"The best single book on cryptology today." -- Cryptologia (from a review of a previous edition)
From the reviews of the fourth edition:
"This comprehensive updated edition is divided into two sections. The first part of the book deals with The People and the second concentrates on The Machinery. … This volume includes 191 Figures, 29 Tables and 16 Color Plates, plus an Appendix. … Friedrich L. Bauer Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Computer Science … has written an outstanding book on cryptology that belongs in your personal library or as a gift for a friend. … There are other fascinating sidelights to this excellent book." (The Cryptogram, Page 15, 2007)
"By far the best single work on the subject." -- David Kahn
“It contains a wealth of material on the history of classical cryptology, focusing especially on the first half of the 20th century. … The book is so thorough that it could serve as a textbook for those who want to develop their skills in this area. … this book is an excellent source for the history of codemaking and codebreaking in the early and mid-20th century.” (Neal Koblitz, SIAM Review, Vol. 52 (4), 2010)