The Code Book: The Secrets Behind Codebreaking (Paperback)

Simon Singh

ISBN 10: 0385730624 / ISBN 13: 9780385730624

Published by Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers, New York, 2003

About this Item

Paperback. "As gripping as a good thriller." --The Washington PostUnpack the science of secrecy and discover the methods behind cryptography--the encoding and decoding of information--in this clear and easy-to-understand young adult adaptation of the national bestseller that's perfect for this age of WikiLeaks, the Sony hack, and other events that reveal the extent to which our technology is never quite as secure as we want to believe.Coders and codebreakers alike will be fascinated by history's most mesmerizing stories of intrigue and cunning--from Julius Caesar and his Caeser cipher to the Allies' use of the Enigma machine to decode German messages during World War II.Accessible, compelling, and timely, The Code Book is sure to make readers see the past--and the future--in a whole new way."Singh's power of explaining complex ideas is as dazzling as ever." --The Guardian Provides a review of cryptography, its evolution over time, and its purpose throughout history from the era of Julius Caesar to the modern day. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780385730624

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Code Book: The Secrets Behind ...

Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers, New York

Publication Date: 2003

Binding: Paperback

Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis:

"As gripping as a good thriller." --The Washington Post

Unpack the science of secrecy and discover the methods behind cryptography--the encoding and decoding of information--in this clear and easy-to-understand young adult adaptation of the national bestseller that's perfect for this age of WikiLeaks, the Sony hack, and other events that reveal the extent to which our technology is never quite as secure as we want to believe.

Coders and codebreakers alike will be fascinated by history's most mesmerizing stories of intrigue and cunning--from Julius Caesar and his Caeser cipher to the Allies' use of the Enigma machine to decode German messages during World War II.

Accessible, compelling, and timely, The Code Book is sure to make readers see the past--and the future--in a whole new way.

"Singh's power of explaining complex ideas is as dazzling as ever." --The Guardian

Review:

Calling upon accounts of political intrigue and tales of life and death, author Simon Singh tells history's most fascinating story of deception and cunning: the science of cryptography--the encoding and decoding of private information. Based on The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography, this version has been abridged and slightly simplified for a younger audience. None of the appeal for curious problem-solving minds has been lost, though. From Julius Caesar to the 10th-century Arabs; from Mary Queen of Scots to "Alice and Bob"; from the Germans' Enigma machine to the Navajo code talkers in World War II, Singh traces the use of code to protect--and betray--secrecy. Moving right into the present, he describes how the Information Age has provided a whole new set of challenges for cryptographers. How private are your e-mail communications? How secure is sending your credit card information over the Internet? And how much secrecy will the government tolerate? Complex but highly accessible, The Code Book will make readers see the past--and the future--in a whole new light. (Ages 14 and older)