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Summary: Another lucid winner from Simon Singh
Review: From the writer of "Fermat's Enigma" comes another lucid, mathematics-based history, this time of codes and cyphers.Again, like his previous book, I was (despite scraping by/flunking all my college math courses) was able to easily follow his history of codemakers, codebreakers, and their endless intellectual battles for supremacy, complete with examples of how do make and break codes and cyphers. Highly recommended.
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Summary: A great first book about cryptology
Review: Mr. Singh's outstanding book is the one that started it all for me in cryptology. I had read a review of the book in Forbes, I believe, and saw the book in a bookstore, so I decided to get it. I was hooked! I didn't understand the all the math, and I kind of skimmed thru some of the cryptanalysis, but since then, I have purchased virtually every obtainable book in his bibliography, and I am a long way toward understanding more of the math. This book is a much easier read than Kahn's "The Codebreakers", but if you're like me, you'll want to read that one too! And then, you'll search out other crypto resources like the American Cryptogram Association, with it's excellent Classic Crypto Book Service (yep, I bought quite a few of those too!). OK, maybe not everyone will fall for such a nerdy hobby, but Singh's book is still a great read, and who knows. . .you may get hooked as well! PS. . .make sure you check Mr. Singh's web page if you intend to try and solve the challenges in the back, as he points out some typos that could save you lots of frustration.
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Summary: Slightly flawed, but absolutely engrossing!
Review: Simon Singh's chronicle of the history of cryptography from the beginning of mankind to the present day is a must-read for anyone who values their privacy. The information and examples he presents drive the point home that, when it comes to sensitive information, you can never be too safe. With the proliferation of the Internet, this message is more true than ever. The book's biggest disappointment is that it doesn't always seem to follow logical trains of thought or narration--Mr. Singh gets distracted from his subject easily, and never seems to completely cap off all of his ideas in a satisfactory way. No matter--The Code Book is an engrossing book with vital tips and warnings for just about everyone in the Information Age.
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Summary: Who'd have thought?
Review: That a book about code writing and code breaking could be so interesting? This book presents a nice win-win because you'll get a solid education about encryption and encryption technology, while being thoroughly entertained. Anyone who is involved in the online business, or anyone interested in history in general, will benefit by reading this book.
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Summary: Fascinating evolution -the past, present and future of codes
Review: What great reading! I hope Singh comes up with a second book, he says that there were a great number of stories which he left out because there just wasn't room. The stories he used this time were so interesting. Singh calls this a book on the evolution of codes and he presents it as that - showing the various developments of ciphers and codes from Caesar right through history including Mary Queen of Scots, Enigma &c. to today. His explanations are so simple - stripped of too much technical jargon to make those of us who aren't had no ideas about codes and codebreaking before (like me) - don't feel thick and inadequate. I first heard this book read in chapters on the radio, and that was pretty good stuff - the book is so much better though. Singh is a great writer, I loved his initial scene setting with Mary, Queen of Scots. This book isn't just about codes, Singh also tells the story about the deciphering of various old ancient texts. All the chapters flow on well from one another in the evolutionary way he describes - but you can read each chapter independently if you just want to browse through the book reading for a particular interest.
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Summary: Grear read- math/science writing at its best
Review: This book is an excellent overview of the field of cryptography. This is one of the best books on a scientific subject in recentyears- along with Green's Elegant Universe- Singh does an excellent job describing the various ciphers used over the last 200 years ( from the roman empire to modern methods). What makes this book different than other books on the subject is that Singh introduces each encryption 9and decryption) method in a historeical context and gives the reader a glimpse into the motoves of the cryptographer. Great reading. The weakest section is that on decicipherng hieroglyphics. It is well written but fails to adequately explain the magbitude of the task and the intellectual achievement involved. The book also includes a competition for readers interested in testing their skills at deciphering codes. There are 7 ciphes in the appendices with a substantial prize to the first person that solves them ( unsolved as of 12/2000).
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Summary: a difficult topic converted to pleasure via great writing
Review: mr singh's exposition of the history of secret codes and their cracking is ambitiously aimed squarely at the popular market and hits right on target with a tight, enjoyable, instructive and readable book. well done!
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Summary: excellent historical account of cryptography
Review: As a mathematician in the early 1970s, I saw many advertisements recruiting mathematicians for the CIA. I knew that it had to do with cryptography and number theory but it was all very mysterious and since I never got a job with them I didn't see precisely how the disciplines fit together. As Singh describes the discover of the RSA coding system it all becomes very clear. The story he tells is particularly interesting because it starts with the ancient Romans and the decoding of the conspiracy messages of Mary Queen of Scots in Elizabethian England. Singh also wrote an very interesting account in layman's terms of the discoveries that led to the proof of Fermat's last theorem. That skill is also demonstrated in this book where the key concepts of cryptgraphy are discussed as they were developed through history. The uses of cryptography in World War I and World War II are brought out. We learn of the men in England at Bletchley Park who were able to decypher the German Enigma Machine and play a major role in the latter success of the allies. The gain of information from the U boats enabled the Americans to transport supplies and soldiers to Europe to fight the war. The U boats were very successful at destroying American ships prior to the breaking of the code. It is interesting that after the war the academic community in the United States solved the problem of key passing for computer networks and developed the RSA code. These discovery were developed earlier and independently in England at their secret agency the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) based on the unheralded ideas of James Ellis. Their work was kept secret until the late 1990s when their achievements were finally brought to light. The book also discusses the archaeological work on the Rosetta Stone and Linear B. This work uncovered the meaning of the hieroglyphics and showed that the Minoans language was a form of Greek. The techniques were very much akin to deciphering code. Also of interest is the Navajo code talkers who used their language as an unbreakable code during the war in the Pacific in World War II. Recent developments and conjectures about future breakthroughs are discussed in the last few chapters. The book provides very useful information about other books and interesting web sites including one that allows you to download Zimmerman's Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) which provides RSA level security.
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Summary: A great overview
Review: The Code Book is a wonderful, high level introduction to cryptography, and to some of the women and men who have played a role in code making and breaking throughout history. It is worth reading just for the surprises and human elements that will please almost any reader. It did disappoint me in one way. Singh's assertion, made in the final chapter, that quantum cryptography is absolutely unbreakable jarred my estimation of him. That statement, from a man of science who is well aware of the fate that scientific dogma has met throughout history, was an unfortunate way to end this wonderful book.
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Summary: Entertaining, Well-Written Look at a Complicated Subject
Review: Simon Singh's Code Book is a wonderful book. The most obvious joy is how he is able to take a very complicated subject (for me, at any rate) and make it readable, interesting and fun. I was able to understand the workings of codes much better than expected beacuase of his clear explanations and was a only lost when it came to quantum cryptography. Even here, though, Mr. Singh was very able in holding my interest through the way he weaved in the personal stories of the cryptographers. In fact, this book is as much about the cryptographers as it is about crpytography and that, in the end, is the book's marvelous charm. Anyone who can make this subject so entertaining to a non-logical, math-hating reader such as myself has wrought a miracle. A very impressive, highly recommended book.
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