This website is owned and run by the Alexander Wilson Estate as an opportunity to analyse, investigate and review the life, times and writings of Alexander Wilson- an author, adventurer and spy who was born in Dover, England in 1893 and lived until his 70th year in 1963.
Interest in his life and times is increasing with the transmission of the BBC Television drama series Mrs Wilson executively produced by and starring his granddaughter Ruth Wilson from Tuesday 27th November 2018. It has also been broadcast in Masterpiece PBS across the USA, ABC in Australia and other countries around the world.
This series is based on the first edition of Professor Tim Crook’s biography of Alexander Wilson, The Secret Lives of a Secret Agent: The Mysterious Life and Times of Alexander Wilson, published in 2010 and the unpublished memoir of his third wife, Alison Wilson, who is Ruth Wilson’s grandmother.
The scriptwriter for the series is Anna Symon.
The second edition of The Secret Lives of a Secret Agent was published in its UK edition by Kultura Press 30th November 2018, and the US/International edition was released January 14th 2019.
You can order the UK edition directly from the Print on Demand site Blurb
You can also order this edition from Waterstones online.
It is a popular and highly reviewed book available at amazon.co.uk with free delivery in the UK
The DVD of the BBC television series is available at amazon.co.uk
The nine books he wrote in the theme of Wallace of the Secret Service have been re-published by Allison and Busby in 2015-16 and all the rights in the covers, typography, design are strictly reserved.
The Wallace of the Secret Service publishing project has been conceived by the CEO of Allison and Busby, Susie Dunlop and Edited by Sophie Robinson.
The distinctive cover designs are by Christina Griffiths with the cover illustrations from the Mary Evans Picture Library.
If you want to order any of the books in their various forms (paperback, electronic, audiobook, and Kindle etc) all you have to do is click on the cover image in the various postings.
The Wallace novels can be bought directly from Allison and Busby, and from reputable online book stores and book-shops.
An exciting recent development has been the production of full unabridged audio versions of the books by Lamplight audio.
More than ten hours of listening is available in relation to ‘The Tunnel of 51’, ‘The Devil’s Cocktail’ and ‘Wallace of the Secret Service.’
The spoken word versions are performed by the David Timson- a veteran and much respected BBC radio actor.
All the rights in Alexander Wilson’s biography, archives and books are managed by The Blair Partnership.
If you have any questions about the Alexander Wilson story and his works please contact the site’s administrator and Alexander Wilson’s biographer, Professor Tim Crook at t.crook@gold.ac.uk
Alexander Wilson - Author, Adventurer and Spy 
Could you please let me know if you will do any more of the audiobooks?
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Dear Matt,
Many apologies for the delay in replying. We are not aware of any immediate plans to produce more audiobooks. However, a television drama series of Alexander Wilson’s life from the point of view of his third wife, Alison, is in production and it is possible increased interest in his story and writings in the UK and USA will generate demand for more audio versions of his novels. In addition, he wrote many more novels than the Wallace of the Secret Service collection, and it may well be the case that some of these will be re-published. Sincerely and respectfully, Tim Crook.
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Hi there,
Wondering if the biography will be in print again, or how one in the US could obtain?
Thanks!
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A new and fully revised second edition of the biography has been written and we hope it should be published very soon.
It will be available in the USA directly from http://www.blurb.com. Buyers will only need to register with username and password as they do with Amazon.com. We will do our best to make it available in USA via amazon.com
We will let you know. Thank you for our interest.
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Dear theearlgreypost,
We are delighted to inform you that The printed book is now available USA print on demand from Blurb.com
http://www.blurb.com/b/9090968-the-secret-lives-of-a-secret-agent-second-edition
The Secret Lives of a Secret Agent – Second Edition
http://www.blurb.com
The Second World War Chief of MI6 said Alexander Wilson had ‘remarkable gifts as a writer of fiction, and no sense of responsibility in using them!’ Wilson’s ‘secret lives’ extended to his private life with four wives and four families; not necessarily one after the other. His story is the subject of the BBC drama series ‘Mrs Wilson’.
$20.55 plus postage/packing. Official publication is end of this week 30th November 2018.
You only have to register with blurb like amazon to order.
We do hope you enjoy the book if you decide to order it.
sincerely and respectfully, Alexander Wilson Estate.
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Thank you Tim for your work in bringing this fascinating story to our screens, which just finished going to air in Australia 2019-Feb-24. And thanks to Ruth Wilson for her splendid portrayal of what it was amazing to learn was her grandmother. It was disappointing to learn that the Foreign Office currently refuses to tell what they know, as if revealing the facts from the war years is going to hurt now. I hope the family will make a point of asking again on an annual basis until all that is to know is told.
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Dear Nick,
Thank you very much for your feedback. The campaign and pressure to persuade the authorities to release as much information held on Alexander Wilson by the relevant authorities continues. We will keep everyone informed of developments via this website. Sincerely and respectfully, Tim Crook.
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I’m not sure if a tv series of Wallace has been considered, but due to the popularity of period dramas, such as Foyle’s War and Endeavour, I’m certain it would be a successful show.
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Dear David,
I would wholeheartedly agree with you. Strong characters, amazingly entertaining plots and brought up to date with contemporary writing, they would offer an excellent opportunity of dramatising the exciting and fascinating period between the late nineteen twenties and early forties. Thank you for the suggestion. I hope it will be taken up by the Blair Partnership that represents the Alexander Wilson Estate. Sincerely and respectfully, Tim Crook.
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The first edition has over 6 hundred pages and the next edition has approximately 4 hundred pages less. Whatever did you cut out?
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Dear Lana, Many thanks for your question. The first edition has a substantial amount of analysis of his fiction and place in spy and espionage writing. I was also asked to describe in great detail the modus operandi of the research investigation and how I was able to make the connections with all of Alexander Wilson’s families as well as unravel the truth about his real identity. There were many more illustrations of espionage and spy writing context. The Second Edition seeks to make the story more accessible to a wider audience, give whole chapter consideration to Gladys, Dorothy, Alison and Elizabeth, and concentrate on all of the new information revealed since 2010. The illustrations used relate only to the Wilson family narrative. Sincerely and respectfully, Tim Crook.
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