Rating: 
Summary: An excellent starting point on the subject
Review: I will be the first to admit that I only have a passing interest in the field of cryptography. In addition, I am not an expert in any of the related disciplines: mathematics, computer science, linguistics, etc. However, as a libertarian concerned with the issues of personal liberty and privacy, my curiosity in the subject matter surfaced when I saw this book at the store.With this book, Simon Singh has weaved a captivating account on the importance of and the development of cryptography over time. He portrays the evolution of the science as a see-saw battle between the code makers and the code breakers. He drives the point home by introducing key events in history (e.g. execution of Mary Queen of Scots, WWI, WWII) that were severely affected by the security, or lack thereof, of private communications. He ties these historical events together with explanations and anecdotes on the development of the particular encryption methodologies employed and the weaknesses/obstacles that led to their downfall. Of special interest, he highlights in his writings the contributions of key figures in the development of crytography that would otherwise be historical footnotes due to the secrecy of their work (e.g. GCHQ's development of modern public key cryptography). In the final section of the book, Singh spends some time speculating on the future direction of cryptography. If history is any indicator, it is only a matter of time before what is considered "unbreakable" will also be decoded. Perhaps, it already has... For further reading, Singh has included a comprehensive reading list that covers both the history and science in greater detail.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: Excellent! I have not enjoyed a book like this in a while whether on this subject or any other. Well written, read cover to cover with some sleep in between!
Rating:
Summary: An instant classic
Review: If you are contemplating the purchase of this book, buy it! This is one of the most well written books that I've ever had the pleasure to read. If you are marginally interested in this topic, Dr. Singh will keep you spellbound. Dr. Singh has a gift for taking a dry, technical subject and bringing it to life. I would, however, caution those who are looking for in-depth technical descriptions. That being said, The Code Book provides a wonderful entry level history and technical description of the science of cryptography.
Rating:
Summary: Codes explained for everybody. Highly recommended
Review: The best thing about this book is that you don't need to have a major in math, computing, physics or chemistry to understand what codes are about. Not just that, but also to know how codes have been developed, evolutioned, and either been broken or still being a challenge. This book shows you how codes (and ciphers) have been related to queens, treasures, religion, war, languages and much more. It gives you stories of fear, hope and will. This makes the reading very interesting. Have you wondered who was the Man in the Iron Mask? You'll find a lot of references for further reading. The book is excellent as an introduction to codes and you'd want to read more about the subject; the book shows and explains to you the ways to take. I didn't like some opinions from the author in the last chapter, but I do agree that there are many points of view about privacy, code breaking, and science, and these are continuosly changing. You would finish the book agreeing or not; nontheless, you will know a lot more about codes, ciphers and writing systems.
Rating:
Summary: Well told, informative and rewarding.
Review: For anyone who is fascinated by codes, this book answers many questions and entertains at the same time. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: This was a very enjoyable read. A good introduction to the subject and also an in depth history. I highly recpmmend this book to whoever is interested in the subject of Cryptography.
Rating:
Summary: Makes it all clear
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. It is informative and entertaining, and made difficult concepts easy to understand. For the first time I could know what is behind the public key, private key encription. The historical anecdotes are also delightful.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting!
Review: The thing I liked most about this book is that I understood it. There are some cryptography books out there that are so complex it takes a srong background in programming just to get through them. This is NOT one of those books! Learning the history behind the development of different encryption methods and how to go about decrypting them was fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: Simon does it again!
Review: As with other books by Simon, a wonderfully written and informative narrative on the subject chosen.( cf Fermat's Last Theorem, another good example).
My only complaint is that I was half-way through cracking the ten problems set , when I discovered that a team of 100's from Sweden had already claimed the prize money !!
Rating:
Summary: A good read and a wonderful background
Review: I enjoyed the background presented and it was a good read, not at all like a textbook and it did not get too bogged down in details.
| 
