Cracking Codes and Cryptograms For Dummies®

Cracking Codes and Cryptograms For Dummies®

by Denise Sutherland, Mark Koltko-Rivera
Released November 2009
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9780470591000

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Book description

The fast and easy way to crack codes and cryptograms

Did you love Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol? Are you fascinated by secret codes and deciphering lost history? Cracking Codes and Cryptograms For Dummies shows you how to think like a symbologist to uncover mysteries and history by solving cryptograms and cracking codes that relate to Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and other secret societies and conspiracy theories.

You'll get easy-to-follow instructions for solving everything from the simplest puzzles to fiendishly difficult ciphers using secret codes and lost symbols.

  • Over 350 handcrafted cryptograms and ciphers of varying types

  • Tips and tricks for cracking even the toughest code

  • Sutherland is a syndicated puzzle author; Koltko-Rivera is an expert on the major symbols and ceremonies of Freemasonry

With the helpful information in this friendly guide, you'll be unveiling mysteries and shedding light on history in no time!

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Authors
  3. Publisher's Acknowledgments
  4. Foreword
  5. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Conventions Used in This Book
    3. What You're Not to Read
    4. Foolish Assumptions
    5. How This Book Is Organized
      1. Part I: Code and Cryptogram Strategies
      2. Part II: Secret Stories, Codes, and Cryptogram Puzzles
      3. Part III: Hints and Answers to the Cryptos and Codes
    6. Icons Used in This Book
    7. Where to Go from Here
  6. I. Code and Cryptogram Strategies
    1. 1. Clueing You In about Codes and Cryptograms
      1. 1.1. Introducing the Cryptographic World
      2. 1.2. Considering the History of Codes and Ciphers
        1. 1.2.1. Early ciphers
        2. 1.2.2. Cryptography and the Great Wars
          1. 1.2.2.1. The Zimmerman telegram
          2. 1.2.2.2. The Enigma code
          3. 1.2.2.3. The Navajo code talkers
      3. 1.3. Uncovering Masonic Codes and Ciphers
      4. 1.4. Continuing Your Crypto Education
    2. 2. Simplifying Codes and Cryptograms
      1. 2.1. Considering Cryptography Terms
      2. 2.2. Solving the Ciphers in This Book
        1. 2.2.1. Cryptograms with Letter, Number, and Symbol Substitutions
        2. 2.2.2. Caesar / Shift Ciphers
        3. 2.2.3. Masonic Ciphers
        4. 2.2.4. Rail Fence Ciphers
        5. 2.2.5. Keyboard Ciphers
          1. 2.2.5.1. Text Message Ciphers
          2. 2.2.5.2. Typewriter Ciphers
        6. 2.2.6. Assorted Ciphers
          1. 2.2.6.1. Atbash Ciphers
          2. 2.2.6.2. Caesar Box Ciphers
          3. 2.2.6.3. Twisted Path Ciphers
          4. 2.2.6.4. Newspaper Codes
        7. 2.2.7. Anagrams and other cryptic riddles
          1. 2.2.7.1. Anagrams
          2. 2.2.7.2. Cryptic Clues
            1. 2.2.7.2.1. Anagrams
