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    The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking
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    The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking
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    The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking
    Ebook587 pages8 hours

    The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking

    By Simon Singh

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography

    From the best-selling author of Fermat’s Last Theorem, The Code Book is a history of man’s urge to uncover the secrets of codes, from Egyptian puzzles to modern day computer encryptions.

    As in Fermat’s Last Theorem, Simon Singh brings life to an anstonishing story of puzzles, codes, languages and riddles that reveals man’s continual pursuit to disguise and uncover, and to work out the secret languages of others.

    Codes have influenced events throughout history, both in the stories of those who make them and those who break them. The betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots and the cracking of the enigma code that helped the Allies in World War II are major episodes in a continuing history of cryptography. In addition to stories of intrigue and warfare, Simon Singh also investigates other codes, the unravelling of genes and the rediscovery of ancient languages and most tantalisingly, the Beale ciphers, an unbroken code that could hold the key to a $20 million treasure.

    Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateJun 24, 2010
    ISBN9780007378302
    Unavailable
    The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking
    Author

    Simon Singh

    Simon Singh is a science journalist and TV producer. Having completed his Ph.D. at Cambridge he worked from 1991 to 1997 at the BBC producing Tomorrow’s World and co-directing the BAFTA award-winning documentary Fermat’s Last Theorem for the Horizon series. In 1997, he published Fermat’s Last Theorem, which was a no 1 best-seller in Britain and translated into 22 languages. In 1999, he published The Code Book.

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    Reviews for The Code Book

