With their inextricable links to history, mystery and war, codes and ciphers offer a rich seam of material for any author. The relative dearth of non-technical books on the subject may be a reflection of its technical foundations, which compel hard decisions about what to include and what to gloss over. Few are better qualified to take on the challenge than Simon Singh, the particle physicist turned science writer whose book Fermat's Last Theorem, recounting the dauntingly complex story behind the proof of this mathematical conjecture, deservedly became a No. 1 bestseller.

The Code Book contains many fascinating accounts of code-breaking in action, from its use in unmasking the Man in the Iron Mask and the defeat of the Nazis to the breaking of a modern cipher system by a world-wide army of amateurs in 1994. It is especially good on the most recent developments, such as quantum cryptology and the thorny civil liberties issues raised by the advent of very secure cipher systems over the Internet. But Singh's mathematical prowess sometimes gets the better of his journalistic instincts, leading to technical descriptions that unnecessarily disrupt the narrative flow. So buy it--and have a shot at the 10,000 pound mystery cipher--but be prepared to skip. --Robert Matthews

Very readable..., 27 Aug 2008
I came across this by accident after reading the same author's book on Fermat's Last Theroem.

Simon Singh style matches exactly what I want from a science book. Very readable and dumbed down just enough for me to understand the complex topics but certainly not "Janet and John".

This book does not attempt (quite rightly) to enthuse people that are not bothered. There is no attempt to sex things up - if you like science, the science is sexy enough. And it assumes you have a pretty good grasp of maths and science (maybe to 'A' level).



My Favorite Non-Fiction Book, 08 Jan 2008
This is my favourite non-fiction book. Why? Well it's an interesting and intriguing topic, its well written and an easy read but the key (excuse the bad pun) for me is that Singh strikes the perfect balance of giving you a taster of a technique, explaining it significance and giving examples of this with some great real world examples.

The opening chapter exemplifies this with how it describes Mary Queen of Scots use of a cryptography technique and the unfortunate results it had for her when they were intercepted and eventually decoded.

Knowing little about nano technology I found this chapter near the end very difficult to follow but Singh does well to describe it in a way that did at least give me half a chance at understanding it.

The book was written to accompany his UK Channel 4 TV series; having seen only one episode of it I can say it certainly stand on its own two feet.

If you want a great introduction to this subject I can not see you doing any better than this book. I don't think you have to have a strong interest in the subject to enjoy it. I suspect older kids could get into it easily and there's examples to try on his web site.

Great insight into the history of code, 06 Oct 2007
When I first picked up this book I was a bit worried I would need a triple degree in mathematics, a calculator and lots of paper. My fears were very quickly allayed and I immediately found this to be an easy-to-read historical narrative on coding and decoding, introducing the distinction between steganography and cryptography.

Throughout, Singh focuses on what he sees as a battle between the cryptanalyst and the cryptographer... the cryptographer uses a new technique which is "unbreakable"... the cryptanalyst breaks it some time later.... The cryptographer comes up with a new idea... that too is broken some time later... and so on.

The author cleverly weaves this into a general history of where these techniques have affected the history, such as the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and the Second World War. A detailed history is given of Enigma, explaining how the system was used and how it was decrypted, as well as introducing newer techniques such as RSA and PGP.

Definitely a worthwhile read - examples are also given so you can follow how each encryption and decryption technique actually works.


An Excellent Historical Perspective on Steganography, Cryptography and Cryptoanalysis, 24 May 2007
Simon Singh has done a remarkable job at explaining the origins of various message scrambling mechanisms, such as steganography, cryptography, keys and cryptoanalysis and his writing style is very methodological.

Starting with definitions of various terms he then illustrates how various methods were used in througout history.

Insight into the history of codes and ciphers, 22 May 2007
This is a book which I started reading after hearing a brief lecture on the subject of cryptology. Whilest reading I was fasinated by the detailed stories and hidden tales of the codemaking/codebreaking world. This book is about the intellectual battle between the codebreakers and the codebreakers. Spanning from the Egyptians to the present day and even including an insight to the future this is a very good introduction to the world of ciphers.

Very readable..., 27 Aug 2008
I came across this by accident after reading the same author's book on Fermat's Last Theroem.

