A practical guide by two world experts to codebreaking and solving cryptograms. There are tens of thousands of such cryptograms, both modern and historical, many of which remain unsolved. The guide is complemented by both success stories and details of unsolved encryption mysteries.
A practical guide by two world experts to codebreaking and solving cryptograms. There are tens of thousands of such cryptograms, both modern and historical, many of which remain unsolved. The guide is complemented by both success stories and details of unsolved encryption mysteries.
'The best book on codebreaking I have read', SIR DERMOT TURING
'Brings back the joy I felt when I first read about these things as a kid', PHIL ZIMMERMANN 'This is at last the single book on codebreaking that you must have. If you are not yet addicted to cryptography, this book will get you addicted. Read, enjoy, and test yourself on history's great still-unbroken messages!' JARED DIAMOND is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel; Collapse; and other international bestsellers'This is THE book about codebreaking. Very concise, very inclusive and easy to read', ED SCHEIDT'Riveting', MIKE GODWIN 'Approachable and compelling', GLEN MIRANKERThis practical guide to breaking codes and solving cryptograms by two world experts, Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh, describes the most common encryption techniques along with methods to detect and break them. It fills a gap left by outdated or very basic-level books. This guide also covers many unsolved messages. The Zodiac Killer sent four encrypted messages to the police. One was solved; the other three were not. Beatrix Potter's diary and the Voynich Manuscript were both encrypted - to date, only one of the two has been deciphered. The breaking of the so-called Zimmerman Telegram during the First World War changed the course of history. Several encrypted wartime military messages remain unsolved to this day. Tens of thousands of other encrypted messages, ranging from simple notes created by children to encrypted postcards and diaries in people's attics, are known to exist. Breaking these cryptograms fascinates people all over the world, and often gives people insight into the lives of their ancestors. Geocachers, computer gamers and puzzle fans also require codebreaking skills. This is a book both for the growing number of enthusiasts obsessed with real-world mysteries, and also fans of more challenging puzzle books. Many people are obsessed with trying to solve famous crypto mysteries, including members of the Kryptos community (led by Elonka Dunin) trying to solve a decades-old cryptogram on a sculpture at the centre of CIA Headquarters; readers of the novels of Dan Brown as well as Elonka Dunin's The Mammoth Book of Secret Code Puzzles (UK)/The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms (US); historians who regularly encounter encrypted documents; perplexed family members who discover an encrypted postcard or diary in an ancestor's effects; law-enforcement agents who are confronted by encrypted messages, which also happens more often than might be supposed; members of the American Cryptogram Association (ACA); geocachers (many caches involve a crypto puzzle); puzzle fans; and computer ga“Quite the best book on codebreaking I have read: clear, engaging and fun. A must for would-be recruits to GCHQ and the NSA!”
The enthusiasm of the writing will likely pull the reader through the book . . . a good introduction to cryptology. -- Chris Christensen Cryptologia
-- Sir Dermot Turing, author of Prof, the biography of his uncle, Alan Turing
Approachable, accessible, this book brings back the joy I felt when I first read about these kinds of things as a kid. -- Phil Zimmermann, creator of PGP cryptography, inductee to the Internet Hall of Fame
This is THE book about code breaking. Very concise, very inclusive, and easy to read. Good references for those who would make a code like Kryptos. -- Ed Scheidt, Central Intelligence Agency
What could be more exciting, challenging, mysterious, and important in war than codebreaking? What could be a safer way to send a compromising message to your secret lover than to encrypt the message? If you already love spy stories and tales of business skulduggery in supposedly unbreakable ciphers, this is at last the single book that you must have. If you are not yet addicted to cryptography, this book will get you addicted. Read, enjoy, and test yourself on history's great still-unbroken messages! -- Jared Diamond is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel; Collapse; and other international bestsellers
Riveting. Dunin and Schmeh show us that we each have our own inner codebreaker yearning to be set free. Codebreaking isn't just for super-geniuses with supercomputers, it's something we were all born to do. -- Mike Godwin, creator of Godwin’s Law, former general counsel, Wikimedia Foundation
Codebreaking is a remarkable treatment of the art of decoding of hand-created codes. Clear and conversational in tone, it transforms a sometimes daunting topic into an approachable and compelling story. Its comprehensive survey of manual codes and techniques for cryptanalyzing them is thoroughly illustrated with real historical examples, from the Voynich Manuscript to the Zodiac Killer's encrypted messages. An excellent book for starting a deep-dive into cryptanalysis. -- Glen Miranker, former Chief Technology Officer, Apple Computers
This is the book of my dreams: A super-clear, super-fun guide for solving secret messages of all kinds, from paper-and-pencil cryptograms to Enigma machines. With deep knowledge and skillful storytelling, Dunin and Schmeh capture the joy and power of codebreaking. -- Jason Fagone, author of the bestselling The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies
This is the book we've all been waiting for, a page-turner packed with intrigue and mystery - the first practical book on codebreaking for the digital age. Code experts and enthusiasts Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh patiently explain the basic types of codes and ciphers, and how to detect which scheme is being used. Say you discover an aged letter covered with mysterious symbols tucked into an old book in the attic. An encrypted communication from a long-dead relative, no doubt. But what does it say? Fear no more. With over a hundred cloak-and-dagger examples, ranging from the Emperor Ferdinand II, the Holy Roman Emperor from the House of Habsburg in the 1640s; to the Zodiac Killer in northern California in the 1960s, this is what you need. What a great way to introduce a new generation to the romance of mathematics! -- Scott Kim, who gave The Art of Puzzles TED talk, puzzle designer for Discover and Scientific American
Elonka and Klaus have created an incredible resource in this guidebook to codebreaking. In essence they found a code that needed breaking and solved it for us since a practical, up-to-date source like this did not yet exist. I cannot wait to use this book, not only to solve any cryptograms I might stumble across, but also to build new ones in my own works. An incredible, practical, up-to-date resource for codebreaking which has not existed up until now. -- Starr Long, former executive producer, Walt Disney Company
A wonderful mix of ciphers. Beginners will be hooked on exploring the world of encryption, and those who are experienced will find much that is new. -- Craig Bauer, Editor-in-Chief of Cryptologia and author of Unsolved! The History and Mystery of the World's Greatest Ciphers
Cryptography? Ciphers? I thought this would be an easy book to put down.
