People love secrets. Ever since the first word was written, humans have sent coded messages to each other. In The Code Book, Simon Singh, author of the bestselling Fermat’s Enigma, offers a peek into the world of cryptography and codes, from ancient texts through computer encryption. Singh’s compelling history is woven through with stories of how codes and ciphers have played a vital role in warfare, politics, and royal intrigue. The major theme of The Code Book is what Singh calls “the ongoing evolutionary battle between codemakers and codebreakers,” never more clear than in the chapters devoted to World War II.
Cryptography came of age during that conflict, as secret communications became critical to both sides’ success.
The Code Book is an excellent primer for those wishing to understand how the human need for privacy has manifested itself through cryptography. Singh’s accessible style and clear explanations of complex algorithms cut through the arcane mathematical details without oversimplifying.
Singh opens the book by recounting Mary Queen of Scots’ conspiracy to have Queen Elizabeth murdered and how she attempted to use encryption to cloak her intentions. It was a very exciting way to open the book.
Singh has found the right combination of technical detail, historical detail, and character development.
Singh’s explanation of how the German WWII Enigma functioned is exceptional. He made it very easy (and fun) to understand.
Chapter 4 deals with the war effort at Bletchley Park and the work on the Engima machine. Here Mr.Singh adds an additional dimension by providing some insight into the work of Alan Turning, the development of Colossus, the first (now reported) electronic programmable computer and the unrecognized cryptanalyst who broke Ultra and the other codes of WWII. Chapter 6 brings up to present day cryptographic issues from RSA and PGP to philosophical issues of personal privacy in modern society with web centric commerce and online book reviews. At each step in the process Singh successfully combines the elements of a technical treatise with a human values and features. For those wanting to go a little further under the hood and look at the processes and algorithms in some of the codes mentioned in the text, several appendices at the end of the book should fill that yearning.
Related Books:
- National Electrical Code 2008 Handbook (National Fire Protection Association//National Electrical Code Handbook) – By NFPA
