The Science of Secrecy: The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking

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Simon Singh

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Pages: 250 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 1841154350

Pub: Fourth Estate

Pub date: 2000-10-04

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 539323

Editorial Review:

Secret codes are perennially, and universally, fascinating. Remember using lemon-juice to write invisible messages? What about the thrill of inventing your own private language? Something in the idea of occult information appeals to the 007 that lurks in every psyche.
Author and TV producer Simon Singh has now taken this symptomatically human trait and turned it into a TV series tied in to this entertaining book. In form, the first half of The Science of Secrecy is a zippy history of codes and ciphers (Spartan stick-ciphers, Roman shift-ciphers, a whole tradition of Muslim cipherologists), married to a closer analysis of notable code crackings of the past. Singh ably tells the fascinating tale of how the encoded assassination plans of Mary Queen of Scots were decrypted by Queen Elizabeth's embryonic MI5.
The second half concentrates on 20th-century code cracking. To judge by Singh, the Brits won both the Great War and the Second World War because of expert code busting. In 1914-18 it was by deciphering an incriminating German telegram, which brought America militarily onside; in 1939-45 it was by employing the most brilliant of crypto-boffins at Bletchley Park, who, via the Colossus decryption computer, ensured the Allies were always able to second guess the Nazi war machine.

The final section of the book, which describes attempts to encrypt--and decrypt--the Web, underlines why codes are of crucial topicality. Should vital material on the Net be encoded, or does that infringe free exchange of information, the very essence of cyberspace? Singh offers a readable, lucid and well informed take on this, much as he tackles every other subject in his diverting and illuminating book. --Sean Thomas

Reader Reviews:

Same old stuff rehashed (43/43 people found this helpful)

I'm a great fan of Simon Singh. He writes brilliantly, putting over technically complicated concepts in an accessible manner. So I was very excited to receive this book as a Christmas present. I was less impressed when I found that this is essentially a rehash of The Code Book.

The Science of Secrecy is the companion to the TV series, which was itself the series of The Code Book.

OK, there may be some slight differences, one or two side boxes have been added, and the challenge at the end is different, but you'd really have to have both books open together to play spot the difference!

This is probably a good book as it stands, but if you already have The Code Book, don't waste your money on this.

A fantatistic book that provides a great introduction (1/1 people found this helpful)

I was working hard on my dissertation and needed to find out about data encryption. Other books explained the concepts in purely technical terms which I found confusing. Simon takes this subject from a historical point of view. As result I understood the subject and was able to then understand the more technical documents. Top stuff!

Excellent introduction to cryptology (1/2 people found this helpful)

This is the best (and most accessible) book on the subject that I've read. I only caught one episode of the series on TV (it looked good but I was too busy to see any of the rest) but it tempted me into buying the book. Money well spent. The book is designed as an introduction into the subject and I found it an interesting and easy read. Having finished the book in a few days I consider myself much more knowledgeable about the subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in privacy and encryption - but especially the beginner. It should be mandatory course text for every student in the Information Age!

Simon Singh Pulls It Off (2/2 people found this helpful)

I bought the Science of Secrecy having heard Simon Singh talk on the radio on the Monday before the first episode of the television program was broadcast. As I do not possess a PhD in maths, I was particularly attracted by his clear and understandable descriptions of what can be a highly complex and (deliberately) impenetrable subject.

The Science of Secrecy book appears to repeat what is said in the Channel 4 television series. The pictures used in the book are the same as the pictures used on the television program. The examples used in the book are the same as the examples used in the television series. As I watched the first episode of the television program on the 5th October 2000 I began to arrive at the conclusion that I had wasted my money on a book that contains effectively the same material as the television program.

However once the program was over and I sat down to work out the puzzle displayed on teletext page 360, the book was invaluable. Being able to review the details of how substitution ciphers work and also have access to a table containing the frequency letters in the English language made the process of decrypting the cipher much more achievable and effectively brought the subject to life for me.

History has never been a subject I am passionate about. However in the context of this book the historical coverage is essential to illustrate the humble roots of the topic. As the story begins to move out of the 16th century Simon Singh describes how forms of encryption that are used today have been developed and operate which is really why I bough the book and started to watch the Channel 4 series.

In summary, if you have a passing interest in the subject and don't intend to try any of the examples or enter the competition associated with the television series then the book is probably not of use to you. If however you intend to try the examples and enter the competition then the book is a very valuable addition to the program.

I await the development of the currently theoretical quantum computers that apparently have the ability to turn the world of encryption and hence our modern lives on their heads.

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