Simon Singh style matches exactly what I want from a science book. Very readable and dumbed down just enough for me to understand the complex topics but certainly not "Janet and John".

This book does not attempt (quite rightly) to enthuse people that are not bothered. There is no attempt to sex things up - if you like science, the science is sexy enough. And it assumes you have a pretty good grasp of maths and science (maybe to 'A' level).



My Favorite Non-Fiction Book, 08 Jan 2008
This is my favourite non-fiction book. Why? Well it's an interesting and intriguing topic, its well written and an easy read but the key (excuse the bad pun) for me is that Singh strikes the perfect balance of giving you a taster of a technique, explaining it significance and giving examples of this with some great real world examples.

The opening chapter exemplifies this with how it describes Mary Queen of Scots use of a cryptography technique and the unfortunate results it had for her when they were intercepted and eventually decoded.

Knowing little about nano technology I found this chapter near the end very difficult to follow but Singh does well to describe it in a way that did at least give me half a chance at understanding it.

The book was written to accompany his UK Channel 4 TV series; having seen only one episode of it I can say it certainly stand on its own two feet.

If you want a great introduction to this subject I can not see you doing any better than this book. I don't think you have to have a strong interest in the subject to enjoy it. I suspect older kids could get into it easily and there's examples to try on his web site.

Great insight into the history of code, 06 Oct 2007
When I first picked up this book I was a bit worried I would need a triple degree in mathematics, a calculator and lots of paper. My fears were very quickly allayed and I immediately found this to be an easy-to-read historical narrative on coding and decoding, introducing the distinction between steganography and cryptography.

Throughout, Singh focuses on what he sees as a battle between the cryptanalyst and the cryptographer... the cryptographer uses a new technique which is "unbreakable"... the cryptanalyst breaks it some time later.... The cryptographer comes up with a new idea... that too is broken some time later... and so on.

The author cleverly weaves this into a general history of where these techniques have affected the history, such as the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and the Second World War. A detailed history is given of Enigma, explaining how the system was used and how it was decrypted, as well as introducing newer techniques such as RSA and PGP.

Definitely a worthwhile read - examples are also given so you can follow how each encryption and decryption technique actually works.


An Excellent Historical Perspective on Steganography, Cryptography and Cryptoanalysis, 24 May 2007
Simon Singh has done a remarkable job at explaining the origins of various message scrambling mechanisms, such as steganography, cryptography, keys and cryptoanalysis and his writing style is very methodological.

Starting with definitions of various terms he then illustrates how various methods were used in througout history.

Insight into the history of codes and ciphers, 22 May 2007
This is a book which I started reading after hearing a brief lecture on the subject of cryptology. Whilest reading I was fasinated by the detailed stories and hidden tales of the codemaking/codebreaking world. This book is about the intellectual battle between the codebreakers and the codebreakers. Spanning from the Egyptians to the present day and even including an insight to the future this is a very good introduction to the world of ciphers.

Makes the complex simple to understand, 20 Jun 2008
Cryptography is a knotty subject but this book by Professor Piper starts from the beginning and provides a highly digestible (if compressed) walk through the subject. As a consultant and engineer I needed to learn something about the subject in very little time, and this book does not waste a single word in getting to the point. I would not expect to get anything more than a high level overview, and this book delivers that perfectly. It's rare to find such a well written technical book that is also comprehensible to the non-technical reader - congratulations!

Intro to Crypto, 15 Apr 2003
It deals with all the basic on cryptography and it is a very well thought and written book. There is only one thing better than the book and that is listening to a lecture from Professor Piper...if you have the privelege.

Intro to Crypto, 15 Apr 2003
It deals with all the basic on cryptography and it is a very well thought and written book. There is only one thing better than the book and that is listening to a lecture from Professor Piper...if you have the privelege.

Perfect Primer for Cryptography, 11 Jul 2002
This book presumes no prior knowledge of Cryptography whatsoever, and as such is both accessible and enjoyable to read.

Its great value for money and will serve anyone new to the subject well. It contains references which allow the interested reader to further research the topic further, either mathematically or historically.

For anyone studying Cryptography for the first time, this really is the perfect pocket primer! Highly recommended.

