UNSOLVED! The History and Mystery of the World's Greatest Ciphers from Ancient Egypt to Online Secret Societies

Bauer, Craig P.

ISBN 10: 0691167672 / ISBN 13: 9780691167671

Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2017

About this Item

1st printing (2017) Dj is a bit rubbed at edge; minor handling flaws.

Seller Inventory # MBX118

Bibliographic Details

• Title: UNSOLVED! The History and Mystery of the World's Greatest Ciphers from Ancient Egypt to Online Secret Societies
• Publisher: Princeton University Press, Princeton
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691167672
• ISBN 13: 9780691167671
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+
• Seller catalogs:
  • True Crime
  • Mystery Trade Paperback
  • Nonfiction Paperbacks

About this title

Synopsis

A mathematical tour of some of the greatest unsolved ciphers of all time In 1953, a man was found dead from cyanide poisoning near the Philadelphia airport with a picture of a Nazi aircraft in his wallet. Taped to his abdomen was an enciphered message. In 1912, a book dealer named Wilfrid Voynich came into possession of an illuminated cipher manuscript once belonging to Emperor Rudolf II, who was obsessed with alchemy and the occult. Wartime codebreakers tried--and failed--to unlock the book's secrets, and it remains an enigma to this day. In this lively and entertaining book, Craig Bauer examines these and other vexing ciphers yet to be cracked. Some may reveal the identity of a spy or serial killer, provide the location of buried treasure, or expose a secret society--while others may be elaborate hoaxes. Unsolved! begins by explaining the basics of cryptology, and then explores the history behind an array of unsolved ciphers. It looks at ancient ciphers, ciphers created by artists and composers, ciphers left by killers and victims, Cold War ciphers, and many others. Some are infamous, like the ciphers in the Zodiac letters, while others were created purely as intellectual challenges by figures such as Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman. Bauer lays out the evidence surrounding each cipher, describes the efforts of geniuses and eccentrics--in some cases both--to decipher it, and invites readers to try their hand at puzzles that have stymied so many others. Unsolved! takes readers from the ancient world to the digital age, providing an amazing tour of many of history's greatest unsolved ciphers.

About the Author

Craig P. Bauer is professor of mathematics at York College of Pennsylvania. He is editor in chief of the journal Cryptologia, has served as a scholar in residence at the NSA's Center for Cryptologic History, and is the author of Secret History: The Story of Cryptology. He lives in York, Pennsylvania.