Code Breaking: A History and Explanation

by Rudolf Kippenhahn

Book Overview

Rich with vivid anecdotes from a history of coding and decoding and featuring three new chapters, this revised and expanded edition makes the often abstruse art of deciphering coded messages... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585670898
• ISBN13: 9781585670895
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A good general Overview

Although this book has recieved some hard press from the industry, it is considered by many people in the technical community as a very good general introduction to Cryptography that doesn't require the user to be a math savant. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that would like to get their feet wet with Crypto

Finally Something You Don't Need a PhD to Understand

It is very difficult to find a book on the subject of Cryptology which does not go into great detail about the math, forgoing the necessary context to understanding. I have read many book on the subject and wish I had read this one first, if not early on. Kippenhahn has accomplished that which others haven't. Providing the historical context based upon a particular crypto advancement. Instead of the entire history of the subject, he provides sections of chapters which focus on some aspect of the history, not for history sake, but to have the reader understand a particular advancement or application of cryptology. By understanding, I'm talking about providing a lot of visual material. Monalphabetic maps, key tables, turning grilles, Vigenere tables, and others. All of these are very clearly displayed and understandable by any student or adult. He also provides simple "schematics" for cipher machines (switches and lights), which again give you the context to then understand (conceptually) what is behind Enigma machines and the like. He introduces symmetric and asymmetric systems, such as DES and RSA respectively. First conceptually, then with a bit more detail behind it. His discussion on RSA includes an appendix which explains the math to mere mortals. Actual example keys are derived using two examples. If you're interested in why the math "works" you'll need to refer to another source. This shows the process for creating N, E, and D, the keys which support an RSA keyset. An introduction to the application of some of the techniques in the book include some theoretical banking examples, and smart cards. In summary, unless you already have an advanced understanding of the subject matter and math, I strongly encourage you to obtain and enjoy this quite readable 260 page book. You'll finish it fairly quickly and have enough of an understanding of the field to delve deeper if you wish - but won't have to.

Great book

this book was one of the most amazing and comprehensable books that I have ever read. The author gives a detailed description to every example he brings up, I read it from cover to cover and learned some amazing methods to decode messages

very entertaining, with excellent math clarity

I wanted to understand cryptology, with enough math behind various techniques and yet I don't want to be bored with the details. This book delivers. The entertaining historical stories are icing on the cake and make it hard to put down.

Both thrilling and thorough exploration of crytpology

I loved this book. Mr. Kippenhahn's use of historical antecdotes and relating each technique to its predecessors allows anyone -- technically minded or not -- to be drawn into his unfolding story. The fact that he presents the mathematics in an easy to understand yet thorough manner makes it especially enjoyable for readers who want to understand each principle. Having read it from cover to cover, I intend to read it again, and spend more time on a few techniques that I brushed over on the first read.If you enjoy puzzles, or technology in general, or wish to understand the techniques that are making electronic banking a reality, read this book.