Very readable..., 27 Aug 2008
I came across this by accident after reading the same author's book on Fermat's Last Theroem.

Simon Singh style matches exactly what I want from a science book. Very readable and dumbed down just enough for me to understand the complex topics but certainly not "Janet and John".

This book does not attempt (quite rightly) to enthuse people that are not bothered. There is no attempt to sex things up - if you like science, the science is sexy enough. And it assumes you have a pretty good grasp of maths and science (maybe to 'A' level).



My Favorite Non-Fiction Book, 08 Jan 2008
This is my favourite non-fiction book. Why? Well it's an interesting and intriguing topic, its well written and an easy read but the key (excuse the bad pun) for me is that Singh strikes the perfect balance of giving you a taster of a technique, explaining it significance and giving examples of this with some great real world examples.

The opening chapter exemplifies this with how it describes Mary Queen of Scots use of a cryptography technique and the unfortunate results it had for her when they were intercepted and eventually decoded.

Knowing little about nano technology I found this chapter near the end very difficult to follow but Singh does well to describe it in a way that did at least give me half a chance at understanding it.

The book was written to accompany his UK Channel 4 TV series; having seen only one episode of it I can say it certainly stand on its own two feet.

If you want a great introduction to this subject I can not see you doing any better than this book. I don't think you have to have a strong interest in the subject to enjoy it. I suspect older kids could get into it easily and there's examples to try on his web site.

Great insight into the history of code, 06 Oct 2007
When I first picked up this book I was a bit worried I would need a triple degree in mathematics, a calculator and lots of paper. My fears were very quickly allayed and I immediately found this to be an easy-to-read historical narrative on coding and decoding, introducing the distinction between steganography and cryptography.

Throughout, Singh focuses on what he sees as a battle between the cryptanalyst and the cryptographer... the cryptographer uses a new technique which is "unbreakable"... the cryptanalyst breaks it some time later.... The cryptographer comes up with a new idea... that too is broken some time later... and so on.

The author cleverly weaves this into a general history of where these techniques have affected the history, such as the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and the Second World War. A detailed history is given of Enigma, explaining how the system was used and how it was decrypted, as well as introducing newer techniques such as RSA and PGP.

Definitely a worthwhile read - examples are also given so you can follow how each encryption and decryption technique actually works.


An Excellent Historical Perspective on Steganography, Cryptography and Cryptoanalysis, 24 May 2007
Simon Singh has done a remarkable job at explaining the origins of various message scrambling mechanisms, such as steganography, cryptography, keys and cryptoanalysis and his writing style is very methodological.

Starting with definitions of various terms he then illustrates how various methods were used in througout history.

Insight into the history of codes and ciphers, 22 May 2007
This is a book which I started reading after hearing a brief lecture on the subject of cryptology. Whilest reading I was fasinated by the detailed stories and hidden tales of the codemaking/codebreaking world. This book is about the intellectual battle between the codebreakers and the codebreakers. Spanning from the Egyptians to the present day and even including an insight to the future this is a very good introduction to the world of ciphers.

Makes the complex simple to understand, 20 Jun 2008
Cryptography is a knotty subject but this book by Professor Piper starts from the beginning and provides a highly digestible (if compressed) walk through the subject. As a consultant and engineer I needed to learn something about the subject in very little time, and this book does not waste a single word in getting to the point. I would not expect to get anything more than a high level overview, and this book delivers that perfectly. It's rare to find such a well written technical book that is also comprehensible to the non-technical reader - congratulations!

Intro to Crypto, 15 Apr 2003
It deals with all the basic on cryptography and it is a very well thought and written book. There is only one thing better than the book and that is listening to a lecture from Professor Piper...if you have the privelege.

Intro to Crypto, 15 Apr 2003
It deals with all the basic on cryptography and it is a very well thought and written book. There is only one thing better than the book and that is listening to a lecture from Professor Piper...if you have the privelege.

Perfect Primer for Cryptography, 11 Jul 2002
This book presumes no prior knowledge of Cryptography whatsoever, and as such is both accessible and enjoyable to read.

Its great value for money and will serve anyone new to the subject well. It contains references which allow the interested reader to further research the topic further, either mathematically or historically.

