Can You Crack The Enigma Code?

by Richard Belfield

From the earliest days of mankind, people have sought to pass on secret messages via code - and 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. This fascinating and intriguing book examines 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. In the final element of the book, working with a team of top cryptographers, the author has devised his own code, based on the techniques that have been revealed throughout the book, and invites the reader to crack the code...

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Mathematics

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2007

About the author

British television producer/director, author and playwright.

He is a Director of Fulcrum TV, a well established independent production company in London.

During the 1990’s, he was the New Statesman’s Internet correspondent.

Reviews

[Martijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyable, particularly the historical origins of cryptography. I skipped the final chapter on Zodiac though, because the first few pages made my stomach turn.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sits firmly in the middle for me: readable enough, but uneven. I liked that it did not feel empty. Even when it was simply entertaining, there was enough craft there to make it satisfying. There are good ideas here, but the execution felt patchy. Three stars because it was readable and had merit, but it did not leave the kind of impression I hoped for.

[Joyceee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enigmatic! I've learned some codes that most people do not know and got me interested in deciphering. Great book! Very informative.