Cryptography: The Science of Secret Writing
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Book Overview
"Those who delight in puzzles can find much to ponder here." -- Science News Letter
"Will be well received by anyone really interested in the subject." -- Scientific Book Club Review
Readers interested in secret writing will find this book an excellent elementary explanation of transposition and substitution ciphers, codes, and their solutions. More than 150 problems provide practical application as well as tests of skill and ingenuity.
After a brief description of the history of secret writing, the reader is introduced to fundamental principles of ciphers -- transposition and substitution -- and given an understanding of the various methods of enciphering and deciphering secret messages. The author covers geometrical patterns, route transcription, columnar transposition, and other methods used in transposition; under substitution, he treats mixed cipher systems, single-alphabet and polyalphabetical substitution, mechanical devices, the Vigen?re system, etc. A discussion of cryptanalysis leads the reader into 151 problems for which answers are provided at the end. Appendixes offer notes on enciphering Japanese; and explanation of the Baconian Biliteral Cipher; frequency tables for English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
"Will be well received by anyone really interested in the subject." -- Scientific Book Club Review
Readers interested in secret writing will find this book an excellent elementary explanation of transposition and substitution ciphers, codes, and their solutions. More than 150 problems provide practical application as well as tests of skill and ingenuity.
After a brief description of the history of secret writing, the reader is introduced to fundamental principles of ciphers -- transposition and substitution -- and given an understanding of the various methods of enciphering and deciphering secret messages. The author covers geometrical patterns, route transcription, columnar transposition, and other methods used in transposition; under substitution, he treats mixed cipher systems, single-alphabet and polyalphabetical substitution, mechanical devices, the Vigen?re system, etc. A discussion of cryptanalysis leads the reader into 151 problems for which answers are provided at the end. Appendixes offer notes on enciphering Japanese; and explanation of the Baconian Biliteral Cipher; frequency tables for English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:048620247X
ISBN13:9780486202471
Release Date:June 1955
Publisher:Dover Publications
Length:176 Pages
Weight:0.45 lbs.
Dimensions:0.3" x 5.4" x 8.0"
Age Range:10 years and up
Grade Range:Grade 5 and higher
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Great intro to Cryptography
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
This book is a fantastic introduction to the art and science of Cryptography. It shows you in detail various ciphers used throughout history, and how to decipher them. Then it has a problem solving section that starts small and builds until you are trying to solve incredibly complex problems. It truly challenges and expands the mind. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning cryptography.
An interesting look at encryption before the computer
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This book provides a very fascinating look at substitution and transposition ciphers of the WWII era. It provides detailed instructions on how each cipher is implemented, and provides a chapter on the cryptanalysis of ciphers as well as a chapter of ciphers for the reader to break. A great text for the study of manual cipher systems.
An excellent introduction to cryptograhpy
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
This is an excellent beginners' book. It has clear demonstrations of early cryptograhpic methods and how they are solved. Each method is accompanied with a set of problems which are well designed to give beginners some decryption skills.
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