For anyone studying Cryptography for the first time, this really is the perfect pocket primer! Highly recommended.

Bletchley Park books, 01 Sep 2007
A very interesting book written by those who were involved. Much easier to read than Paul Gannon's book as it is personal rather than historical from documents. A very interesting book and I can thoroughly recommend it.

Valuable part of the wartime jigsaw, 31 May 2006
This book contains numerous articles written by some of those invisible people who actually took part in this top secret project. Some of the accounts are those of frustration, from people not allowed to get the recognition that they and their colleagues deserve. The level of detail and understanding shown makes this a very interesting and unique picture. I would recommend it without hesitation. Their ability to inject humour in the most serious of stories gives you some idea of the luck and good fortune that resulted in the most important achievements.

A great read!, 26 Apr 2006
Couldn't put it down. You are lectured by some of the worlds greatest scientists, who undoubtably save the western world from the Nazis; it is written with humour and in excellent style. What fortune that the release of this classified information was just in time (but only just) to allow contributions from those who really 'won the war'. The repetition of how Colossus worked by its many contributors allows non-techies to really understand what it did, and how the first computer was British not American! Da Vinci code - eat your heart out!

Very readable..., 27 Aug 2008
I came across this by accident after reading the same author's book on Fermat's Last Theroem.

Simon Singh style matches exactly what I want from a science book. Very readable and dumbed down just enough for me to understand the complex topics but certainly not "Janet and John".

This book does not attempt (quite rightly) to enthuse people that are not bothered. There is no attempt to sex things up - if you like science, the science is sexy enough. And it assumes you have a pretty good grasp of maths and science (maybe to 'A' level).



My Favorite Non-Fiction Book, 08 Jan 2008
This is my favourite non-fiction book. Why? Well it's an interesting and intriguing topic, its well written and an easy read but the key (excuse the bad pun) for me is that Singh strikes the perfect balance of giving you a taster of a technique, explaining it significance and giving examples of this with some great real world examples.

The opening chapter exemplifies this with how it describes Mary Queen of Scots use of a cryptography technique and the unfortunate results it had for her when they were intercepted and eventually decoded.

Knowing little about nano technology I found this chapter near the end very difficult to follow but Singh does well to describe it in a way that did at least give me half a chance at understanding it.

The book was written to accompany his UK Channel 4 TV series; having seen only one episode of it I can say it certainly stand on its own two feet.

If you want a great introduction to this subject I can not see you doing any better than this book. I don't think you have to have a strong interest in the subject to enjoy it. I suspect older kids could get into it easily and there's examples to try on his web site.

Great insight into the history of code, 06 Oct 2007
When I first picked up this book I was a bit worried I would need a triple degree in mathematics, a calculator and lots of paper. My fears were very quickly allayed and I immediately found this to be an easy-to-read historical narrative on coding and decoding, introducing the distinction between steganography and cryptography.

Throughout, Singh focuses on what he sees as a battle between the cryptanalyst and the cryptographer... the cryptographer uses a new technique which is "unbreakable"... the cryptanalyst breaks it some time later.... The cryptographer comes up with a new idea... that too is broken some time later... and so on.

The author cleverly weaves this into a general history of where these techniques have affected the history, such as the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and the Second World War. A detailed history is given of Enigma, explaining how the system was used and how it was decrypted, as well as introducing newer techniques such as RSA and PGP.

Definitely a worthwhile read - examples are also given so you can follow how each encryption and decryption technique actually works.


An Excellent Historical Perspective on Steganography, Cryptography and Cryptoanalysis, 24 May 2007
Simon Singh has done a remarkable job at explaining the origins of various message scrambling mechanisms, such as steganography, cryptography, keys and cryptoanalysis and his writing style is very methodological.

Starting with definitions of various terms he then illustrates how various methods were used in througout history.

Insight into the history of codes and ciphers, 22 May 2007
This is a book which I started reading after hearing a brief lecture on the subject of cryptology. Whilest reading I was fasinated by the detailed stories and hidden tales of the codemaking/codebreaking world. This book is about the intellectual battle between the codebreakers and the codebreakers. Spanning from the Egyptians to the present day and even including an insight to the future this is a very good introduction to the world of ciphers.

