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Summary: One of the best books I have read this year
Review: This is an excellent book! Singh has outdone himself. I like the detailed descriptions of how different cryptography algorithms work and how the codes were broken. After reading this book I think I have a much better understanding of the field. I particularly liked the chapters on the Enigma machine. It is also interesting to learn about some of the personalities associated with cryptography. I have never found another book on this subject which is so interesting and provides so much detail.
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Summary: Rewarding Read!
Review: Great read, distilled content, and it has helped me communicate more precisely on information security. A good pre-read to Kahn's "Codebreakers" or even "Cryptomonicon."
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Summary: Z3 by Konrad Zuse was the first programmable computer(1941)
Review: A common error occurs in the book: not ENIGMA(USA 1945) as most people believe, not COLOSSUS(UK 1943) as Singh claims, but Z3(Germany 1941) has been the first programmable computer. If you come to Munich, you can see a rebuilt of this maschine in the "Deutsche Museum".Some militairs were interested to use it for cryptography as well but it did not come to such an application in WW2. Some technical data of Z3: 2000 relais, floating point arithmetic (22 Bit), memory: 64 words Velocity: 3 seconds for multiplication, division or square root
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Summary: First class read - couldn't put it down
Review: Excellent book for anyone interested in history, current events and behind the scenes view of things. Technical aspect well discussed for the layman. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Entertaining and Interesting Start to Finish
Review: This was a great book. It may be slightly less entertaining if you are an expert in the subject matter -- it's definitely written for the lay person. However, having an interest in science, history, and math (but a degree in lit not a background in cryptography) I found this a page turner. I particularly like Singh's side trips into ancient languages and quantum physics. Even a relatively minor explanation of light theory was enough to make me call a friend and read pages over the phone. The appendices were good! And an excellent suggested reading list is included. If you're interested in cryptography and don't know what to read, this is the book you want. It's a very good overview, clearly written. If you read Cryptonomicon and liked it this is the background information to much of that story.
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Summary: Compelling material wrapped in interesting stories
Review: It took me a while to finding to the time to read this because I was expecting a rather dry book on cryptography. The subject was somewhat interesting to me, but I didn't feel like plodding through a long book on the subject. Once I started reading I realized The Code Book was totally different. Singh takes you on a tour of the history of cryptography through the history of the world. You will find that cryptography was an unexpected key element in several historical events. Through the entire history, Singh's writing is exceptionally clear and easy to follow. The material in the book is accessible to all levels of reader -- even those with no knowledge of cryptography.
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Summary: Excellent read for anyone...
Review: I happen to work in the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) environment so perhaps my view on this book is biased. I liked it so much though, that I recommended it to friends and family not involved with cryptography or even security in any way whatsoever. Their unanimous feedback was just as I suspected; this is a GREAT read regardless of your vocation and knowledge of the subject of codes and cryptology. It is also the best book out there for a thorough introduction if you are interested beyond the sheer entertainment value or even for practioners.
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Summary: Remedies for the common code
Review: This is a book that should have tremendous appeal to everyone with an interest in history, technology, basic human endeavor, or all three. On the surface it would appear to have limited appeal, but this book is well researched, well written, and accessible on every level to novices with little background in cryptography or the complex mathematics upon which much of it is based. The author in a concise manner, though never at the expense of relevance, brings the reader through the evolution of cryptography from its earliest uses to the present and beyond. He mixes the science of discovery and un-covery (to coin a phrase) with very relevant, interesting and oftentimes suspenseful historical vignettes. The evolution of cryptography described is of iterative one-ups man-ship. "Codes" created to conceal, codes broken to reveal, again and again. The author makes many "history in the balance" points throughout the text, occasionally overemphasizing the importance of the code-breakers at the expense of other contributors to successful operations. This is an excellent text for anyone with even a passing interest in the subject of cryptography.
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Summary: A very interesting read
Review: No, I'm not an aspiring codebreaker, but Singh captured my attention immediately. I was hoping to find a book which described the codemaking and codebreaking processes in an elegant, yet simple, way, and this book delivers! I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Great semi-technical, semi-historical book
Review: This author is wonderful at bringing the technical subject of cryptography together with the rounded knowledge of the history and personalities that surround their discoveries. Exceptionally clear. Very fun and easy to read.
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