The Codebreakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret

The Codebreakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet

"Few false ideas have more firmly gripped the minds of so many intelligent men than the one that, if they just tried, they could invent a cipher that no one could break," writes David Kahn in this massive (almost 1,200 pages) volume. Most of The Codebreakers focuses on the 20th century, especially World War II. But its reach is long. Kahn traces cryptology's origins to the advent of writing. It seems that as soon as people learned how to record their thoughts, they tried to figure out ways of keeping them hidden. Kahn covers everything from the theory of ciphering to the search for "messages" from outer space. He concludes with a few thoughts about encryption on the Internet.
Country USA
Brand SCRIBNER
Manufacturer Scribner
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 0684831309SR9
ReleaseDate 1996-12-05
UnitCount 1
UPCs 076714070004
EANs 9780684831305

The Codebreakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet