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

Codes have decided the fates of empires, countries, and monarchies throughout recorded history. Practically since humans began writing, they have been writing in code. This quest for secrecy has often directed the course of history, yet until now no book has traced the evolution of its methods. In The Code Book, Simon Singh offers a sweeping view of the subject of encryption, revealing its contributions to linguistics and computation as well as its more dramatic effects on the outcome of wars and individual lives.