This page will always have the latest rough draft of my next book, “Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python” (formerly called “Become a Code Breaker with Python”). This book is for complete beginners (just like “Invent with Python”). The book describes several encryption programs for various ciphers, along with how to write programs that can break these ciphers.
Latest Rough Draft: version 9, 3/29/2013
Status as of 3/29/2013: All chapters finished and undergoing final rounds of general editing. All programs for the book are complete. Book’s website has been started, but is incomplete (none of the “more info” sections have been written). Projected completion is April 2013.
Great Books
Posted by Dan Patton on February 11th, 2012.
Fab-U-lous! I am the education coordinator for Raspberry Pi, and one of the things we would like to do is to come up with project suggestions for students learning to program. I’ve read The Code Book by Simon Singh and loved it. I thought it would be great to come up with some resources that show how to implement some of the stuff in that book. And lo and behold you’re already working on it! And it’s going to be free for everyone to read! I am delighted, to say the least. Any idea when it will be done?
Posted by Myra VanInwegen on March 16th, 2012.
Send me the web address of this book once you have finished setting it up.
Posted by Rian Rafsan on February 2nd, 2013.
My 9yo son and I started using your book last night. We worked through chapter 5 (we’ve been doing python for a while). So far, it’s going well.
One piece of feedback: it would be good if you added some more small programming exercises at the end of each chapter for the students to do. Even if it’s just modifying the program that is covered in the chapter to do something different. But I think you’ve done a nice job with this.
BTW – here is another book for background on cyphers that other readers might want to know about: http://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Messages-History-Codes-Ciphers/dp/0525479600
Posted by Pat Boyle on February 5th, 2013.
I’m eager to take a look at the draft and will definitely buy the finished version once it’s out! Thanks so much Al. I love how you provide your books for free download and I want to support that — with $$…
Posted by Liz on March 29th, 2013.