I was very wrong.
Another kind of Applied Cryptography.
-- Whitfield Diffie, Turing Laureate and member of the NSA Cryptologic Hall of Honor, creator of public-key cryptographyElonka Dunin (Author)
ELONKA DUNIN is an American video-game developer and cryptologist. Bestselling author Dan Brown named Nola Kaye, a character in his novel, The Lost Symbol, after her. Elonka has published a book of exercises on classical cryptography and maintains cryptography-related websites about topics such as the world's most famous unsolved codes and Kryptos, a sculpture at the Central Intelligence Agency containing an encrypted message. She is considered the leading Kryptos expert in the world. Elonka is a member of the United States National Cryptologic Museum Foundation's Board and frequently gives lectures on the subject of cryptography.Klaus Schmeh (Author) KLAUS SCHMEH is one of the world's leading experts on the history of encryption. He has published thirteen books about encryption technology (mostly written in German), as well as over 200 articles, twenty-five scientific publications and 1,200 blog posts, which makes him the most published cryptology author in the world. He is a member of the editorial board of the scientific magazine, Cryptologia, and a frequent speaker at encryption conferences in Europe and the USA. He has given presentations at the NSA Cryptologic History Symposium, the Charlotte International Cryptologic Symposium, the RSA Conference in San Francisco and many more. He is known for his entertaining presentation style involving self-drawn cartoons and Lego models.'The best book on codebreaking I have read', SIR DERMOT TURING 'Brings back the joy I felt when I first read about these things as a kid', PHIL ZIMMERMANN 'This is at last the single book on codebreaking that you must have. If you are not yet addicted to cryptography, this book will get you addicted. Read, enjoy, and test yourself on history's great still-unbroken messages!' JARED DIAMOND is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel; Collapse; and other international bestsellers'This is THE book about codebreaking. Very concise, very inclusive and easy to read', ED SCHEIDT'Riveting', MIKE GODWIN 'Approachable and compelling', GLEN MIRANKERThis practical guide to breaking codes and solving cryptograms by two world experts, Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh, describes the most common encryption techniques along with methods to detect and break them. It fills a gap left by outdated or very basic-level books. This guide also covers many unsolved messages. The Zodiac Killer sent four encrypted messages to the police. One was solved; the other three were not. Beatrix Potter's diary and the Voynich Manuscript were both encrypted - to date, only one of the two has been deciphered. The breaking of the so-called Zimmerman Telegram during the First World War changed the course of history. Several encrypted wartime military messages remain unsolved to this day. Tens of thousands of other encrypted messages, ranging from simple notes created by children to encrypted postcards and diaries in people's attics, are known to exist. Breaking these cryptograms fascinates people all over the world, and often gives people insight into the lives of their ancestors. Geocachers, computer gamers and puzzle fans also require codebreaking skills.This is a book both for the growing number of enthusiasts obsessed with real-world mysteries, and also fans of more challenging puzzle books. Many people are obsessed with trying to solve famous crypto mysteries, including members of the Kryptos community (led by Elonka Dunin) trying to solve a decades-old cryptogram on a sculpture at the centre of CIA Headquarters; readers of the novels of Dan Brown as well as Elonka Dunin's The Mammoth Book of Secret Code Puzzles (UK)/ The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms (US); historians who regularly encounter encrypted documents; perplexed family members who discover an encrypted postcard or diary in an ancestor's effects; law-enforcement agents who are confronted by encrypted messages, which also happens more often than might be supposed; members of the American Cryptogram Association (ACA); geocachers (many caches involve a crypto puzzle); puzzle fans; and computer ga
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