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The Code Book covers a diverse set of historical topics including The Man in the Iron Mask, Arabic cryptography, Charles Babbage, the mechanisation of cryptography, the Enigma Machine, and the decipherment of Linear B and other ancient writing systems. Later sections cover the development of public key cryptography and some of this material is based on interviews with the participants, including those who worked in secret at GCHQ. The book concludes with a discussion of PGP, quantum computing, and quantum cryptography. The book announced a "Cipher Challenge" with a cash prize. The contest has since been completed [1]. The book is not footnoted, but does have a "Further Reading" section at the end which is organized by chapter.

1 Criticism

The Code Book is said to contain errors of fact. In 1999, Whitfield Diffie wrote:

"The Code Book contains a plausible selection of material and for the reader new to cryptography it presents a welcoming, readable face. Unfortunately, this same reader will be misled at many turns. Singh has made a potentially worthwhile contribution to the popular literature of cryptography, but we can only hope that the publisher will limit the first edition to a single printing and produce a corrected second edition as quickly as possible."

In 2000, Jim Reeds wrote:

"Almost every page has small errors of fact. In many places it is clear Singh does not really understand the material he copies from his sources. Many of these errors are of little consequence when taken individually, but their cumulative effect is to destroy a knowledgeable reader's confidence in the author's standards of accuracy."

2 References

• "Of Riddles Wrapped in Enigmas" Whitfield Diffie, The Times Higher Education Supplement, September 10, 1999, page 25.
• "The Code Book: The Evolution of Secrecy from Mary, Queen of Scots to Quantum Cryptography, reviewed by Jim Reeds" Jim Reeds, Notices of the American Mathematical SocietyThe American Mathematical Society (AMS is dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and education, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards to mathematicians. It was founded in 1888, the brainchil, Vol. 47 No. 3, MarchFor alternative meanings, see March (disambiguation). March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. Named for Mars, the Roman god of war. In ancient Rome, March was called Martius. It was named after the war god ( Mars) and 2000, pp: 369-372 (61K PDF)

3 External links

• "The Code Book" web page