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Summary: What Fun !
Review: I've enjoyed codes & ciphers ever since I was a kid & enthralled by Sherlock Holmes & my Captain Midnight Secret Decoder Ring. This book has renewed all those memories. Anyone reading this book will find cryptography fascinating. I especially enjoyed the development of RSA & PGP since I use the internet a lot & always wondered how secure my transactions were. This book was so good, I will have to read 'Fermat's Enigma'
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Summary: You need not be a mathematician
Review: I want to echo the idea that this is an excellent book for the layperson. You need not be a mathematician to understand and enjoy this book. If you have a casual interest in science and, most importantly, a love of ideas, you'll enjoy this book. I would also recommend James Burke's The Knowledge Web.
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Summary: An entertaining and educational read
Review: With "The Code Book", Simon Singh does a remarkable job of providing readers with a rich understanding of code making and breaking by explaining the practise within a historical context. Although purely factual, the book, at times, reads almost like a novel, engrossing the reader with engaging tales of intrigue, insight and innovation as code makers and code breakers engage in pitched battles through the ages.A bit of a caveat, this book may not be enjoyed by people who don't already have at least a minor interest in cryptography and/or computing (Singh's account of the "invention" of RSA and PGP are wonderful).
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Summary: The Christmas Present
Review: I received this book as a Christmas present, and had nearly finished it before the sun set Chirstmas Day. Though I have only completed two of the ciphers Mr. Singh includes in the competition he sponsors, deciphering the codes helped me understand better the mindsets of those he describes, and the analyses he forwards.
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Summary: Interesting and entertaining book
Review: Simon Singh has written another great book (after Fermat's Enigma). He presents a detailed and interesting history of cryptography. Stories and anecdotes make for nice diversions, although there were a couple of instances where the book seemed to stray. The code challenge at the end of the book is a nice touch, allowing the reader to apply his/her code-breaking skills using information presented in the book.
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Summary: The Contest?
Review: As a novice in the code world, I was fascinated by the history and the details Singh provided in the book. As mentioned earlier, I too noticed the mistakes in the text, however, were they really mistakes? Did Singh somehow imbed a code within the book itself? I am naively trying to break the codes in the back of the book, and I looked to the website mentioned and found nothing. I don't want to continue with the work if it has already been done. Does anyone have any idea about it? When will the website be up and running? Read the book, it was great.
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Summary: A Delightful Book
Review: Dr. Singh's "The Code Book" was delightful to read and seemed well researched and informative. The only errors I found in it were petty ones (and probably placed there intentionally to test the readers.) They are as follows: pg. 256 The word "the" was left out of "...there is ___ problem..." On pg. 268 the word "person" has a space instead of an "r" making it "pe son" And on pg. 324 the word "parable" is used when, in my opinion, the word "paradigm" is a little better when discussing Schrodinger's cat that is both dead and alive at the same time. My views are far too classical on this subject to seriously entertain such a thought without the use of mind altering drugs. ;-) As a strictly personal matter the mention of Plato on pg. 218 instead of Socrates who taught him is something I would change. But I've always been a big Socrates fan and will admit my bias. I hope that when the encryption software my wife and I have developed hits the market within the next year or so that it will find a place of honorable mention in a future book by Dr. Singh. He seems to me to be a genuine gentleman and a scholar who I'd be honored to meet. All the best to you Dr. Singh! Thank you for writing "The Code Book."
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Summary: Thoroughly fascinating
Review: "The Code Book" is a highly interesting account of cryptology through the ages. Mr. Singh is a very talented writer, most evident in the first chapter where he explains the roots of cryptography and cryptanalysis while tieing it all to Mary, Queen of Scots. His explanations of code/cipher methods are very easy to understand. The only part that was questionable was his narrative about quantum computers and ciphers. It seemed a bit over-zealous, but it still provided interesting food for thought. The chapters devoted to Enigma were most excellent! I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in this topic.
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Summary: Reader-friendly writing about codes and ciphers?
Review: Yes. Singh again accomplishes his self-set task of opening and making intelligible a world most find at best ponderous and at worst impenetrable. His brief history of encryption methods and means of penetration of the same is both easily read and satisfying for those at almost any level. (If you think you're too knowledgeable about the subject, check out the cipher decryption contest in the back of the book. If you still think the book too elementary, you probably work for the NSA.) My only complaint is that the book is not as complete as some (including myself) would like. But it satisfies the desire to learn about an arcane and interesting subject, and yet it served to keep me up late reading rather than getting me to nod off in the middle.
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Summary: Great Read!
Review: This is one of the few books in the last year that I actually couldn't wait to get home from work to finish reading. As a history of Cryptography and how it works it is a good book. But when injected with the effects of Cryptography on all History and short stories about the genesis behind creating and breaking the codes, makes this a fascinating read. Also the book does a great job of explain cryptography without making it to technical. I would tell anyone interested in History, Science, Language, or just a good story to read this book.
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