Customer Reviews

Code Breaking (History and Politics)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Kippenham has written a thoroughly enjoyable book! I've read a great many books on Cryptology, and while his book won't make you an expert, it gives descriptions and explanations superior to many other "beginner texts". In fact, the explanation of the mathematics involved in RSA encryption is the most lucid and easy to understand that I have yet read. Much of the book is a rehash of some other good crypto books like "Decrypted Secrets" and Beutelspacher's "Cryptology", but at least Kippenham puts it all together in an easy to understand style. For a more comprehensive history while still an enjoyable read, try Simon Singh's "The Code Book", the book that started me on my expensive journey of "collecting" crypto books, and if you're still interested, David Kahn's "The Codebreakers" is the holy grail of Crypto history, but a bit more dry. BEWARE. . .you may get hooked like me! Then the American Cryptogram's Classic Crypto Book Service or Aegean Park Press (both of whom specialize in Crypto books) will be "collecting" some of your money!

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.

This is one of the best books on Cryptography that I have read. One of the best features of the book is the long detailed discussion about the "Enigma" machine of World War II. A lot of really suprising revelations about who REALLY broke that code system. How every encoding system works and how they are cracked are also discussed. Amazing how most code systems are very insecure. The book was great but a little dry to read, which I suspect has to do that it was translated from German. The examples are mostly English so it is easy and fun to read.

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.

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

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.

I'm not sure why a previous review written by me on this book showed only one star, but that is an error. This is a 4-star book. Here is my previous review:

Mr. Kippenham has written a thoroughly enjoyable book! I've read a great many books on Cryptology, and while his book won't make you an expert, it gives descriptions and explanations superior to many other "beginner texts". In fact, the explanation of the mathematics involved in RSA encryption is the most lucid and easy to understand that I have yet read. Much of the book is a rehash of some other good crypto books like "Decrypted Secrets" and Beutelspacher's "Cryptology", but at least Kippenham puts it all together in an easy to understand style. For a more comprehensive history while still an enjoyable read, try Simon Singh's "The Code Book", the book that started me on my expensive journey of "collecting" crypto books, and if you're still interested, David Kahn's "The Codebreakers" is the holy grail of Crypto history, but a bit more dry. BEWARE. . .you may get hooked like me! Then the American Cryptogram's Classic Crypto Book Service or Aegean Park Press (both of whom specialize in Crypto books) will be "collecting" some of your money!

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

and finally a book that explains the detail in a clear, simple manner from Caesar's to credit cards. It's difficult to do this succinctly in few pages, but Rudy does it expertly. I highly recommend this small, interesting, cheap, and well-written book.

Code Breaking is a riveting read, replete with historical references ranging from Thomas Jefferson's wheel to the German Enigma. Caesar. Galileo. Edgar Allen Poe. Sherlock Holmes's Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Dancing Men (On the Case With Holmes and Watson). Mary Queen of Scots. Vigenere tableau.

If you are delving into cryptology, add this book to your library... it is well written and organized. Rudolf Kippenhahn's passion for the subject is infectious.

My only question for the author is: Why haven't you cracked Kryptos?(the still unsolved puzzle in front of the CIA headquarters created by Sculptor Jim Sanborn in 1990). There is still a fourth section at the bottom of Kryptos consisting of 97 or 98 characters which remains uncracked. Anyone else game?