Comments on: cryptography book question

Question: cryptography book question

Marky — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:52:15 -0800

Help me find this cryptography book...

I remember reading a history of cryptography. One story it told was about a guy who was looking for a book about WW2 codes, which had been printed, then recalled and destroyed. He found a copy in a library, drove there and made a copy.

So, the questions are:

Where would I have read this story?

Who was the guy?

What was the book?

Is it on-line?

I know Stephenson had a version of this in "Cryptonomicon," but that's not what I mean.

By: hattifattener

hattifattener — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:57:12 -0800

Could it have been The Code Breakers or The Puzzle Palace?

By: sharkfu

sharkfu — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:06:10 -0800

Part of the movie Zodiac involved cartoonist Robert Graysmith researching WW2 code books which might have influenced serial killer Zodiac's code scheme. They found some of the books stolen from libraries in the area, one theory being the killer wanted to cover his tracks.

By: Class Goat

Class Goat — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:45:44 -0800

That story is not in "The Codebreakers". I've read that book four times and don't remember any such incident mentioned in it.

By: steef

steef — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:29:27 -0800

This sounds like the story: John Gilmore finding two volumes of Lieut. Col. William F. Friedman's book published during World War II (NY Times). Don't know what book it's in, though.

By: Lentrohamsanin

Lentrohamsanin — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:51:49 -0800

The story is vaguely familiar, and the only full length book on the subject I've read is Steven Levy's Crypto. Those two facts could be related, I suppose.

By: steef

steef — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:34:33 -0800

The Gilmore/Friedman anecdote does appear in Crypto. I followed ^Lentrohamsanin's link and did a "Search Inside" (p. 208-209).

Here's a list of Friedman's works on WorldCat. Looks like he wrote some interesting stuff on the use of codes and cyphers in Poe, Verne, and Chaucer. I think Military Cryptanalysis (1939-1943) is the four-volume set in question.

By: phearlez

phearlez — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:24:06 -0800

Another possibility, Singh's The Code Book

By: Marky

Marky — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:45:23 -0800

I think the book was "Crypto," only my library can confirm.

NY Times article was spot on, thanks!