The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
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- Create Date：2021-08-19 09:55:51
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Simon Singh
- ISBN：0385495323
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Summary
In his first book since the bestselling Fermat’s Enigma， Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption， tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars， nations， and individual lives。 From Mary， Queen of Scots， trapped by her own code， to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II， to the incredible （and incredibly simple） logisitical breakthrough that made Internet commerce secure， The Code Book tells the story of the most powerful intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy。
Throughout the text are clear technical and mathematical explanations， and portraits of the remarkable personalities who wrote and broke the world’s most difficult codes。 Accessible， compelling， and remarkably far-reaching， this book will forever alter your view of history and what drives it。 It will also make you wonder how private that e-mail you just sent really is。
Throughout the text are clear technical and mathematical explanations， and portraits of the remarkable personalities who wrote and broke the world’s most difficult codes。 Accessible， compelling， and remarkably far-reaching， this book will forever alter your view of history and what drives it。 It will also make you wonder how private that e-mail you just sent really is。
Reviews
Christoph Weber
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Fun， even though the technical details are too detailed for me， especially the later computer-related stuff that I know and use myself。。。
Dean
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I really enjoyed this book。 If you are at all interested in the enigma machine， or how people were able to discover the secrets of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics， despite not knowing the written language or even the sounds that the written language was representing， then this book is for you！Not only does it present the history of code making and code breaking in an interesting and engaging way， the author also goes to great lengths to break down the encipherment and decipherment of texts in an I really enjoyed this book。 If you are at all interested in the enigma machine， or how people were able to discover the secrets of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics， despite not knowing the written language or even the sounds that the written language was representing， then this book is for you！Not only does it present the history of code making and code breaking in an interesting and engaging way， the author also goes to great lengths to break down the encipherment and decipherment of texts in an easily understandable way， even for someone （me） who is not a maths whiz （by any stretch）。 There is a feeling of wonder and accomplishment when you realise the key to cracking these ciphers that were considered unbreakable for hundreds of years， in some cases。One weakness of the book is that it was published originally in 1999 I think， and so some of the most recent advances in cryptography are （presumably） not covered。 One of the latter chapters on the modern internet was a little dated， because of incredibly rapid changes in the last few decades in that space。 However， the book still had a great chapter on quantum computing/cryptography/enciphering， which I thought was really well described for such a mind bending subject。I can't commend this book enough， really just a great non-fiction book。 I was so interested in the chapter on quantum cryptography that I think I will have to search for a follow up book that expands on that topic （and maybe the development of quantum computing more generally）。One final thought- it is easy to forget in the modern computer age that the vast history of cryptography was prosecuted simply with pen and paper and a bit of brain power！ It is truly boggling， the schemes people were coming up with， even thousands of years ago。 。。。more
Toby Maclachlan
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Fun frolic through history of codes and breaking。 Informative and entertaining。 Only drawback is being 20+ years out of date！ Well written and intelligent without being difficult or patronising。 Good job
devin
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what the heck was that last bit about quantum computers？？ dividing reality to create many versions of themselves？？ this book is 21 years old now -- i really gotta read up on quantum computers， because the little he spoke about them seems insane。 All the stuff before the mind breaking things were good too。 And it focuses on old math/history of broken ciphers， so the age of the book today doesn't diminish the good writing Singh did。 Still worth reading！ what the heck was that last bit about quantum computers？？ dividing reality to create many versions of themselves？？ this book is 21 years old now -- i really gotta read up on quantum computers， because the little he spoke about them seems insane。 All the stuff before the mind breaking things were good too。 And it focuses on old math/history of broken ciphers， so the age of the book today doesn't diminish the good writing Singh did。 Still worth reading！ 。。。more
Fanny Rubi
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Such a brilliant book。 I really enjoyed every page of this jewel， the way the author tell us and describes and the key moments and discoveries of the history of cryptography is great！ Completely recommended。 Waiting for quantum computers。。
Hortensia
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This is a fast moving novel that draws you in very early on。
Nyx
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La verdad es que está bastante interesante。 Aunque hay cosas que yo no entiendo mucho， porque no se me dan muy bien algunos temas o no tengo el suficiente conocimiento como para entenderlos。 Pero si eres una persona a la que le gusta la ciencia， la física， los números， etc， este libro lo vas a disfrutar sin problemas。
Tommyluca
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I started this book because I was interested in the cryptography’s mathematical theories， but for almost 3/4 of the book， Simon Singh doesn’t deal with it， so the reading was a little bit difficult。
Princess
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Those who aren't science lovers will still like The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography 。 Give it a try！ Those who aren't science lovers will still like The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography 。 Give it a try！ 。。。more
Ambeau
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Really good read， love the concept。
Kirk Gartside
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A coworker recommended this to me， saying it’s more history than math。 She was spot on， the author uses simple everyday examples， such a mixing paint， to help explain complex math， like one way functions。 The last two chapters cover more recent history， when reading recall this book was written in 1999。