Makes the complex simple to understand, 20 Jun 2008
Cryptography is a knotty subject but this book by Professor Piper starts from the beginning and provides a highly digestible (if compressed) walk through the subject. As a consultant and engineer I needed to learn something about the subject in very little time, and this book does not waste a single word in getting to the point. I would not expect to get anything more than a high level overview, and this book delivers that perfectly. It's rare to find such a well written technical book that is also comprehensible to the non-technical reader - congratulations!

Intro to Crypto, 15 Apr 2003
It deals with all the basic on cryptography and it is a very well thought and written book. There is only one thing better than the book and that is listening to a lecture from Professor Piper...if you have the privelege.

Intro to Crypto, 15 Apr 2003
It deals with all the basic on cryptography and it is a very well thought and written book. There is only one thing better than the book and that is listening to a lecture from Professor Piper...if you have the privelege.

Perfect Primer for Cryptography, 11 Jul 2002
This book presumes no prior knowledge of Cryptography whatsoever, and as such is both accessible and enjoyable to read.

Its great value for money and will serve anyone new to the subject well. It contains references which allow the interested reader to further research the topic further, either mathematically or historically.

For anyone studying Cryptography for the first time, this really is the perfect pocket primer! Highly recommended.

Bletchley Park books, 01 Sep 2007
A very interesting book written by those who were involved. Much easier to read than Paul Gannon's book as it is personal rather than historical from documents. A very interesting book and I can thoroughly recommend it.

Valuable part of the wartime jigsaw, 31 May 2006
This book contains numerous articles written by some of those invisible people who actually took part in this top secret project. Some of the accounts are those of frustration, from people not allowed to get the recognition that they and their colleagues deserve. The level of detail and understanding shown makes this a very interesting and unique picture. I would recommend it without hesitation. Their ability to inject humour in the most serious of stories gives you some idea of the luck and good fortune that resulted in the most important achievements.

A great read!, 26 Apr 2006
Couldn't put it down. You are lectured by some of the worlds greatest scientists, who undoubtably save the western world from the Nazis; it is written with humour and in excellent style. What fortune that the release of this classified information was just in time (but only just) to allow contributions from those who really 'won the war'. The repetition of how Colossus worked by its many contributors allows non-techies to really understand what it did, and how the first computer was British not American! Da Vinci code - eat your heart out!

perfect book, 16 Oct 2004
If you are working with encryption & security(IPSEC, certificates etc.) and you want to learn more details this is the book you must have.

My rating should be 6 stars +, 06 Sep 2003
I am writing this not as a review as such but simply as a comment to endorse all the reviews so far.

If you want a really thorough knowledge of what you need to know in cryptography without getting bogged down in complex details, this is the book for you.

There really is no need to waste money on more expensive alternatives.

A superb introduction/reference for cryptology, 21 Jan 2003
I bought this book on a personal recommendation and what a book it is. I spent the first night reading half way through it and the information is presented so well that I took it all in. From explaining the roots of cryptology through to modulo inverse pairs and how they are used in keys, it lets you take the information in easily. I used it the very next morning to help debug an IKE issue and have never let i leave my desk since. A definite must have for network/securty admins!

Excellent, Accessible...and Readable, 26 Jul 2001
The only crypto book I've ever managed to finish !

Wish I had read this book before I did the MSc. Would have saved me hours. It covers current practices and explains the theory behind them.

Introductory history, Public & Private Key Crypto, Key Distribution, Message Digests with current examples S/MIME, SSL, IPSEC, X.509 & Certificates. Set apart from other texts by use of diagrams and thorough explanation of underlying math. A very useful Appendix; a tutorial on the mathematics of Pk Cryptography.

Written in an engaging style with excellent diagrams to further understanding. I learned alot from this book....thank you.

Does what is says on the label, 22 May 2001
This is one of the best crypto books I've read. Although cryptography is a rather dry subject, this engaging book makes it accessible, even to those without mathematics degrees.

I liked the structure of the book: it starts with a brief history of cryptography, moves through crypto theory, and ends with useful information about real-world practical applications. I learnt new stuff throughout.

