Secret Messages: A Collection of Puzzles Using Codes and Ciphers

This book is a light-hearted dash through the history of cryptology with plenty of amusing messages, jokes and riddles to encipher and decipher. With the end of the cold war and increasing European unity there is no need to treat cryptography as a subject only appropriate to stories of espionage and warfare. Many children from about 8 or 9 find learning about ciphers as interesting as learning chess or tackling good brain teaser. If they like excriciating jokes and 'groan' riddles, so much the better. There are ingenious gadgets to make which help with the solutions to some of the puzzles.