Rating: 
Summary: Engaging, fascinating, and very relevant
Review: It's said that a good writer can make any subject interesting. In "The Code Book", Simon Singh takes an interesting subject and makes it not only fascinating - but understandable. Singh has a PhD in physics as well as a talent for incorporating lucid explanations into a well-told story. His book offers a historical survey of the ongoing struggle between those who create encrypted (disguised) messages and the enemies who would decode those messages. The book is a only a survey, not an authoritative history, but it gives a tremendous feel for the subject. It ranges from ancient times to present-day efforts in the mysterious world of quantum cryptography. Throughout, Singh's thorough and illuminating analogies and explanations make the encryption and decryption techniques themselves accessible to the intellectually curious layperson. "The Code Book" was published before 9/11/01, but after reading it, you'll wonder if the US National Security Agency (NSA) is focused right now on building a quantum computer that can crack encrypted terrorist messages. I'm guessing they are, with as much urgency as Alan Turing and his colleageus in England worked to crack Germany's "Enigma" machine in World War II (read all about that in Singh's book). And if they succeed, it will have enormous implications for online privacy and security. Which, incidentally, is a subject that Singh also covers in an effective, objective manner when he recounts the development of "Pretty Good Privacy" in the 1990's. "The Code Book" should appeal broadly to anyone who is the slightest bit curious about this fascinating subject. Encryption isn't just the stuff of spies and nerdy mathematicians, it is (and has been) of vital importance throughout history. Side note: Technology managers who want to gain a fuller appreciation for the methods and circumstances of modern-day, computer-enabled encryption should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Introduction to Cryptography
Review: I read this book after reading 'Cryptonomicon' by Neal Stephenson, which is a fictional novel that also deals with secret codes and cryptography (and is an excellent read by the way). I wanted to know more about the subject of cryptography, so I tried this book out. It a very good introduction to the subject. It simplied the concepts enough so that they were easy to understand. Another good feature of this book, is that it wasn't all technical - there are historical aspects of secret codes and how those codes were broken. Simon Singh has done an excellent job of taking a complex subject, and making it an enjoyable read. If you're a curious mind who enjoys understanding how things work, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely great!
Review: I don't really have anything bad to say about this book. Well, it could've been a bit longer... When I got my copy and opened the first page I just couldn't stop reading. The book serves great as an easy readable and entertaining primer to the history of codes and code breaking. Kahn's Codebreakers is said to also be worth reading on the subject, but it seems to lack the newest twists of codebreaking, namely the last 30 years or so. Singh's book covers those nicely.
Rating:
Summary: a good book for beginners
Review: This is a really good book for beginners in criptography. It has the story of criptography (the explanations of ciphers and how to break them) since the first ciphers.
Rating:
Summary: E-Review: COM680
Review: "The Code Book: The Evolution of Secrecy from Mary Queen of Scots to Quantum Cryptography" by Simon Singh is a wonderful book about the history of code-making and code-breaking. What is most impressive about Singh is he is able to take the most complicated mathematical information (in my opinion) and explain it in layman's terms. Another more suitable name for "The Code Book could be Code-Making and Code-Breaking for Dummies: A Historical Perspective". Singh covers the history of encryption, tracing its evolution throughout time and outlining the impact cryptography and cryptanalysis has had on the world. World War II, the Enigma machine and how the fate of the world rested upon whether or not secret knowledge would fall into enemy hands, is discussed in great detail. From Singh's perspective, it would seem that the outcome of all military battles could be pre-determined by who had employed better cryptanalysis, as the most powerful weapon, is secrecy. Personally, what interested me most about "The Code Book" is its discussion about the Navajo Code Talkers, hieroglyphics, Linear B, and quantum cryptography. I also thoroughly enjoyed the author's humor and wit, ability to break things down so that a non-technological mind could grasp some of the most complicated of codes and his affinity for making the personalities who discovered the codes as well as the personalities who broke the codes, come to life. I would highly recommend "The Code Book" to anyone who is interested in cryptography, cryptanalysis, security, telecommunications, math, science, history or simply a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: A technical book wrapped in stories
Review: If you want to understand how cryptography works, why it was developed and how it is broken this is one of the best books you can find on that subject. It includes cipher texts at the end to see how much you've learned...a fun way to learn about actually cracking ciphers. Written from a mathematical point of view, with plenty of stories and lore mixed in this book is fun for people with both no calculus experience and people with advanced degrees in applied math. I truly enjoyed this book and the analytical thinking it brought me.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: A very well written book on a fascinating subject. I've read a lot of books on cryptography, particularly the historical aspects of the subject. This is by far the best one. All the others either skim over the details of how each cypher works, or ignore it all together. Not Singh! Wonderful details very well explained. Whether you have a good math background or not, you'll find it interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent History of Cryptography, And a Great Read!
Review: This is one of the greatest histories of cryptography that I have ever read. It discusses many of fundamentals and also simple substitution ciphers and how they are broken. It keeps you in pace with the story so much so that when I learned how the Viegnere cipher was broken I originally thought it to be impossible. It is a fun read and it is clear to understand unlike some other cryptographic books and explains concepts very well. I especially enjoyed testing out trying out the Diffie Hellman key exchange and learning about the possible futures of Cryptography in Quantum Computers and Quantum Cryptography. A must read for anyone interested in learning the basics of cryptography. Definately a great place to start!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, well-written, entertaining
Review: I also read Fermat's Enigma. I would read anything by Singh.
Rating:
Summary: I love it
Review: At the time of this review there have already been other 159, and all with 5 or 4 stars, so what else to say ?
But I couldn't stop myself from writing some more compliments.
While not being stuffed with math formulas, it's able to deliver deep understanding on the basis of chyper and coding. And there is even more, because the main focus isn't on the techniques, but on the history of coding, and I can assure you there is plenty of it. After all keeping secrets has always played an important role in our life, beeing them innocent paper messages on schooldesks or war-resolving "Enigma-encrypted" messages.
So my advice is : if you were thinking about reading it, definitely do. And also if you weren't.......
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