Regan
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Simon Singh gives the history of cryptography up to the present day （present meaning 1999， when it was published）。 Frames it as a battle between cryptographers trying to come up with an unbreakable cipher， and the cryptanalysts trying to break the cipher。 He tells this story both by discussing general trends in cryptography throughout history as well as going in-depth on some very important stories centred around cryptography， such as the fate of Mary Queen of Scots and the cracking of the Germa Simon Singh gives the history of cryptography up to the present day （present meaning 1999， when it was published）。 Frames it as a battle between cryptographers trying to come up with an unbreakable cipher， and the cryptanalysts trying to break the cipher。 He tells this story both by discussing general trends in cryptography throughout history as well as going in-depth on some very important stories centred around cryptography， such as the fate of Mary Queen of Scots and the cracking of the German Enigma machines。 The detour into the decipherment of ancient writing systems like hieroglyphs and linear B was a very welcome one。 The difference between this type of decipherment and regular cryptography is that the messages in ancient writing were likely never intended to be scrambled， whereas with cryptography we know that the sender intentionally made it difficult。 However， Singh highlights with detailed examples how both processes heavily rely on the idea that the people deciphering these systems need to grab onto any clue or hint that they can。 It’s not just about complex mathematical formulas。 It’s about things like espionage， making educated guesses， and grabbing onto anything that might be a whiff of a clue。 He aptly compares it to a mountain climber who is looking for anything to grab onto when climbing a mountain。 In addition to the history of older encryption systems， Singh also covers modern cryptography （again， up to 1999） in great detail， and looks at all facets of it - from the creative techniques these people used to solve various cryptographic problems， to the weird quirks of the intermediary systems （trusted employees of major banks carrying around encryption keys in secure briefcases）， to the political ramifications of having systems that make it impossible for governments to intercept messages。 With free encryption， we have the realization of the human right to privacy （as per the Universal Declaration on Human Rights）， citizens can safely communicate under oppressive governments， and the government can’t wiretap people like Martin Luther King to try to discredit him。 On the other hand， the FBI claims that interception methods like wiretaps are the single most effective investigative technique， which can be used to help catch terrorists， pedophiles， and other criminals。 Singh frames the debate as asking the question of who do we fear more - the government or criminals。I really enjoyed reading this book。 Singh is very thorough and excellent at explaining complicated topics such as the cracking of the Enigma machine。 He constructs mystery-like narratives around these historical endeavours and episodes - it’s a great weaving of storytelling and explanation， and he keeps various themes around cryptography that he brings up again and again throughout this storytelling。Interesting （and maybe a little frightening） that all of our secure digital communication comes down to the fact that it takes an unreasonably long time to factor a large number into two primes。 Something he emphasizes throughout the book is that many of the most intelligent codebreakers through history may never be known， since they must work in secret。 Alan Turing’s accomplishments were never recognized before his tragic death。 So while we fight it out over what we are more scared of - government or criminals - it’s very possible that someone has already broken the RSA cipher， and it hasn’t been made public。 Some Fun facts- An ancient form of hiding secret messages involved message carriers shaving their heads， writing the message on their scalps， and re-growing the hair。 Expediency was not highest priority。- Ian Fleming， author of James Bond， devised a plan called Operation Ruthless， which involved British Military posing as Germans to get access to Enigma Codes。 The operation never took place。- When Philip Zimmerman released his encryption software， PGP， he was accused of illegally exporting a weapon， since the US government included encryption software within its definition of munitions。 。。。more
Nzcgzmt מזבעזצא
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This is hands-down the most entertaining book I read in a long time。 Singh is a great story teller; he also possesses the rare ability of explaining complex mechanisms to people without pre-existing knowledge。 I highly recommend it to everyone who is interested in cryptography/ancient language deciphering/science/history。
Zuzanna
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So interesting and there were just so many good bits ！ I love how Singh writes and his depth of information。 Favourite chapter was by far about the Navajo language （and the various links to language throughout the book） but his writing of the history of cracking the Enigma， which did not overlook out Poland’s significant involvement and Rejewski’s dedication， brought me so much pride and warmth as a Pole。 Even modern day encryption has been somewhat demystified for me and has left me more reassu So interesting and there were just so many good bits ！ I love how Singh writes and his depth of information。 Favourite chapter was by far about the Navajo language （and the various links to language throughout the book） but his writing of the history of cracking the Enigma， which did not overlook out Poland’s significant involvement and Rejewski’s dedication， brought me so much pride and warmth as a Pole。 Even modern day encryption has been somewhat demystified for me and has left me more reassured each time I go online than I previously was。 Really brilliant and engaging venture into cryptography’s history， present and possible future。 。。。more
van
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ive read one interesting thing in this book that's why I'm giving it 4 stars ive read one interesting thing in this book that's why I'm giving it 4 stars 。。。more
Manish Singh
