Synopses & Reviews
Solve compelling and challengingpuzzles to uncover secrets andconspiracy plotsFascinated with the culture of conspiracy? Uncover the mysteries and test your knowledge of secret societies by solving cryptograms and deciphering codes that not only unveil historical fact and fiction but entertain you as well. Walk in the footsteps of a symbologist by solving everything from the simplest puzzles to fiendishly difficult ciphers, using secret codes and lost symbols.
- Think like a symbologist — discover a variety of codes and wordplay and the strategies for solving each one
- Build your code-cracking skills — work your way from solving simple cryptograms to difficult Masonic and double level ciphers
- Uncover a bigger mystery — use the answers you discover to solve three conspiracy stories contained in the book
- Appreciate the history of code and encryption — reveal the secret world of Freemasonry, the Illuminati, and the Knights Templar
- Check your work — find hints and answers for all the book's puzzles
Open the book and find:
- Over 350 handcrafted cryptograms and ciphers of varying types
- Tips and tricks for cracking even the toughest code
- An introduction to the history and relevance of using code
- Puzzle strategies and hints to help nudge you in the right direction
- Fun and intriguing anagrams and story wordplay puzzles
- Fascinating number ciphers that reference the keypad letters on your cellphone
- Puzzles of all levels: Easy, Tricky, and Treacherous
Learn to:
- Expose conspiracies like the characters do in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol
- Decipher cryptic puzzles
- Understand the role coded messages play in secret societies
- Use encrypted alphabets to unveil secrets of the past
Synopsis
Cracking Codes & Cryptograms For Dummies provides an introduction to the use and function of codes and cryptograms in the world of secret societies and their connections to conspiracy theories, as well as over 300 different puzzles of varying skill levels from the simplest substitution puzzles to fiendishly difficult ciphers that test the readers' ability to find the hidden answer and meaning in the clues.
The types of puzzles offered will include: Cryptograms with letter substitutions, number substitutions (A=1, B=2, etc.), and symbol substitutions (A=♦, B=☼, etc.), Riddles and Wordplay
o Anagrams--rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase.
o Rail Fence Ciphers--where a message is set-off in two lines, alternating letters, then break into sets of letters
o Shift Ciphers--also Called Caesar ciphers where there is a shift of number of letters in the alphabet
o Masonic cipher/Freemason's cipher--substitution cipher exchanging letters for symbols based on a grid.
o Twisted Path Ciphers--use a keyword to determine the order columns of letters are arranged in, according to the relative alphabetic position of the letters in the keyword, so KITE = 3241 (K is 3rd in alphabetical order within the word, I is 2nd, T is 4th, and E comes 1st), WRIGHT (= GHIRTW in alphabetical order) = 643125.
o Double level Ciphers--by solving one cryptogram you get a keyword, which then allows you to crack the encryption on a different kind of puzzle.
In addition, a chapter will be devoted to messages that, when decoded, add to an overall 'mystery' which is revealed when the entire book is decoded.
Synopsis
The fast and easy way to crack codes and cryptogramsDid you love Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol? Are you fascinated by secret codes and deciphering lost history? Cracking Codes and Cryptograms For Dummies shows you how to think like a symbologist to uncover mysteries and history by solving cryptograms and cracking codes that relate to Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and other secret societies and conspiracy theories.
You'll get easy-to-follow instructions for solving everything from the simplest puzzles to fiendishly difficult ciphers using secret codes and lost symbols.
- Over 350 handcrafted cryptograms and ciphers of varying types
- Tips and tricks for cracking even the toughest code
- Sutherland is a syndicated puzzle author; Koltko-Rivera is an expert on the major symbols and ceremonies of Freemasonry
With the helpful information in this friendly guide, you'll be unveiling mysteries and shedding light on history in no time!
About the Author
Denise Sutherland is a syndicated puzzle author. Her puzzles appear in a range of publications, including the
Reader's Digest Mind Stretchers series, and she is the author of
Word Searches For Dummies.
Mark E. Koltko-Rivera, PhD, is a 32degree Freemason and expert on the major symbols and ceremonies of Freemasonry. Using this expertise, he analyzed prepublication clues to uncover and blog about key elements of The Lost Symbol. He co-hosts the weekly podcast Masonic Central.
Table of Contents
Foreword ixIntroduction 1
Part I: Code and Cryptogram Strategies 7
Chapter 1: Clueing You In about Codes and Cryptograms 9
Chapter 2: Cracking the Codes 21
Part II: Secret Stories, Codes, and Cryptogram Puzzles 47
Chapter 3: Solving Three Conspiracies 49
Chapter 4: Letter Substitution Cryptograms 95
Chapter 5: Number Substitution Cryptograms 123
Chapter 6: Symbol Substitution Cryptograms 155
Chapter 7: Caesar / Shift Ciphers 177
Chapter 8: Masonic Ciphers 197
Chapter 9: Rail Fence Ciphers 219
Chapter 10: Keyboard Codes 235
Chapter 11: Assorted Ciphers 251
Chapter 12: Anagrams and Cryptic Clues 261
Chapter 13: Double Level Puzzles 269
Part III: Hints and Answers to the Cryptos and Codes 277
Chapter 14: Hints to Help Crack the Cryptograms and Puzzles 279
Chapter 15: Answers to All Cryptograms and Puzzles 295
Appendix: Historical Background to the Conspiracy Stories 323