Forgotten Voices of the Secret War: An Inside History of Special Operations in the Second World War by Roderick Bailey (Ebury Press, 2008). Compilation of interviews with SOE agents taken from the Imperial War Museum's sound archive.

Secret Agent's Handbook: The Top Secret Manual of Wartime Weapons, Gadgets, Disguises and Devices by Roderick Bailey (Max Press, 2010). A catalogue of gadgets and devices used by SOE agents.

The Wildest Province: SOE in the Land of the Eagle by Roderick Bailey (Jonathan Cape, 2008). History of SOE in Albania.

Spy Princess by Shrabani Basu (History Press, 2006). Biography of Noor Inayat Khan, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross. See also Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan by Jean Overton Fuller.

Secret War Heroes: The Men of Special Operations Executive by Marcus Binney (Hodder and Stoughton, 2005). Short biographies of SOE personalities including Gus March-Phillipps (leader of Maid Honor Force), combat training expert Bill Sykes, agents Georges Bégué, Percy Mayer, Denis Rake, Harry Rée and Benjamin Cowburn, and the author's father George Binney.

The Women Who Lived for Danger: The Women Agents of SOE in the Second World War by Marcus Binney (Hodder and Stoughton, 2002). Portraits of ten women agents: Violette Szabo, Noor Inayat Khan, Paddy O'Sullivan, Lise de Baissac, Marguerite Knight, Alix d'Unienville, Paola Del Din, Christine Granville, Pearl Witherington and Virginia Hall.

SOE: The Scientific Secrets by Frederick Boyce and Douglas Everett (History Press, 2004).

Nancy Wake by Russell Braddon (History Press, 2009). Wake first worked with an escape network in Marseille before joining SOE's 'Freelance' circuit in the Auvergne in 1944. First published in 1956.

The Secret Agent's Pocket Manual: 1939-1945 by Stephen Bull (ed.) (Conway, 2009). Collection of manuals and guides on self defence, disguise and sabotage, including The Partisan Leader's Handbook by Colin Gubbins.

No Cloak, No Dagger by Benjamin Cowburn (Frontline Books, 2009). This is a short but vivid memoir by one of SOE's longest serving agents in France. First published in 1960.

SOE Agent: Churchill's Secret Warriors by Terry Crowdy (Osprey, 2008). Gives an overview of SOE organisation, agents' training, deployment, communications and covers some of the more well-known sabotage operations.

Beaulieu: The Finishing School for Secret Agents by Cyril Cunningham (Leo Cooper, 2005). First published in 1994. History of SOE's training schools on the Beaulieu estate in Hampshire.

Heroines of SOE: Britain's secret women in France by Beryl Escott (History Press, 2010). Sketches of SOE's more well-known female agents, including Nancy Wake, Pearl Witherington, Noor Inayat Khan, Violette Szabo, Mary Herbert and Odette Sansom.

SOE: An Outline History of the Special Operations Executive by M.R.D. Foot (Pimlico, 1999). First published by Greenwood Press/BBC Books in 1984.

A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Lost Agents of SOE by Sarah Helm (Little, Brown, 2005). An account of Atkins' postwar search for the agents who disappeared after their capture, and an investigation into her own hidden past.

The Next Moon: The Remarkable True Story of a British Agent Behind the Lines in Wartime France by André Hue and Ewen Southby-Tailyour (Penguin, 2005). Hue's early adventures are followed by an account of his experiences as an agent operating in Brittany after D-Day.

A Pacifist at War: The Life of Francis Cammaerts by Ray Jenkins (Hutchison, 2009). One of the most successful agents in France, Cammaerts commanded the 'Jockey' circuit across south-eastern France. This is an intimate biography which also gives a detailed account of his post-war life.

Behind Enemy Lines: The Autobiography of Britains Most Decorated War Hero by Sir Tommy Macpherson with Richard Bath (Mainstream Publishing, 2010).

The White Rabbit by Bruce Marshall (Cassell, 2000). The story of George Cross recipient Forest Yeo-Thomas. First published by Evans Brothers in 1951.

Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War 1941-45 by Leo Marks (History Press, 2007). Very readable autobiography by SOE's head cryptographer. First published by HarperCollins in 1998.

