Cryptography books

Applied Cryptography : Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C by Bruce Schneier.

This is the book you need to have if you're interested in cryptography. Its encyclopedic breadth covers just about every algorithm or protocol you're likely to encounter and many you won't, with discussions of their strengths and weaknesses. It also explains public-key encryption, digital cash, etc. It doesn't require much in the way of mathematical background.

The Puzzle Palace : A Report on America's Most Secret Agency by James Bamford.

Ever wonder what the NSA is up to? This book will tell you. You may never trust your phone lines again after reading this book.

The Codebreakers; The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet by David Kahn.

The title sums this book up: it's a detailed and fascinating look at the history of cryptography and important incidents in cryptography. While its discussion of cryptography in World War II veers into the "How I won the war" trap, it provides many cautionary lessons on how codes get broken in the real world.

Ken Shirriff: shirriff@eng.sun.com This page: http://www.righto.com/books/crypto.html Copyright 1999 Ken Shirriff. Last updated 5/5/99.

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