Robert Reynard

A US Coast Guard Academy graduate and officer in the US Coast Guard, Bob Reynard started writing after retiring from IBM Corp. in 1993.

He tried to find a book on cryptography that included simple programs for assisting the reader in breaking simple codes. None were available so he decided to write one himself. As far as he knew, it was a one-of-a-kind book on cryptography. Bob wrote the stories, explained the code breakig and designed the programs. He got a friend to write the programs which were placed on a diskette attached inside he back cover of the book.

His first book "Secret Code Breakers - A Cryptanalyst's Handbook" was published in 1996. Readers convinced him to write a sequel, which is a continuation of the evolution of codes and code breaking. Published in 1997 Secret Code Breaker II was well received and Bob decided to complete the series with Secret Code Breaker III. It focused on the history of code breaking in the US from it's beginnings in 1776 to the 1980's.

After that he turned his attention to other interests, including a uniquely detailed instruction book that accompanied a set of magic tricks called "The Armchair Magician."