Cryptography: The Science of Secret Writing"Those who delight in puzzles can find much to ponder here." -- Science News Letter "Will be well received by anyone really interested in the subject." -- Scientific Book Club Review Readers interested in secret writing will find this book an excellent elementary explanation of transposition and substitution ciphers, codes, and their solutions. More than 150 problems provide practical application as well as tests of skill and ingenuity. After a brief description of the history of secret writing, the reader is introduced to fundamental principles of ciphers -- transposition and substitution -- and given an understanding of the various methods of enciphering and deciphering secret messages. The author covers geometrical patterns, route transcription, columnar transposition, and other methods used in transposition; under substitution, he treats mixed cipher systems, single-alphabet and polyalphabetical substitution, mechanical devices, the Vigenère system, etc. A discussion of cryptanalysis leads the reader into 151 problems for which answers are provided at the end. Appendixes offer notes on enciphering Japanese; and explanation of the Baconian Biliteral Cipher; frequency tables for English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. |
Contents
THE HISTORY OF SECRET WRITING | 16 |
TRANSPOSITION CIPHERS | 29 |
SUBSTITUTION CIPHERS | 46 |
CODES COMPARED WITH CIPHERS | 86 |
PROBLEMS | 114 |
SOLUTIONS | 131 |
APPENDICES | 149 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Available in U.S. beginning CCQAG cipher alphabet cipher groups cipher message cipher system cipher text CKPKH CLGPQ Clue code book column Columnar order common trigraphs cryptanalysis cryptogram cryptography deciphering digraphs disarranged disks dluohs eerht eht tsrif enciphering encipherment Ereht evah FJZIG fo eht FUGZO GCKUG GLOTS grille GUSTAV STICKLEY GVGCK htiw illustrations inscribed Japanese key number key word language left to right letter frequency letters in normal Lewis Carroll lliw LOULJ Martin Gardner method MFOKS Nehw normal alphabet normal order normal sequence Nulls numerical key OGPQA photographs plain text plain-text letter polyalphabetic polyalphabetic substitution PQQAF QFRGM QGKEF QQLHG rectangle rehpic remaining letters rettel route scytale secret writing siht SJBQA substitution ciphers taht Tahw tebahpla tion transcribed transposition cipher trigraphs two-letter words UGZQA V W X Y Z variations Vigenère table VKIGE written yeht