Personally, I found the diagrams a little hard to follow. The authors use a consistent symbolic style throughout but I think the book cover could have done with a fold-out flap showing the key to all the symbols. That said, it's a valiant attempt to explain the steps in complex crypto processes, and better than most others.

To end with another compliment, my copy is now replete with scribbled comments in the margins, a good sign that it was a stimulating read.

Very readable..., 27 Aug 2008
I came across this by accident after reading the same author's book on Fermat's Last Theroem.

Simon Singh style matches exactly what I want from a science book. Very readable and dumbed down just enough for me to understand the complex topics but certainly not "Janet and John".

This book does not attempt (quite rightly) to enthuse people that are not bothered. There is no attempt to sex things up - if you like science, the science is sexy enough. And it assumes you have a pretty good grasp of maths and science (maybe to 'A' level).



My Favorite Non-Fiction Book, 08 Jan 2008
This is my favourite non-fiction book. Why? Well it's an interesting and intriguing topic, its well written and an easy read but the key (excuse the bad pun) for me is that Singh strikes the perfect balance of giving you a taster of a technique, explaining it significance and giving examples of this with some great real world examples.

The opening chapter exemplifies this with how it describes Mary Queen of Scots use of a cryptography technique and the unfortunate results it had for her when they were intercepted and eventually decoded.

Knowing little about nano technology I found this chapter near the end very difficult to follow but Singh does well to describe it in a way that did at least give me half a chance at understanding it.

The book was written to accompany his UK Channel 4 TV series; having seen only one episode of it I can say it certainly stand on its own two feet.

If you want a great introduction to this subject I can not see you doing any better than this book. I don't think you have to have a strong interest in the subject to enjoy it. I suspect older kids could get into it easily and there's examples to try on his web site.

Great insight into the history of code, 06 Oct 2007
When I first picked up this book I was a bit worried I would need a triple degree in mathematics, a calculator and lots of paper. My fears were very quickly allayed and I immediately found this to be an easy-to-read historical narrative on coding and decoding, introducing the distinction between steganography and cryptography.

Throughout, Singh focuses on what he sees as a battle between the cryptanalyst and the cryptographer... the cryptographer uses a new technique which is "unbreakable"... the cryptanalyst breaks it some time later.... The cryptographer comes up with a new idea... that too is broken some time later... and so on.

The author cleverly weaves this into a general history of where these techniques have affected the history, such as the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and the Second World War. A detailed history is given of Enigma, explaining how the system was used and how it was decrypted, as well as introducing newer techniques such as RSA and PGP.

Definitely a worthwhile read - examples are also given so you can follow how each encryption and decryption technique actually works.


An Excellent Historical Perspective on Steganography, Cryptography and Cryptoanalysis, 24 May 2007
Simon Singh has done a remarkable job at explaining the origins of various message scrambling mechanisms, such as steganography, cryptography, keys and cryptoanalysis and his writing style is very methodological.

Starting with definitions of various terms he then illustrates how various methods were used in througout history.

Insight into the history of codes and ciphers, 22 May 2007
This is a book which I started reading after hearing a brief lecture on the subject of cryptology. Whilest reading I was fasinated by the detailed stories and hidden tales of the codemaking/codebreaking world. This book is about the intellectual battle between the codebreakers and the codebreakers. Spanning from the Egyptians to the present day and even including an insight to the future this is a very good introduction to the world of ciphers.

Makes the complex simple to understand, 20 Jun 2008
Cryptography is a knotty subject but this book by Professor Piper starts from the beginning and provides a highly digestible (if compressed) walk through the subject. As a consultant and engineer I needed to learn something about the subject in very little time, and this book does not waste a single word in getting to the point. I would not expect to get anything more than a high level overview, and this book delivers that perfectly. It's rare to find such a well written technical book that is also comprehensible to the non-technical reader - congratulations!

Intro to Crypto, 15 Apr 2003
It deals with all the basic on cryptography and it is a very well thought and written book. There is only one thing better than the book and that is listening to a lecture from Professor Piper...if you have the privelege.

Intro to Crypto, 15 Apr 2003
It deals with all the basic on cryptography and it is a very well thought and written book. There is only one thing better than the book and that is listening to a lecture from Professor Piper...if you have the privelege.