            2. 2.2.7.2.2. Double Definitions
            3. 2.2.7.2.3. Hidden Words
        8. 2.2.8. Double Level Puzzles
          1. 2.2.8.1. Keywords
          2. 2.2.8.2. Columnar Transposition Ciphers
      3. 2.3. Looking at Letter Frequency Analysis
        1. 2.3.1. Letter and word patterns
        2. 2.3.2. Pattern words
        3. 2.3.3. Adding some space
        4. 2.3.4. It's all Greek to me!
  7. II. Secret Stories, Codes, and Cryptogram Puzzles
    1. 3. Solving Stories
      1. 3.1. The Conspiracy of West Point: 1779–1780
      2. 3.2. The Conspiracy of the Golden Circle: 1805–1875
      3. 3.3. The Conspiracy of the Organization: 1978–2010
    2. 4. Letter Substitution Cryptograms
      1. 4.1. Puzzle 1
      2. 4.2. Puzzle 2
      3. 4.3. Puzzle 3
      4. 4.4. Puzzle 4
      5. 4.5. Puzzle 5
      6. 4.6. Puzzle 6
      7. 4.7. Puzzle 7
      8. 4.8. Puzzle 8
      9. 4.9. Puzzle 9
      10. 4.10. Puzzle 10
      11. 4.11. Puzzle 11
      12. 4.12. Puzzle 12
      13. 4.13. Puzzle 13
      14. 4.14. Puzzle 14
      15. 4.15. Puzzle 15
      16. 4.16. Puzzle 16
      17. 4.17. Puzzle 17
      18. 4.18. Puzzle 18
      19. 4.19. Puzzle 19
      20. 4.20. Puzzle 20
      21. 4.21. Puzzle 21
      22. 4.22. Puzzle 22
      23. 4.23. Puzzle 23
      24. 4.24. Puzzle 24
      25. 4.25. Puzzle 25
      26. 4.26. Puzzle 26
      27. 4.27. Puzzle 27
      28. 4.28. Puzzle 28
      29. 4.29. Puzzle 29
      30. 4.30. Puzzle 30
      31. 4.31. Puzzle 31
      32. 4.32. Puzzle 32
      33. 4.33. Puzzle 33
      34. 4.34. Puzzle 34
      35. 4.35. Puzzle 35
      36. 4.36. Puzzle 36
      37. 4.37. Puzzle 37
      38. 4.38. Puzzle 38
      39. 4.39. Puzzle 39
      40. 4.40. Puzzle 40
      41. 4.41. Puzzle 41
      42. 4.42. Puzzle 42
    3. 5. Number Substitution Cryptograms
      1. 5.1. Puzzle 43
      2. 5.2. Puzzle 44
      3. 5.3. Puzzle 45
      4. 5.4. Puzzle 46
      5. 5.5. Puzzle 47
      6. 5.6. Puzzle 48
      7. 5.7. Puzzle 49
      8. 5.8. Puzzle 50
      9. 5.9. Puzzle 51
      10. 5.10. Puzzle 52
      11. 5.11. Puzzle 53
      12. 5.12. Puzzle 54
      13. 5.13. Puzzle 55
      14. 5.14. Puzzle 56
      15. 5.15. Puzzle 57
      16. 5.16. Puzzle 58
      17. 5.17. Puzzle 59
      18. 5.18. Puzzle 60
      19. 5.19. Puzzle 61
      20. 5.20. Puzzle 62
      21. 5.21. Puzzle 63
      22. 5.22. Puzzle 64
      23. 5.23. Puzzle 65
      24. 5.24. Puzzle 66
      25. 5.25. Puzzle 67
      26. 5.26. Puzzle 68
      27. 5.27. Puzzle 69
      28. 5.28. Puzzle 70
      29. 5.29. Puzzle 71
      30. 5.30. Puzzle 72
      31. 5.31. Puzzle 73
      32. 5.32. Puzzle 74
      33. 5.33. Puzzle 75
      34. 5.34. Puzzle 76
      35. 5.35. Puzzle 77
      36. 5.36. Puzzle 78
      37. 5.37. Puzzle 79
      38. 5.38. Puzzle 80
    4. 6. Symbol Substitution Cryptograms
      1. 6.1. Puzzle 81
      2. 6.2. Puzzle 82
      3. 6.3. Puzzle 83
      4. 6.4. Puzzle 84
      5. 6.5. Puzzle 85
      6. 6.6. Puzzle 86
      7. 6.7. Puzzle 87
      8. 6.8. Puzzle 88
      9. 6.9. Puzzle 89
      10. 6.10. Puzzle 90
      11. 6.11. Puzzle 91
      12. 6.12. Puzzle 92
      13. 6.13. Puzzle 93
