Books on cryptography
Books on cryptography have been published sporadically, and with highly variable quality, for a long time. This despite the tempting, though superficial, paradox that secrecy is of the essence in sending confidential messages — see Kerckhoffs' law.
In contrast, the revolution in cryptography and secure communications of the last 25 years is well covered in the available literature. Things have improved.
Early history
An early example of a book about cryptography was a Roman work, now lost and known only by references. Later, various authors wrote (variously responsibly) on cryptography. Many of the early works were esoteric, mystical, and reputation-promoting; cryptography being mysterious, there was much opportunity for such things. At least one work by Trithemius was put on the Index (ie, banned) by the Catholic Church as being about black magic or witchcraft. Many writers claimed to have invented unbreakable cyphers. None were, though it sometimes took a long while to establish this.
In the 19th century, the general standard improved somewhat (eg, works by Auguste Kerckhoffs, Friedrich Kasiski, and Étienne Bazeries). Colonel Parker Hitt and William Friedman in the early 20th century also wrote books on cryptography. These authors, and others, mostly abandoned the mystical/magical tone.
Post World War I
With the mechanization of armies and the invention and use of radio, communications (especially military communications) went wireless and some means of protecting messages -- which were necessarily heard by all who bothered to listen -- became immediately imperative. Thus, about the time of WWI, cryptography became not merely a useful technique in diplomacy, espionage, and military operations, but really important. By the end of WWI, cryptography and its literature began to be both 'official', and 'classified'.
Thereupon, publicly available material started to diverge more than before from actual cryptographic, and cryptanalytic, practice, largely by 'leaving things out'. There began a period in which public descriptions of cryptography were either intended for children, deliberately misleading, or limited to historical issues. Some, such as The American Black Chamber by Herbert Yardley were mixtures of everything, including a return to the personal reputation puffery of the Renaissance, and more than a little magical gee whiz.
The Codebreakers
Until the late twentieth century most aspects of modern cryptography were regarded as the special concern of governments and the military, and were protected by custom and, in some cases, by statute. The most significant work to be published on cryptography in this period is undoubtedly David Kahn's The Codebreakers, which was published at a time (mid 60s) when virtually no information on the modern practice of cryptography was available. Kahn has said that over ninety percent of its content was previously unpublished. The book caused serious concern at the NSA despite its lack of coverage of specific modern cryptographic practice, so much so that after failing to prevent the book being published NSA staff were informed to not even acknowledge the existence of the book if asked. In the US military, mere possession of a copy by cryptographic personnel was grounds for some considerable suspicion. Perhaps the single greatest importance of the book was the impact it had on the next generation of cryptographers. Whitfield Diffie has made comments in interviews about the effect it had on him.
Early 21st century conditions
There are now many books available on cryptography; this is mostly a modern phenomenon. Much information that was top secret a half century ago is now available to the public. Principles and techniques of major parts of contemporary cypher design have also in many cases been published.
The divergence between official knowledge and practice and public knowledge continues; cryptography is still important. Such organizations as NSA and GCHQ pretty much don't talk to anyone. Some publicly working cryptographers believe that the gap between the official (and secret) 'state of the art', and the publicly known, has decreased very substantially since 1976. Others are less sure. Readers should be aware of the possibility that cryptographic practice in official circles may be quite different and possibly far advanced over that available in the public literature. Or maybe not.
And the unsavory side of cryptographic literature also continues. Many books from the earlier era are still in circulation, confusing readers needlessly. The warning at the end of the article on cryptography should be taken seriously; there is still much nonsense in published accounts of cryptography, and the quality of information available on line is wildly variable.
The list
Significant books on cryptography include:
Cryptographic techniques
Heavily mathematical
Less mathematical
- Ferguson, Niels, and Schneier, Bruce - Practical Cryptography, Wiley, 2003, ISBN 0471223573. A cryptography reference. Covers both algorithms and protocols. This is an in depth consideration of one cryptographic problem, including paths not taken and some reasons why. At the time of its publication, most of the material was not otherwise available in a single source. Some was not otherwise available. In a sense, a follow-up to Applied Cryptography.
- Schneier, Bruce - Applied Cryptography, 2 ed, Wiley, 1996, (ISBN 0471117099). The most accessible single volume available covering modern cryptographic practice, and approachable by the non mathematically oriented. Incredibly, not exhaustive. Extensive bibliography which can serve as an entry into the modern literature. Less immediately mathematical than some others, eg Menezes et al Handbook of Applied Cryptography. Note however, that the lack of extensive proofs and notation does not imply that the mathematical concepts are optional. Modern cryptography is fundamentally based on mathematics and Schneier covers it here, just not formally.
- number theory and group theory not generally covered in cryptography books.
