If you’re looking for an excellent primer to the world of cryptography and cryptanalysis, then The Code Book, is the one you must lay your hands on.

The book can be looked at in three perspectives. At a micro level, it is a guide to the various techniques of secret writing, and how they can be deciphered. Right from Caesar’s cipher to quantum cryptography, the book traces how encryption and decryption has evolved in the last two millennia, which, by itself is fascinating.

Second, it can be looked at as a history book. Not many of us may be aware of how cryptography has shaped world history, and it might come as a shock to know some of the key moments in countless wars were decided by the strength or weakness of a particular cipher. Be it the cracking of the enigma during World War II, or Charles Babbage’s excellent method of cracking the “Le Chiffre Indechiffrable”, it is a treat for history lovers.

Finally, the book is a testimony to the will power and ingenuity of countless skilled men and women, who at various points of time, have contributed in one way or the other, knowingly or unknowingly, to ensure a safer and better world for us all. The constant battle between the cryptanalysts and the cryptographers is a recurring theme throughout the book, each one taking the lead in turns.

Published in 1999, Simon Singh gives a hint at the future of encryption and also on how it would affect the privacy of every individual, something which is now transpiring. Would the code breakers have the final say, or will the code makers thwart their attempts again? It remains to be seen.

Originally published here.