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One of the best science books I've ever read。 Simon seems to have a natural knack for explaining scientific concepts in a very unique way。It's a book where you don't just learn one cryptographic concept after another in a series of chapters。 No。 You go through the whole history， understand the events that led to the ideas in cryptography - you get to understand the germination of the ideas。 This is not just a science book， it's a history book - a 2000 year long gripping story of tension， emotion One of the best science books I've ever read。 Simon seems to have a natural knack for explaining scientific concepts in a very unique way。It's a book where you don't just learn one cryptographic concept after another in a series of chapters。 No。 You go through the whole history， understand the events that led to the ideas in cryptography - you get to understand the germination of the ideas。 This is not just a science book， it's a history book - a 2000 year long gripping story of tension， emotions。 It makes you appreciate the work done by scientists and mathematicians even more， when you have the right context。 So， if you're one of those who's always curious about the "whole context" around of a concept， then you'll love this - you'll feel satisfied， you'll have a smile on your face。 There were so many occasions I was smiling while reading， and I smiled one last time when I closed the book， as I exclaimed， "brilliant"！ When you really understand something， it makes you happy from inside。I feel like I've understood some quantum concepts far better via this book than in high school。 If I'd read this book when I was younger （maybe in high school）， I would've made completely different career choices， I'd be a completely different person today。 。。。more
Emily
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This was such a fun （and nerdy） read！ I knew a good amount of surface-level stuff about most of the ciphers/machines which I thought was ideal for getting a bit of a refresher as well as diving a bit deeper into the history。 I thought the book was very well put-together and gave sufficient attention to each subject。 The ethical questions that arise from cryptography are so important and the author made sure to include them。 Overall I had a ball reading this book， especially with the little ciphe This was such a fun （and nerdy） read！ I knew a good amount of surface-level stuff about most of the ciphers/machines which I thought was ideal for getting a bit of a refresher as well as diving a bit deeper into the history。 I thought the book was very well put-together and gave sufficient attention to each subject。 The ethical questions that arise from cryptography are so important and the author made sure to include them。 Overall I had a ball reading this book， especially with the little cipher challenges at the end。 。。。more
ALEXIA
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I'm not that interested in %v_array_gen[1]%s – but here I was at one o'clock in the morning， unable to put this book down。 I'm not that interested in %v_array_gen[1]%s – but here I was at one o'clock in the morning， unable to put this book down。 。。。more
Aniket
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Genuinely nerdy stuff for puzzle lovers
Jeff Stone
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If you're into code as in cryptography， then you won't want to miss this book。 It tells the entire history of code， ciphers， cryptography， etc。， all the way from antient Roman times， Caesar ciphers， up to the Diffie-Hellman key exchange， RSA cryptography and the future of cryptography including quantum cryptography。If you're a geek/nerd， then this is a must read。 If you're into code as in cryptography， then you won't want to miss this book。 It tells the entire history of code， ciphers， cryptography， etc。， all the way from antient Roman times， Caesar ciphers， up to the Diffie-Hellman key exchange， RSA cryptography and the future of cryptography including quantum cryptography。If you're a geek/nerd， then this is a must read。 。。。more
Whitney
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Another reviewer called this Geek Porn and that is the perfect description！ Singh does an excellent job breaking down difficult scientific and mathematical concepts into clear terms a lay person can easily understand。 His analogy to mixing paint as a way to describe an encryption process was outstanding。 As an historian， my favorite chapters were the ones on WWII， especially the information about the Navajo Code Talkers and Alan Turing。 His explanation of how the Enigma machine worked was especi Another reviewer called this Geek Porn and that is the perfect description！ Singh does an excellent job breaking down difficult scientific and mathematical concepts into clear terms a lay person can easily understand。 His analogy to mixing paint as a way to describe an encryption process was outstanding。 As an historian， my favorite chapters were the ones on WWII， especially the information about the Navajo Code Talkers and Alan Turing。 His explanation of how the Enigma machine worked was especially interesting and satisfying。 I knew Alan Turing's story but I was struck again at how homophobia cut short such a brilliant life。 Our world has likely been deprived of so much brilliance because of racism， sexism， homophobia and other forms of prejudice。 。。。more
Jason Robinson
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Kindle。
Joseph Knowles
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Some of the sections about the internet are a little dated （not sure whether that’s been updated in a new edition） and I assume that’s also true for the parts about quantum computing。 Other than that this was a fascinating read。 I’m no math whiz， but Singh is able to explain the basic concepts in a very understandable way。 The cipher challenges at the end of the book are a neat feature。
Reviews by Elroy
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The amount of effort in describing what is happening is unmatchable。
Jayson
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Good storyline and main theme joining it all together。
Sean
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Amazing。 How we should be learning histories of subjects。 A good mix of stories （giving the explanations a more personal feeling） and technical information at a level the layperson can easily follow。 If you have any remote interest in the subject it's a must read。 Amazing。 How we should be learning histories of subjects。 A good mix of stories （giving the explanations a more personal feeling） and technical information at a level the layperson can easily follow。 If you have any remote interest in the subject it's a must read。 。。。more
Regina
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From the first page I was hooked and look forward to other stories from Simon Singh。
Brendan
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A detailed but very readable history on the art and science of cyphers。 Lots of great contextual history paired with detail on how they operate。 Great read。
John Dawson
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A fascinating glimpse into the world of cryptography， presented mostly historically。 Presentation of this topic requires a balance between exposition of principles and actual examples， which are necessary but can quickly become tedious。 Singh strikes about the right balance。 His other books are worth checking out， if you have the interest。
Delia
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