Cracking the Code with Maths (Desktop)
Worth buying if: You enjoy Ann Jones’s clear step-by-step puzzles and worked cipher examples.
Skip it if: You expect modern cryptography or math-heavy proofs beyond elementary ciphers.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9781872406749. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
This 1995 Desktop Publications booklet by Ann Jones demystifies classic code systems—substitution ciphers, Caesar shifts and simple transposition—using short explanations and worked examples across 28 pages aimed at general-interest readers and beginners.
Why this book now
For hobbyists and classroom teachers revisiting analogue codework, Cracking the Code with Maths offers a compact, low-tech primer that predates today’s crypto hype but shows core i.
30-second preview
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You enjoy Ann Jones’s clear step-by-step puzzles and worked cipher examples.
- You want a short Desktop Publications booklet to introduce substitution and Caesar ciphers.
- If you favor lyrical short chapters, the relationship develops slowly and realistically.
- You expect modern cryptography or math-heavy proofs beyond elementary ciphers.
- You need extensive exercises or a full textbook-level treatment of encryption.
- You only want something with very current references and examples.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9781872406749
Worth buying if: You enjoy Ann Jones’s clear step-by-step puzzles and worked cipher examples.
Skip it if: You expect modern cryptography or math-heavy proofs beyond elementary ciphers.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Quick Easy to move through
At 28 pages, this Desktop Publications pamphlet is a quick 30–60 minute read suitable for a single sitting or a short classroom session.
What stands out here
This catalog record highlights the original 1995 Ann Jones edition and its concise, example-driven approach to beginner ciphers rather than modern cryptographic developments.
Best way to approach it
Work through the short examples and try the simple cipher exercises with pencil and paper; best read actively and alongside a notebook for hands-on practice.
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Exact edition: ISBN-13 9781872406749
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.