000			01577nam a22001817a 4500
008			240105b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a9781857028898(pbk.)
082			_a652.8 _b SIN
100			_aSingh, Simon _97450
245			_aThe code book : _bthe secret history of codes and code-breaking
260			_aLondon _bForth Estate _c1999
300			_axiii, 402p.
520			_aThe Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography From the best-selling author of Fermat's Last Theorem, The Code Book is a history of man's urge to uncover the secrets of codes, from Egyptian puzzles to modern day computer encryptions. As in Fermat's Last Theorem, Simon Singh brings life to an anstonishing story of puzzles, codes, languages and riddles that reveals man's continual pursuit to disguise and uncover, and to work out the secret languages of others. Codes have influenced events throughout history, both in the stories of those who make them and those who break them. The betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots and the cracking of the enigma code that helped the Allies in World War II are major episodes in a continuing history of cryptography. In addition to stories of intrigue and warfare, Simon Singh also investigates other codes, the unravelling of genes and the rediscovery of ancient languages and most tantalisingly, the Beale ciphers, an unbroken code that could hold the key to a USD 20 million treasure.
650			_aCryptography _9447
650			_aData encryption (Computer science) _94504
650			_aConfidential communications _910537
942			_cBK
999			_c9936 _d9936