The Story of Codebreaking: From Ancient Ciphers to Quantum Cryptography - Tapa dura

This is a history of cryptology from its early days in Ancient Egypt, Sparta and Rome to the present day when it has ceased to be a government monopoly and now affects all our lives whenever we use our cell phones or connect to the internet. Subjects covered here include Mary Queen of Scots' cryptic messages when she was plotting against her cousin Elizabeth I; the codes used by George Washington and the Popes for military and political purposes; code-breaking during World Wars I and II including the Enigma Machine and the interception of Japanese messages before Pearl Harbor. Those who invent codes and those who break them are remarkable, indefatigable characters. This is their story.

Nigel Cawthorne studied at University College, London, where he gained an Honors degree in Physics, before turning to writing as a career. He has been a writer and editor for over 25 years, the last 21 freelance. He has written, contributed to and edited more than sixty books, including Fighting Them On The Beaches: D-Day, 6 June 1944, The Battle of Britain, Vietnam: A War Lost and Won, Stalin, and The Story of the SS.