Codebreaking

The enthusiasm of the writing will likely pull the reader through the book . . . a good introduction to cryptology. -- Chris Christensen * Cryptologia * Quite the best book on codebreaking I have read: clear, engaging and fun. A must for would-be recruits to GCHQ and the NSA! -- <b>Sir Dermot Turing</b>, author of <i>Prof</i>, 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. -- <b>Phil Zimmermann</b>, 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. -- <b>Ed Scheidt</b>, 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! -- <b>Jared Diamond</b> is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of <i>Guns, Germs, and Steel</i>; <i>Collapse</i>; 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. -- <b>Mike Godwin</b>, creator of Godwins 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. -- <b>Glen Miranker</b>, 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. -- <b>Jason Fagone</b>, author of the bestselling <i>The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted Americas Enemies</i> 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! -- <b>Scott Kim</b>, who gave The Art of Puzzles TED talk, puzzle designer for <i>Discover</i> and <i>Scientific American</i> Elonka and Klaus have created an incredible resource in this guidebook to codebreaking. In essence they found a code that needed

Elonka 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.