Secret Codes and Ciphers - Bernice Kohn
Prentice Hall - 1968
Purchase at Amazon.com
Reading Level: 10+ Number of Pages: 58 Genre: Informational
Summary:This is a rather old book that I located, and was fascinated by the interesting methods for cipher and cryptography this book contained. Having once read Dan Brown's
Da Vinci Code, I have been a little interested in codes, but have never really found a good guide for making or constructing them. This book is designed for a young audience, but explains some very complicated methods for concealing a code. A child using this as a manual could successfully write a cipher unbreakable by anyone who does not know the code word. The book outlines some historical significance of code making and breaking, and explains several methods for transmitting messages in code, including substitution ciphers, Morse code, and the Julius square.
"OD UOY WONK TAHW SIHT SYAS?
If that sentence didn't make any sense to you, read each word backwards. And if that was too easy for you, try this one:
DBO ZPV SFBE UIJT?
Of course you can. Just change each letter to the one that comes before it in the alphabet."
My Impressions: I found this to be a very interesting book, and though I have never had to write a cipher, have kept it around or the sake of interest. There are some very interesting and very cool methods for coding in this book.
Parent's Guide:There should be no problems a parent would have with this book, unless a parent would prefer not to let a child conceal secrets.
Recommendations: This book is more of a curiosity, but is very interesting. I would recommend this book as an interesting and intellectual game for maybe a treasure hunt or something.
This was one of my favorite books when I was growing up! It taught me that I could be a sleuth, too, and that codes and ciphers are used all around us every day. As far as parents, this book is a beginner book. If a parent doesn't make a big deal about it, there won't be a desire to hide things.
ReplyDeleteI *have* used simple ciphers to send postcards to friends who knew how to read them. It was no different than sealing a letter in an envelope. If a parent doesn't read the child's mail (which is technically illegal anyway), then it's no different, really.
There are codes on receipts. There are codes on products. A serial number is in itself a code, and then scanner bars also are codes. There are QR codes. There is a code on the back of many (if not all) drivers' licenses. When taking a standardized test, bubbling in a dark mark to be read by a computer is a code, and so is the programming of an app or a computer program. It teaches us that codes are all around and that they are understandable.