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The Code Book: How to Make It, Break It, Hack It, Crack It
by Simon Singh
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Delacorte Press (2003-08-12)
ISBN: 0385730624
EAN: 9780385730624
Dewy Decimal #: 652.8
Paperback: 272 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: 2003-08-12
SKU: 080112023
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: This First Printing (full line of numbers 1-10) copy is in excellent condition. No visible markings, highlights, underlining, tears. Tight spine. No Dust Jacket. Clean Soft Cover. Light shelf/edge wear. Very interesting copy, worth having at an affordable price. (L4-97)
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
It’s known as the science of secrecy. Cryptography: the encoding and decoding of private information. And it is history’s most fascinating story of intrigue and cunning. From Julius Caesar and his Caesar Cipher to the code used by Mary Queen of Scots and her conspiracy to the use of the Engima machine during the Second World War, Simon Singh follows the evolution of secret writing.
Accessible, compelling, and timely, this international bestseller, now adapted for young people, is sure to make readers see the past—and the future—in a whole new way.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Amazon.com Review
Calling upon accounts of political intrigue and tales of life and death, author Simon Singh tells history's most fascinating story of deception and cunning: the science of cryptography--the encoding and decoding of private information. Based on The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography, this version has been abridged and slightly simplified for a younger audience. None of the appeal for curious problem-solving minds has been lost, though. From Julius Caesar to the 10th-century Arabs; from Mary Queen of Scots to "Alice and Bob"; from the Germans' Enigma machine to the Navajo code talkers in World War II, Singh traces the use of code to protect--and betray--secrecy. Moving right into the present, he describes how the Information Age has provided a whole new set of challenges for cryptographers. How private are your e-mail communications? How secure is sending your credit card information over the Internet? And how much secrecy will the government tolerate? Complex but highly accessible, The Code Book will make readers see the past--and the future--in a whole new light. (Ages 14 and older)
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Customer Reviews
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A History of Ciphers, With Proper Credit for the Cracking of ENIGMA
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-08-07
5 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
Singh has provided the reader a delightful history of encryption, beginning with 16th-century codes, proceeding with the mechanized ones, and concluding with modern computer-based systems. He points out how modern encryption is being used to thwart the counterfeiting of dollars, and rejects the so-called Bible Code.
Singh also touches on the intricacies of language, and discusses the difficulty of deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphics. This involved the decoding of a language that no one speaks today, and one which has no close relatives among modern languages. He also has a fascinating account of the Navajo Indians and their unique language, and how their conversations were used to keep the Japanese in the dark during WWII.
When in comes to the German ENIGMA code of WWII, and in contrast to some English-language books on this subject, Singh gives credit squarely where it is due. He traces the Polish successes with code-breaking, beginning with the cracking of Russian codes by the Biuro Szyfrow (the Bureau of Ciphers) during the 1920 Polish-Bolshevik War (p. 144). In the years before WWII, a Polish team of mathematicians headed by Marian Rejewski recognizably solved the ENIGMA (p. 155). The Poles were ten years ahead of anyone else in this field (p. 160). The later successes of the British at Bletchley relied on Rejewski's work (p. 170), and followed the lead of the Poles (p. 243). Alan Turing followed Rejewski's strategy (p. 171).
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Interesting book!
Rating (4)
Date: 2007-04-06
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Singh relates a plenty of interesting facts of the history of cryptography that were kept secret for a long time. Besides, a good introduction to the idea of some simple cryptographic schemes gives the reader a little bit of the thrill that involve the study of codes. Although I liked the book very much, in my opinion, the title does not reflect what's inside: actually, you don't lear how to make, break, hack or crack anything.
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Sensational and erudite read!
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-01-13
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book is a great read for anyone wanting to "tickle" their brain with the basic knowledge and background of cryptography. I was very impressed with the way the author presented the information and giving credit where credit is due. He only lays down the facts. From Egyptian hieroglyphics, to the enigma encoder, to modern RSA encryption the author acutely explains the origin, their creator and/or breaker for some of the most well known forms of encryptions. The Code Book is very moderately priced for the information it contains. Great read from any stand point.
***WARNING ANSWERS TO FIRST CIPHER IN BACK OF BOOK BELOW***
*** DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER***
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CRYPTOGRAM 1
I Cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Winston Churchill.
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I Am 16/f and I loved this book!
Rating (5)
Date: 2004-08-02
3 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
HI! aLRIGHT, LET ME GIVE IT STRAIGHT HAHA I read this book and I found it INTERESTING, witty,(he kinda winks at you..and there are some humorous parts...well, of course not in the slapstick "HAHAHA!" way, but u'll see) challenging (Mr. Singh does not treat us like little babies..the vocabulary is SAT-worthy :p...) -and I didn't know much at all about codes. Mr. singh takes you through everything he wants to show you clearly and adding spice- the historical part is NOT boring...it WOuld be boring without it, actually! He intertwines anecdotes and events in history (i.e. starting from the very beginning, WWI and WWII, the beheading of Mary Queen of Scotts, to the present day) with the use of codes (i.e.-Enigma machine, monoalphabetic substituion cipher -> each letter in the alphabet is represented by a symbol)...This book is cozy (reading it on a dark rainy night...awooooo....), it's really like a novel- It's like you delve into it and it pulls you in...I admit there are some parts that are slightly "technical" but TRUST me, as I said before, he explains it so that even someone who is not math-oriented can follow along. At the end of this book I REally felt smarter and more confident...(p.s.-I even cracked the first two codes- using my brain/pencil/paper/knowledge I gained from the book...he gives at the end of the book under "Reader's Challenge"- I haven;t cracked the last two) Don;t be Intimidated! I recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries,has ever been intrigued by codes/detectives, history, math, and creative people (I am an English person...and this is NOT a boring book in my opinion.)oooh..plus u can have fun w/a friend encoding secret messages ;]
hellz yeah 5 STARs *****
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Reveals the science of cryptography
Rating (5)
Date: 2003-10-08
8 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
Intended for an audience of young adults, Simon Singh's The Code Book will appeal to many an adult reader as it reveals the science of cryptography - the encoding and decoding of private information. The history spans centuries and ranges from an early Enigma machine to email communications and Internet privacy. The Code Book is recommended as an intriguing and informative survey.
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