      14. 6.14. Puzzle 94
      15. 6.15. Puzzle 95
      16. 6.16. Puzzle 96
      17. 6.17. Puzzle 97
      18. 6.18. Puzzle 98
      19. 6.19. Puzzle 99
      20. 6.20. Puzzle 100
      21. 6.21. Puzzle 101
      22. 6.22. Puzzle 102
      23. 6.23. Puzzle 103
      24. 6.24. Puzzle 104
      25. 6.25. Puzzle 105
      26. 6.26. Puzzle 106
      27. 6.27. Puzzle 107
      28. 6.28. Puzzle 108
      29. 6.29. Puzzle 109
      30. 6.30. Puzzle 110
    5. 7. Caesar / Shift Ciphers
      1. 7.1. Puzzle 111
      2. 7.2. Puzzle 112
      3. 7.3. Puzzle 113
      4. 7.4. Puzzle 114
      5. 7.5. Puzzle 115
      6. 7.6. Puzzle 116
      7. 7.7. Puzzle 117
      8. 7.8. Puzzle 118
      9. 7.9. Puzzle 119
      10. 7.10. Puzzle 120
      11. 7.11. Puzzle 121
      12. 7.12. Puzzle 122
      13. 7.13. Puzzle 123
      14. 7.14. Puzzle 124
      15. 7.15. Puzzle 125
      16. 7.16. Puzzle 126
      17. 7.17. Puzzle 127
      18. 7.18. Puzzle 128
      19. 7.19. Puzzle 129
      20. 7.20. Puzzle 130
      21. 7.21. Puzzle 131
      22. 7.22. Puzzle 132
      23. 7.23. Puzzle 133
      24. 7.24. Puzzle 134
      25. 7.25. Puzzle 135
      26. 7.26. Puzzle 136
      27. 7.27. Puzzle 137
      28. 7.28. Puzzle 138
      29. 7.29. Puzzle 139
      30. 7.30. Puzzle 140
      31. 7.31. Puzzle 141
      32. 7.32. Puzzle 142
      33. 7.33. Puzzle 143
      34. 7.34. Puzzle 144
    6. 8. Masonic Ciphers
      1. 8.1. Puzzle 145
      2. 8.2. Puzzle 146
      3. 8.3. Puzzle 147
      4. 8.4. Puzzle 148
      5. 8.5. Puzzle 149
      6. 8.6. Puzzle 150
      7. 8.7. Puzzle 151
      8. 8.8. Puzzle 152
      9. 8.9. Puzzle 153
      10. 8.10. Puzzle 154
      11. 8.11. Puzzle 155
      12. 8.12. Puzzle 156
      13. 8.13. Puzzle 157
      14. 8.14. Puzzle 158
      15. 8.15. Puzzle 159
      16. 8.16. Puzzle 160
      17. 8.17. Puzzle 161
      18. 8.18. Puzzle 162
      19. 8.19. Puzzle 163
      20. 8.20. Puzzle 164
      21. 8.21. Puzzle 165
      22. 8.22. Puzzle 166
      23. 8.23. Puzzle 167
      24. 8.24. Puzzle 168
      25. 8.25. Puzzle 169
      26. 8.26. Puzzle 170
      27. 8.27. Puzzle 171
      28. 8.28. Puzzle 172
      29. 8.29. Puzzle 173
      30. 8.30. Puzzle 174
      31. 8.31. Puzzle 175
      32. 8.32. Puzzle 176
    7. 9. Rail Fence Ciphers
      1. 9.1. Puzzle 177
      2. 9.2. Puzzle 178
      3. 9.3. Puzzle 179
      4. 9.4. Puzzle 180
      5. 9.5. Puzzle 181
      6. 9.6. Puzzle 182
      7. 9.7. Puzzle 183
      8. 9.8. Puzzle 184
      9. 9.9. Puzzle 185
      10. 9.10. Puzzle 186
      11. 9.11. Puzzle 187
      12. 9.12. Puzzle 188
      13. 9.13. Puzzle 189
      14. 9.14. Puzzle 190
      15. 9.15. Puzzle 191
      16. 9.16. Puzzle 192
      17. 9.17. Puzzle 193
      18. 9.18. Puzzle 194
      19. 9.19. Puzzle 195
      20. 9.20. Puzzle 196
      21. 9.21. Puzzle 197
      22. 9.22. Puzzle 198
      23. 9.23. Puzzle 199
      24. 9.24. Puzzle 200
      25. 9.25. Puzzle 201
      26. 9.26. Puzzle 202
      27. 9.27. Puzzle 203
      28. 9.28. Puzzle 204
      29. 9.29. Puzzle 205
      30. 9.30. Puzzle 206
      31. 9.31. Puzzle 207
    8. 10. Keyboard Codes
