The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography

Simon Singh provides the first comprehensive history of encryption in his first book since the best-selling Fermat's Enigma. He traces the history of encryption's development and highlights the profound impact codes have had on conflicts, countries, and people's lives. The Code Book tells the tale of the most potent intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy, from Mary, Queen of Scots, who was imprisoned by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who assisted the Allies in winning World War II, to the amazing (and incredibly simple) technological breakthrough that made Internet commerce secure.

Clear technical and mathematical explanations are interspersed throughout the narrative, along with biographical sketches of the extraordinary individuals who developed and cracked the hardest codes in history. Your perspective on history and its forces will be permanently changed by this book, which is easily read, captivating, and incredibly comprehensive. You'll also start to question the true privacy of the email you just sent.