hand. His head was carried to the Parthian king Orodes, who caused melted gold to be poured into the mouth, saying, ‘Sate thyself now with that metal of which in life thou wert so greedy.’ Twenty thousand Roman troops were slain, and 10,000 taken prisoners, in this expedition, one of the most disastrous in which the Romans were ever engaged." [William Smith and Eugene Lawrence. A Smaller History of Rome. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1881]

Better lessons and fresher stories may be found in autobiographies, diaries and memoirs, which use the first-person point of view. The first-hand life histories are recorded precisely to convey the sense of triumph over adversity. The "I" perspective of the documents makes the reader imbibe more readily the warnings foretold. Particularly when the diarist is a spook operating in a denied area. Here is the testimony of an officer of the American CIA probing the streets of Havana in November 1988.

"The Malecon was one of the only places where residents could fish, as it was forbidden to own a boat of any kind or to catch certain kinds of fish, which were reserved for export only. We were approached by an East German expatriate who offered to sell us the two small fish he had caught that morning. When we declined politely, he offered to cook them for us in his home and serve them with some boiled potatoes for a small price. We declined again and moved on.

"Even on this, our first outing, we were aware of a group of young Cubans who seemed to be moving down the Malecon with us…EVERYONE IS POTENTIALLY UNDER OPPOSITION CONTROL. I started automatically to apply the Moscow rules to the situation, as I would continue to do so throughout our stay in Cuba." [Antonio and Jonna Mendez. Spy Dust. New York: Atria Books, 2002, p. 226]

The deposition of the intelligence professional in outwitting the enemy’s surveillance was a theme in the memoirs as well as a tip to fellow and future operatives. Similarly, in recounting the "thrilling story" of a German ace/engineer/diplomat in World War II, techniques of data-gathering are revealed.

"For example, reporters of the ‘Wichita Star’ or the ‘Kansas City Observer’ regularly visited the factories of Beech, Cessna and Boeing-Stearman in their home towns…Often in their pride at local achievements they revealed military secrets which in any European country would have resulted in their arrest. They did not realize that they were telling everything immediately to me in the German Embassy."

"We glanced through all the well-known American aviation magazines…I recall one particular example. An advertisement for the Glenn L. Martin Corporation carried in ‘Aviation Digest’ during the winter of 1939-40 showed in pictures how the production space of this works was doubled within 100 days. The exact dates of starting and completing the new workshops were given. Its significance was not lost on us." [Martin Simons. German Air Attaché. London: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1997, pp.77-78]

The affidavit of Peter Riedel, the German military intelligence analyst whose glamorous posting in the United States just before the Anti-Fascist War was the subject of the book, was a lesson in humility since he had to admit Germany’s defeat on top of the bankruptcy of Nazism. Thus, the narrative of an individual with its attendant details throws light on the destiny of his nation.

One man gained fame for his accomplishments in fossil science – a reality that he employed to characterize a country and champion a noble cause. Richard Leakey and his fight to save Kenya’s natural treasures has been hampered by the widespread perception of Africa as a "Dark Continent." His personal chronicle, "Wildlife Wars," introduces Kenya and the elephants and other animals to readers.

As a boy on horseback, "I loved nothing more than galloping at top speed over the plains, chasing zebras or coming up fast behind a thundering rhino and smacking it on the rump…After leaving school when I was 16, I spent time trapping small animals for researchers…On turning 18, I started a safari-guiding business with a friend." [pp. 14-15]

For Leakey, "Kenya was my home, and I was eager for the chance to help rebuild it. (Finding hominid fossils) brought me the same kind of international attention my parents had received. I was able to use that to build a bigger and better museum in Nairobi as well as a chain of smaller museums throughout Kenya." [pp. 17-18]