Cryptographic environment/context -- 'security'
- Schneier, Bruce - Secrets and Lies, Wiley, ISBN 0471253111, a discussion of the context within which cryptography and cryptosystems work. Practical Cryptography also includes some contextual material in the discussion of crypto system design.
- Schneier, Bruce -- Beyond Fear, Wiley,
- Ross Anderson -- Security Engineering, Wiley, advanced coverage of computer security issues, including cryptography. Covers much more than merely cryptography. Brief on most topics due to the breadth of coverage.
- Bamford, James - TICOM mission) to investigate German cryptographic efforts immediately as the fighting moved on as WWII wound down.
- Gustave Bertrand, Enigma ou la plus grande énigme de la guerre 1939–1945, Paris 1973. The first public disclosure in the West of the breaking of the Enigma, by the chief of French military cryptography prior to WWII. The first seems to have been a book by a Polish Colonel about Rejewski's breakthrough.
- Kahn, David - The Codebreakers (ISBN 0684831309) A single volume source for cryptographic history, at least for events up to the mid '60s (ie, to just before DES and the public release of asymmetric key cryptography). The added chapter on more recent developments (in the most recent edition) is quite thin. Kahn has written other books and articles on cryptography, and on cryptographic history. They are very highly regarded.
- Levy, Steven - Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government Saving Privacy in the Digital Age (ISBN 0140244328) A journalistic overview of the development of public cryptographic techniques and the US regulatory context for cryptography. This is an account of a major policy conflict.
- Singh, Simon - The Code Book (ISBN 1857028899). An anecdotal introduction to the history of cryptography. Covers more recent material than does even the revised edition of Kahn's The Codebreakers. Clearly written and quite readable. The included cryptanalytic contest has been won and the prize awarded, but the cyphertexts are still worth attempting.
- Bauer, F L, Decrypted Secrets, This book is unusual. It is both a history of cryptography, and a discussion of mathematical topics related to cryptography. In his review, David Kahn said he thought it the best book he'd read on the subject. It is essentially two books, in more or less alternating chapters. Originally in German, and the translation shows it in places. Some surprising content, eg, in the discussion of President Edgar Hoover's Secretary of State, Henry Stimson.
- Budiansky, Stephen -- Battle of Wits, This is a one volume history of cryptography in WWII. It is well written, well researched, and responsible. Technical material (eg, a description of the cryptanalysis of Enigma) is limited, but clearly presented.
- Prados, John -- Combined Fleet Decoded, An account of cryptography in the Pacific Theatre of World War II with special emphasis on the Japanese side. Reflects extensive research in Japanese sources and recently available US material. Contains material not previously accessible or unvailable.
- Marks, Leo, Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's Story 1941-1945, (HarperCollins, 1998). (ISBN 068486780X). A humorous, but informative, account of code making and breaking in Britain's WWII Special Operations Executive.
- Yardley, Herbert. The American Black Chamber, A classic 1931 account of American code breaking during and after WWI (ISBN 0345298675).
Historic works
- Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq al-Sabbah Al-Kindi, (A Manuscript on Deciphering Cryptographic Messages), 9th century included first known explanation of frequency analysis cryptanalysis
- Roger Bacon (English friar and polymath), Epistle on the secret Works of Art and Nobility of Magic, 13th century, possibly the first European work on cryptography since Classical times, written in Latin and not widely available then or now
- Johannes Trithemius, Steganographia ("Hidden Writing"), written ca. 1499; pub 1606, banned by the Catholic Church 1609 as alleged discussion of magic, see Polygraphia (below).
- Trithemius, Polygraphia Libri Sex ("Six Books on Polygraphy"), 1518, first printed book on cryptography (thought to really be about magic by some observers at the time)
- Giovan Batista Belaso, La cifra del. Sig. Giovan Batista Belaso, 1553, first pub of the cypher widely misattributed to Vigenère.
- Giambattista della Porta, De Furtivis Literarum Notis ("On concealed characters in writing"), 1563.
- Blaise de Vigenère, Traicte de Chiffres, 1585.
- Gustavus Selenus, Cryptomenytics, 1624, (modern era English trans by J W H Walden)
- John Wilkins, Mercury, 1647, earliest printed book in English about cryptography
- Friedrich Kasiski, Die Geheimschriften und die Dechiffrierkunst ("Secret writing and the Art of Deciphering"), pub 1863, contained the first public description of a technique for cryptanalyzing polyaphabetic cyphers.
- Etienne Bazeries, Les Chiffres secrets dévoilés ("Secret ciphers unveiled") about 1900.
- Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (ISBN 0060512806) The adventures of World War II codebreakers and their modern day progeny.
- Robert Harris - Enigma 1995. ISBN 0099992000.
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