    4.5/5

    34 ratings27 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Absolutely fascinating.
    • 5/5
      Felt like the info was diluted into a peat bog of narrative. So if you're willing to do some slogging, this book will reward you with an interesting history of the battle between encryption and decryption folks. I had thought that the history would be primarily military applications. Nope. Turns out the birth of encryption happened because Arab accountants wanted to keep their records secret. And I had no idea that Victorian era lovers would send encrypted messages to one another by posting them in the newspaper. This book is now over a decade old, so I bet lots of innovations have been thought up since it was printed. But this is surely a good stepping stone to get started with the science of secret writing.P.S. There was a cool decryption contest at the back of the book, but the deadline to enter was 2010. Ah well.
    • 3/5
      Need to re- read never finished it
    • 5/5
      Outstanding; this history of codes, and the part codes have played in history, and continue to play in everyday life enthralled even a lay person like me. Mr Singh has authored a non-fiction book that reads like a thrilling mystery.
    • 5/5
      Simon Singh provides the reader with an overview of the history of cryptology and brings to the reader's attention events in history that would probably have had different outcomes had it not been for the achievements of some historical figures - mostly unknown to us today - like Thomas Phelippes who deciphered and forged an encrypted message to Mary, Queen of Scots, thereby forcing her to effectively sign her own death warrant, and Marian Rejewski who provided the groundwork on deciphering the Enigma machine before handing his research over to the British; his enthusiasm for the subject shines through at every page. He also aims to set the record straight for a few unsung heroes, mainly from recent history who, due to the secrecy act, were forbidden from publicly claiming credit for their work in cryptology at the time. Most notably amongst them is Alan Turing who helped crack the Enigma cipher, but also Tommy Flowers who single-handedly built Colossus, the precursor to the modern digital computer but who had to destroy the blueprints after the war, as well as Clifford Cocks and Malcolm Williamson who invented the asymmetric cipher and public-key cryptography four years before the Americans but were sworn to secrecy. I also enjoyed his brief foray into the decipherment of ancient texts like the Egyptian hieroglyphics and the Minoan script of Linear B, but Simon Singh's main achievement lies in his ability to bring across such tricky issues like key distribution, public-key cryptography and quantum cryptography in a simple and lucid manner to a mainly non-technically minded person like me. My only criticism and one that has got nothing to do with the author, is the fact that this book was written more than ten years ago when e-commerce was still in its infancy; since then the world has seen a massive leap in terms of financial transactions being conducted over the internet and even seen the arrival of internet banking and with it the need for ever better security for the individual and companies trading over the internet. I would be most interested to read a topical update in which he covers the last ten years and the impact this has had on cryptography.
    • 5/5
      Simon Singh's book on the history of cryptography is a brilliant work of popular science and history. The aim of the book is to take us from the days of simple hidden messages, through the invention of increasingly complex substitution ciphers, modern codes and into the types of codes (and methods of breaking them) that we might see in the future. As someone with an interest and history and puzzles, this book was an absolute delight.There are two things in particular that Singh does very well. First, he masterfully layers the increasingly complex codes one on top of the other. This allows him to take the time to explain each idea clearly, and then use the prior codes to introduce the new ones. It is easy to imagine an author losing the audience very quickly in a work like this. If one does not understand the notion of a 'key' in some of the earlier substitution ciphers, then the RSA encryption standard will be utterly incomprehensible. That is, even if the central idea of RSA was explained clearly, it still rests on the ideas that came before it. Losing the readers at any stage along the way could have resulted in an overly complicated second half. Singh hits a pitch perfect pace. He typically provides an initial explanation of idea in cryptographic terms, before using simply toy analogies, before returning to the more complex explanation. As a result, the toy analogies are frequently illuminating (the reader knows what to look for). It was also never plodding. There was no point in the text where I found the ideas or explanations difficult to follow, and the questions I had were based on the subject matter, and not Singh's presentation of it. This is a book that any reader will learn a great deal from.The second thing that Singh does very well is situate the codes historically. Each of these codes is tied to an interesting story - whether a treasure hunt or the execution of a monarch. Singh is able to weave these stories into the tale of the codes, which makes for compelling reading at two levels. I have a great interest in Turing in my professional work, and I was delighted to see his moving story recounted here. The high stakes of codebreaking adds a real sense of urgency to the more technical discussions covering the back and forth between codemakers and codebreakers to develop ever better codes.Indeed, the only chapter that did not quite hold up to the same quality as the rest of the book was his coverage of the political debates surrounding encryption. It is indeed a really interesting issue whether encryption is a bastion of free speech, or a tool to enable illegal and violent acts. Singh wants to stay above the fray, and just outline the two positions. All we end up getting is a rather simple overview of the conflict. This is a philosophical and moral question, and requires a different approach. Indeed, I would have preferred Singh to take a stance on the question. It would have helped him get into the details of the arguments, which would have been more illuminating (even if the reader disagrees) than the "one side says x, one says x" approach he adopts.Despite my quibbles with this chapter, I found this to be an admirable work of pop science and history. Singh tells a fascinating story in a way that does not oversimplify. At the same time, he is able to explain the subject matter clearly. Any reader with an interest in history, puzzles or codes will find a lot to enjoy in The Code Book.
    • 5/5
      Very nicely written, does a good job of making a technically difficult topic interesting and accessible.
    • 5/5
      Useful introduction to ciphers and the people who have been making and breaking them for centuries. Engaging and educational, with just a tad too much technical detail (for my taste) in a few chapters. Entered my awareness through unrelated recommendations and proved on the mark. Makes me want to reread Cryptonomicon.
    • 5/5
       A totally consumable rampage through millennia of cryptographic techniques, nicely synthesized with historical vignettes and biographies of interesting folks. Especially compelling for the layperson is the linguistic/logical puzzle of secret writing before about WWI, when codebreaking coups involved graspable, but brilliant breakthroughs. The same technology that revolutionized life in the early 20th century also changed cryptography forever: now the problems have more of a mathematical (theory) and engineering (implementation) bent, though the true game-changers are still concepts that anyone can understand (and Singh almost flawlessly explains).The only downside here is not the fault of the book--it was published in 1999 and is feeling dated. I found myself skimming the last 1/3 or so of the book, which focuses on computer encryption, concerned that I'd confuse myself (I'm a Web developer by trade) with respect to the encryption technologies I use now. I would pay Singh cold hard cash to release an updated version of this sui generis survey of this fascinating subject. I'd love to keep reading the story from where he left off.