Perfect Primer for Cryptography, 11 Jul 2002
This book presumes no prior knowledge of Cryptography whatsoever, and as such is both accessible and enjoyable to read.

Its great value for money and will serve anyone new to the subject well. It contains references which allow the interested reader to further research the topic further, either mathematically or historically.

For anyone studying Cryptography for the first time, this really is the perfect pocket primer! Highly recommended.

Bletchley Park books, 01 Sep 2007
A very interesting book written by those who were involved. Much easier to read than Paul Gannon's book as it is personal rather than historical from documents. A very interesting book and I can thoroughly recommend it.

Valuable part of the wartime jigsaw, 31 May 2006
This book contains numerous articles written by some of those invisible people who actually took part in this top secret project. Some of the accounts are those of frustration, from people not allowed to get the recognition that they and their colleagues deserve. The level of detail and understanding shown makes this a very interesting and unique picture. I would recommend it without hesitation. Their ability to inject humour in the most serious of stories gives you some idea of the luck and good fortune that resulted in the most important achievements.

A great read!, 26 Apr 2006
Couldn't put it down. You are lectured by some of the worlds greatest scientists, who undoubtably save the western world from the Nazis; it is written with humour and in excellent style. What fortune that the release of this classified information was just in time (but only just) to allow contributions from those who really 'won the war'. The repetition of how Colossus worked by its many contributors allows non-techies to really understand what it did, and how the first computer was British not American! Da Vinci code - eat your heart out!

perfect book, 16 Oct 2004
If you are working with encryption & security(IPSEC, certificates etc.) and you want to learn more details this is the book you must have.

My rating should be 6 stars +, 06 Sep 2003
I am writing this not as a review as such but simply as a comment to endorse all the reviews so far.

If you want a really thorough knowledge of what you need to know in cryptography without getting bogged down in complex details, this is the book for you.

There really is no need to waste money on more expensive alternatives.

A superb introduction/reference for cryptology, 21 Jan 2003
I bought this book on a personal recommendation and what a book it is. I spent the first night reading half way through it and the information is presented so well that I took it all in. From explaining the roots of cryptology through to modulo inverse pairs and how they are used in keys, it lets you take the information in easily. I used it the very next morning to help debug an IKE issue and have never let i leave my desk since. A definite must have for network/securty admins!

Excellent, Accessible...and Readable, 26 Jul 2001
The only crypto book I've ever managed to finish !

Wish I had read this book before I did the MSc. Would have saved me hours. It covers current practices and explains the theory behind them.

Introductory history, Public & Private Key Crypto, Key Distribution, Message Digests with current examples S/MIME, SSL, IPSEC, X.509 & Certificates. Set apart from other texts by use of diagrams and thorough explanation of underlying math. A very useful Appendix; a tutorial on the mathematics of Pk Cryptography.

Written in an engaging style with excellent diagrams to further understanding. I learned alot from this book....thank you.

Does what is says on the label, 22 May 2001
This is one of the best crypto books I've read. Although cryptography is a rather dry subject, this engaging book makes it accessible, even to those without mathematics degrees.

I liked the structure of the book: it starts with a brief history of cryptography, moves through crypto theory, and ends with useful information about real-world practical applications. I learnt new stuff throughout.

Personally, I found the diagrams a little hard to follow. The authors use a consistent symbolic style throughout but I think the book cover could have done with a fold-out flap showing the key to all the symbols. That said, it's a valiant attempt to explain the steps in complex crypto processes, and better than most others.

To end with another compliment, my copy is now replete with scribbled comments in the margins, a good sign that it was a stimulating read.

15 minute scan in book shop, 25 May 2004
A couple of comments based on a 15 minutes scan in a book shop. 1) I noticed a few inaccuracies here and there, but this may be an inevitable side-effect of a simplistic presentation; I thought the book makes a good introduction to the subject, however. 2) Some of the terminology used reflects the author's background in US government cryptography, rather than that of the open academic community. The only example I can remember now is "key table" rather than the more usual "key schedule".

nice and easy, 29 Apr 2004
this book is very good , it is in plain english and does not beat aroundthe bush .
tells you how to encrypt your files , emails etc
it isbroken up into parts so you dont have to read the whole book