Christine: SOE Agent and Churchill's Favourite Spy by Madeleine Masson (Virago, 2005). Life of agent Christine Granville (born Krystyna Skarbek), a Polish countess whose intrepid wartime career included working for Francis Cammaerts' 'Jockey' circuit. First published by Hamish Hamilton in 1975.

The Real Heroes of Telemark: The True Story of the Secret Mission to Stop Hitler's Atomic Bomb by Ray Mears (Coronet, 2004).

Maquis: The French Resistance at War by George Millar (Cassell, 2006). Published only a few months after completing his mission as head of the 'Chancellor' circuit around Besançon, Millar's novel-like memoir is as much an intimate study of the resisters he worked with as a record of his own actions. First published by Heinemann in 1945.

Carve Her Name with Pride by R.J. Minney (Pen and Sword, 2006). The first biography of celebrated female agent Violette Szabó GC. First published by George Newnes in 1956.

Jungle Soldier: The True Story of Freddy Spencer Chapman by Brian Moynahan (Quercus, 2009). Chronicles Chapman's pre-war expeditions across the Arctic and Himalayas, and his ordeals surviving behind enemy lines in the Malayan jungle.

Violette Szabo: The Life That I Have by Susan Ottaway (Leo Cooper, 2002). Popular biography. See also R.J. Minney's Carve Her Name with Pride.

The Grand Prix Saboteurs: The Grand Prix Drivers Who Became British Secret Agents During World War II by Joe Saward (Morienval Press, 2006). Covers the careers of Charles Grover Williams, Robert Benoist and Jean-Pierre Wimille, who were recruited by F Section and operated the 'Chestnut' circuit near Paris. Only Wimille survived the war.

Mission Accomplished: SOE and Italy 1943-1945 by David Stafford (Bodley Head, 2011). Official history (a second volume covering 1940-43 is forthcoming).

Odette: World War Two's Darling Spy by Penny Starns (History Press, 2009). Biography of agent Odette Sansom.

Odette by Jerrard Tickell (Headline Review, 2008). The first, bestselling biography of Odette Sansom, published by Chapman & Hall in 1949.

SOE and the Resistance: As Told in Times Obituaries by Michael Tillotson (ed.) (Continuum, 2011).

Station 12: Aston House - SOE's Secret Centre by Des Turner (History Press, 2006). Station XII was responsible for many of the gadgets used by SOE agents. These are catalogued in 'The Secret Agents Handbook' by Roderick Bailey (see above).

Moondrop to Gascony by Anne-Marie Walters (Moho Books, 2009). Walters parachuted into south-western France in January 1944 as a courier for George Starr's 'Wheelwright' circuit. First published by Macmillan in 1946, and winner of the John Llewelyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1947.

Carve Her Name With Pride [DVD] Biopic of Violette Szabo starring Virginia McKenna and Paul Scofield, and directed by Lewis Gilbert. Released in 1958.

Charlotte Gray [DVD] Adaptation of Sebastian Faulks' novel, starring Cate Blanchett as a secret agent in Occupied France. A fifty-minute documentary, "The Real Charlotte Grays" included as an extra, features interviews with several agents. Released in 2001.

Now It Can Be Told - Imperial War Museum Official Collection [DVD] Originally released in 1947 as a public information film under the title "School for Danger", it features two real-life agents (Harry Rée and Jacqueline Nearne) and locations used by SOE personnel.

Odette [DVD] Anna Neagle stars as French agent Odette Sansom, with Trevor Howard as Peter Churchill and Peter Ustinov as Alex Rabinovitch. Maurice Buckmaster plays himself, and Peter Churchill makes a cameo appearance.

The Sorrow and the Pity [DVD] Released in 1969 (and banned in France until 1981), this two-part documentary concentrates on the testimony of former resisters and collaborators living in Clermont-Ferrand during the Occupation, but includes footage of Maurice Buckmaster and a short interview with former agent Denis Rake.

Wish Me Luck - Complete [DVD] First broadcast in the late 1980s, Wish Me Luck was a popular British TV drama inspired by SOE's women agents in France. This collection includes all three series.