    • 5/5
      Simon Singh is a gifted writer and this is a terrific example of his work. Singh takes you through the history of cryptography and encipherment by looking first at the codemakers and then the codebreakers, turnabout, as encryption improved over centuries. The text is written in an engaging, story-oriented manner so even technical concepts are accessible. I have returned to this book for the enjoyment of reading it, even though I'm familiar now with the concepts he covers. It's a great resource for anyone interested in how current computer encryption works and how it evolved to its current state.
    • 5/5
      Some of us never gave codes more than a passing thought beyond the comedy of Ralphie Parker’s Little Orphan Annie Decoder Ring in the movie A Christmas Story. Many of us never suspected that code-making and code-breaking have been such powerful forces in our own history, from the decipherment of ancient languages to the defeat of Nazi Germany to the development of the modern computer. An exhaustive study, yet never tedious, Singh’s talented prose transmits his own powerful fascination and enthusiasm for the theme to the reader, striking just the right balance in the challenge of coherently presenting the complexity of the subject while formulating its elucidation for a mass audience.
    • 5/5
      An unputdownable story of evolution of coding and decoding methods with fascinating tales which changed the world and introduction to mind of geniuses who contributed to making and breaking ciphers. Interesting read for curious and mathematically inclined reader, with hints to making your own code language. Information about modern day cryptography which secures our internet connected world is just marvellous.
    • 3/5
      A history of cryptography from ancient Egypt through quantum computing. My favorite parts were about WWII, with Turing and the Navajo Codetalkers. Some parts were a touch slow - cryptography isn't nearly as thrilling as the activities associated with it - but by and large it was an informative read. My only real complaint was how long it took me to read. Though Singh's text was thorough and readable as ever, it took me nearly a month to finish. I think I just wasn't in the right mood for a math book.
    • 5/5
      This is a totally gripping book which is extremely readable, easy to understand and a compelling historical account of codes and ciphers right from the times of Eliazbeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, right up to the present day with the internet and emerging technologies.What I really like about this book is that Singh easily introduces codes and ciphers to you and you can sit and work out their translations yourself. it's the kind of book that makes you want to get pen and paper and make your own code or work out the ones in the book (I did!). You even get multiple pages at the end with codes for you to work out. Very fascinating.The one downside to the book is that some of it does get a little technical and over my head (probably yours too) so I did a bit of page flipping towards the end (the quantum mechanics section just totally lost me). So you won't understand the entire book but about 98% of it instead (unless you're Einstein in which case you won't have any problems at all).This is THE definitive book for codes and code breaking. I can't recommend this enough.
    • 3/5
      An interesting analysis of codes and ciphers. Both their making and breaking are discussed and placed well into historical context. A well written book that makes lots of cryptography that would likely be impenetrable to the average person simple enough to understand (or at least I thought so). I highly recommend this book as my only complaint about it was that it hadn't been revised to talk about more recent systems like elliptical curve encryption.
    • 5/5
      I always knew that math could be fun to read about ;)
    • 4/5
      Much like how Mark Kurlansky makes a subject like salt interesting, Simon Singh makes all things code fascinating. From the very beginning The Code Book was informative and interesting. Peppered with photographs and diagrams, The Code Bookrecounted the events in history where the ability to break a code (or not) meant life or death. Beginning with Queen Mary of Scot's attempted plot to murder Queen Elizabeth on through the first and second World Wars. The only time I really got bogged down was, of course, when Singh would get a little too detailed with mathematical explanations of more difficult codes and ciphers.
    • 5/5
      An excellent introduction to cryptography, its history and evolution. It may not delve as deeply into the subject of modern encryption as some formal textbooks and scholarly works, but this is to be expected. This is a book for the curious layperson, not the established mathematician / computer scientist.Singh series of challenges is included, based on the approaches to cryptography detailed throughout the book. While I haven't attempted them (yet), they look to be an interesting opportunity to put theory into practice.
    • 5/5
      Incredibly intelligent and easy to read book. Singh's style is fresh, and believe, you can read this book in a couple of days. And then read it again.
    • 3/5
      This is a thoroughly accessible account of the history of cryptography. Its coverage of the evolution of ever more sophisticated pre-twentieth century ciphers is particularly clear. The chapter on hieroglyphics seemed a bit of a digression to me but no doubt others enjoy it. There's a long section on the decoding of the Enigma machine, which is a treat for those of us enamored with the romance of Bletchley Park.
    • 5/5
      Very different than my normal reading, but vastly interesting. I'm so glad that I branched out to read it and would highly recommend it from a scientific and historical standpoint.
    • 4/5
      An extremely well-written and thorough account of the history of cryptography right up to the present day. It combines readability with a level of technical analysis that is not senselessly dumbed down for the lay reader. A riveting book.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite, if not my favorite non-fiction book. An easily accessible, non-mathmatical these on coding. And for the historian in me, lots of information on the people involved.
    • 5/5
      I actually don't own this book but borrowed it from jmservat a while back. It is a fascinating and readable introduction to cryptography. I actually could not put it down!At the end of the book there is also some alledgedly very difficult code to break and the author is (was?) offering a reward for whom could crack it.
    • 5/5
      (#19 in the 2003 Book Challenge)The author explains various code and cipher methods by examining famous codes throughout history, including the Mary Queen of Scots conspiracy, Enigma, and modern internet security. This is the kind of thing that I love, only I SUCK at math so I usually pick up books like this and then can't get through them. Even with this, I started skimming over the mathy parts, and then I said to myself "self, you're a reasonably bright person, let's just try reading them" and lo and behold, the author did an amazing job of explaining the theory behind the coding in such a way that any idiot off the street (that would be me) can understand the basic gist of it. It was a very good mix of light theory and interesting political/historical anecdotes.Grade: ARecommended: To people who think Godel, Esher, and Bach looks interesting, but can never make it past the second chapter.
    • 5/5
      winderful intro, history and primer.
    • 4/5
      A very good outline of codes and cryptography.