| Every Spy a Prince: The Complete History of Israel's Intelligence Community | |
| Author: | Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Non-fiction |
| Publisher: | Houghton Mifflin |
| Release Date: | 1990 |
| Media Type: | |
| Pages: | 473 pp |
| Isbn: | 978-0-395-58120-9 |
| Oclc: | 23685601 |
Every Spy a Prince: The Complete History of Israel's Intelligence Community is a 1990 book by Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman on the history of the Israeli intelligence community.
In 1989, it was published in the United Kingdom as The Imperfect Spies: The History of Israeli Intelligence. The book was on the New York Times Best Seller list for 12 weeks (August 12, 1990 - October 28).[1] The title of the book comes from the Book of Numbers:[2] "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Send men that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers shall you send a man, everyone one a prince among them."(Numbers 13:1-2)
A New York Times book review called it an "utterly fascinating account of Israeli intelligence." The critic said that the book suffered from the "kitchen-sink syndrome." Despite the fact that "many of the adventures recounted here have been told before," he concluded that the book broke "substantial new ground."[3] In a later review, Herbert Mitgang found it "a detailed though rambling look at Israel's intelligence community as it has developed since the founding of the Jewish state."[4] In Foreign Affairs, John C. Campbell described it as "investigative journalism of the first rank. It gives the most expansive account yet of the Mossad..."[5] Writer Daniel Pipes praised the book for sticking to sober prose, providing appropriate context for the activities described, and most importantly, for making "serious efforts to reach a balanced assessment of Israel's spies."[6]