[Cryptography] Review: The Code Book, by Simon Singh

[Dave Horsfall]

Although somewhat small compared with Schneier etc (nearly 400 A5 pages), 
it's packed with information.  Published around the turn of the century, 
it's probably a little dated now, given the speed with which crypto (not 
to mention the NSA) is advancing.

Not too technical, it's an enjoyable read; there is a chapter on how 
Egyptian heiroglpyhs were decoded, a chapter on the Vigenere cipher, 
another on Playfair, another on Enigma, Rosetta, Purple, quantum, you get 
the picture.

One minor annoyance is the mis-spelling of "prise" (he uses "prize"), but 
spelling mistakes tend to leap out at me,

There's even an exercise or two.

I would certainly recommend it as a good introduction to crypto.  If you 
want something more technical then read Schneier or Menenzes, but if you 
want to interest you son/daughter in crypto then use this.

-- Dave