by RichardBelfield (Author)
From the earliest days of mankind, people have sought to pass on secret messages via code so that only those who are supposed to understand the message can receive it. For almost as long, cryptographers have tried to break the codes. Most famous of all were those at Bletchley Park who managed to break the Nazis' 'unbreakable' Enigma code. Now, in this fascinating and intriguing book, Richard Belfield looks at some of the most difficult codes in history that have withstood years of investigation and shows the reader how they too can learn to solve or create almost any code. Sometimes, as with the notorious Zodiac Killer or the Voynich Manuscript, the codes remain unsolved, or as with Kryptos in the CIA's headquarters only 90 per cent has been decoded. Here, Belfield explains what the current theories are and provides avenues for further exploration. In the final element of the book, working with a team of top cryptographers from Royal Holloway, University of London the author sets his own code, based on the techniques that have been revealed throughout the book. Sure to intrigue all lovers of puzzles and codes, the winning person who deciphers the code will receive an original, German World War Two Enigma machine, worth over 20,000.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Edition: New title
Publisher: Orion
Published: 28 Sep 2006
ISBN 10: 0752875264
ISBN 13: 9780752875262
Book Overview: Since the publication of The Da Vinci Code, there has been a huge increase of interest in codes, and how to interpret them This book looks at some of the most famous and most baffling codes in history, from the Voynich Manuscript to Kryptos, and explains how they can be tackled With the knowledge the reader learns from this book, they should be able to have the chance to crack the code created here and win an Enigma machine Will appeal to all lovers of crosswords and Su Doku