Code Breaking: A History and Exploration [Paperback]

Rudolph Kippenhahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2000

The achievements of cryptography--the art of writing and deciphering coded messages--have become a part of everyday life, especially in our age of electronic banking and the Internet. In this provocative work, Rudolf Kippenhahn offers readers both an exciting chronicle of cryptography and a lively exploration of the cryptographer's craft. Rich with vivid anecdotes from a history of coding and decoding, Code Breaking brings the often abstruse art of deciphering coded messages to the general reader and reveals the relevance of codes to our everyday high-tech society. A stylishly written, meticulously researched adventure, it will enthrall everyone who wants to know more about the ways in which communication can be obscured and, like magic, made clear again.

A Selection of Doubleday's Library of Science Book Club
A Choice Academic Book of the Year

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Astrophysicist Kippenhahn (One Hundred Billion Stars, Princeton Univ., 1993) attempts to introduce the general reader to the history of cryptology, with much of his book covering the events and intrigue surrounding World War II and the German cipher machine known as Enigma. Sadly, Kippenhahns use of narrative prose with stodgy technical jargon leaves the reader with neither a good story nor hard science. The documentation used in the text is sparse at best, and the annotated bibliography contains a mere handful of titles; no glossary of terms is included. Though a generous selection of illustrations is sprinkled throughout, this in no way offsets the inherent weaknesses of the volume. Not recommended.Dayne Sherman, Southeastern Louisiana Univ., Hammond
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Scientific American

He has assembled what is more a collection of anecdotes and explanations than a standard history book, but it makes for interesting and hugely informative reading. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Overlook TP (October 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585670898
• ISBN-13: 978-1585670895
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,813,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Intro to Cryptology, December 27, 2000

By 

Richard T. Leitner (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Code Breaking: A History and Exploration (Paperback)

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!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Both thrilling and thorough exploration of crytpology, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Code Breaking: A History and Exploration (Hardcover)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book but a bit dry., December 24, 2000

By 

R. Speizer "thebooktiger" (Reno, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Code Breaking: A History and Exploration (Paperback)

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.