To break a code, you have to put yourself in the mind of your enemy in order to probe the strengths and weaknesses of their systems. It's a game of bluff and doublebluff. The Story of Codebreaking describes undercover operations, power struggles, secret alliances, and brilliant feats of teamwork. Those who invent codes and those who break them are remarkable, indefatigable characters.

Find out how Mary Queen of Scots smuggled cryptic messages to her accomplices when she was plotting against her cousin Elizabeth I, or discover the methods used by codebreakers during World Wars I and II, most significantly those who cracked Enigma and intercepted Japanese naval messages prior to Pearl Harbor. The sheer doggedness of those who unraveled the Enigma code is thought to have shortened World War II by almost two years.

Topics include:

• Ancient ciphers and the art of encoding

• Early spies, subterfuge and skytales

• The making and breaking of Enigma

• Japanese naval codes in World War II

• Cold War cryptography