      1. 10.1. Puzzle 208
      2. 10.2. Puzzle 209
      3. 10.3. Puzzle 210
      4. 10.4. Puzzle 211
      5. 10.5. Puzzle 212
      6. 10.6. Puzzle 213
      7. 10.7. Puzzle 214
      8. 10.8. Puzzle 215
      9. 10.9. Puzzle 216
      10. 10.10. Puzzle 217
      11. 10.11. Puzzle 218
      12. 10.12. Puzzle 219
      13. 10.13. Puzzle 220
      14. 10.14. Puzzle 221
      15. 10.15. Puzzle 222
      16. 10.16. Puzzle 223
      17. 10.17. Puzzle 224
      18. 10.18. Puzzle 225
      19. 10.19. Puzzle 226
      20. 10.20. Puzzle 227
      21. 10.21. Puzzle 228
      22. 10.22. Puzzle 229
      23. 10.23. Puzzle 230
      24. 10.24. Puzzle 231
      25. 10.25. Puzzle 232
      26. 10.26. Puzzle 233
      27. 10.27. Puzzle 234
      28. 10.28. Puzzle 235
    9. 11. Assorted Ciphers
      1. 11.1. Puzzle 236
      2. 11.2. Puzzle 237
      3. 11.3. Puzzle 238
      4. 11.4. Puzzle 239
      5. 11.5. Puzzle 240
      6. 11.6. Puzzle 241
      7. 11.7. Puzzle 242
      8. 11.8. Puzzle 243
      9. 11.9. Puzzle 244
      10. 11.10. Puzzle 245
      11. 11.11. Puzzle 246
      12. 11.12. Puzzle 247
      13. 11.13. Puzzle 248
      14. 11.14. Puzzle 249
      15. 11.15. Puzzle 250
      16. 11.16. Puzzle 251
      17. 11.17. Puzzle 252
      18. 11.18. Puzzle 253
      19. 11.19. Puzzle 254
      20. 11.20. Puzzle 255
      21. 11.21. Puzzle 256
      22. 11.22. Puzzle 257
      23. 11.23. Puzzle 258
      24. 11.24. Puzzle 259
      25. 11.25. Puzzle 260
      26. 11.26. Puzzle 261
      27. 11.27. Puzzle 262
      28. 11.28. Puzzle 263
      29. 11.29. Puzzle 264
      30. 11.30. Puzzle 265
      31. 11.31. Puzzle 266
      32. 11.32. Puzzle 267
    10. 12. Anagrams and Cryptic Clues
      1. 12.1. Easy
      2. 12.2. Tricky
      3. 12.3. Treacherous
    11. 13. Double Level Puzzles
      1. 13.1. Puzzle 338
      2. 13.2. Puzzle 339
      3. 13.3. Puzzle 340
      4. 13.4. Puzzle 341
      5. 13.5. Puzzle 342
      6. 13.6. Puzzle 343
      7. 13.7. Puzzle 344
      8. 13.8. Puzzle 345
      9. 13.9. Puzzle 346
      10. 13.10. Puzzle 347
      11. 13.11. Puzzle 348
      12. 13.12. Puzzle 349
      13. 13.13. Puzzle 350
      14. 13.14. Puzzle 351
  8. III. Hints and Answers to the Cryptos and Codes
    1. 14. Hints to Help Crack the Cryptograms and Puzzles
      1. 14.1. Chapter 4
      2. 14.2. Chapter 5
      3. 14.3. Chapter 6
      4. 14.4. Chapter 7
      5. 14.5. Chapter 8
      6. 14.6. Chapter 9
      7. 14.7. Chapter 10
      8. 14.8. Chapter 11
      9. 14.9. Chapter 12
      10. 14.10. Chapter 13
    2. 15. Answers to All Cryptograms and Puzzles
      1. 15.1. Chapter 4
      2. 15.2. Chapter 5
      3. 15.3. Chapter 6
      4. 15.4. Chapter 7
      5. 15.5. Chapter 8
      6. 15.6. Chapter 9
      7. 15.7. Chapter 10
      8. 15.8. Chapter 11
      9. 15.9. Chapter 12
      10. 15.10. Chapter 13
    3. A. Historical Background to the Conspiracy Stories

Product information

  • Title: Cracking Codes and Cryptograms For Dummies®
  • Author(s): Denise Sutherland, Mark Koltko-Rivera
  • Release date: November 2009
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9780470591000