When I wrote my first book, Fermat’s Last Theorem, I made a passing reference to the mathematics of cryptography. Although I did not know it at the time, this was the start of a major interest in the history and science of codes and code breaking, which has resulted in a 400-page book on the subject, an adaptation of the book for teenagers, a 5-part TV series, numerous talks and lectures, the purchase of an Enigma cipher machine and the development of an interactive crypto CD-ROM.

In the Crypto Corner, you will find details about my book on cryptography (The Code Book), information about my TV series based on the book (The Science of Secrecy) and you can explore the Black Chamber, which is an interactive encryption and codebreaking section.

You will also find a section about the Cipher Challenge, there are some cryptograms (coded messages) for you to try and crack, a free downloadable CD-ROM version of The Code Book, and a quick Q&A based on the questions I am most often asked. There is also a section on the Enigma Project for schools, which you will find in the Lectures section of the website.