Comments on: British Library cipher manuscript…? http://www.ciphermysteries.com/2008/10/02/british-library-cipher-manuscript The latest news, views, research and reviews on uncracked historical ciphers... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:57:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: fastercat http://www.ciphermysteries.com/2008/10/02/british-library-cipher-manuscript/comment-page-1#comment-94 fastercat Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:54:59 +0000 http://www.ciphermysteries.com/?p=246#comment-94 Rene, thanks for the link. I didn't see any easy way to see the texts mentioned but will look into it. nickpelling, I like the idea and look forward to seeing it unfold. It would also be interesting to see ones that have been created and cracked even if just as a side note. Rene, thanks for the link. I didn’t see any easy way to see the texts mentioned but will look into it.
nickpelling, I like the idea and look forward to seeing it unfold. It would also be interesting to see ones that have been created and cracked even if just as a side note.

]]> By: Rene Zandbergen http://www.ciphermysteries.com/2008/10/02/british-library-cipher-manuscript/comment-page-1#comment-70 Rene Zandbergen Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:59:28 +0000 http://www.ciphermysteries.com/?p=246#comment-70 Looking forward to the site. Especially if it has pictures - lots of pictures :-) Rene Looking forward to the site.

Especially if it has pictures – lots of pictures :-)

Rene

]]> By: nickpelling http://www.ciphermysteries.com/2008/10/02/british-library-cipher-manuscript/comment-page-1#comment-69 nickpelling Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:40:03 +0000 http://www.ciphermysteries.com/?p=246#comment-69 Thanks fastercat, Luis, & Rene: obviously this post must have pressed some kind of collective button. :-) What excited me most was the idea that there might be other sizeable cipher manuscripts out there: as it stands, we have Fontana's (only lightly-) ciphered mss, the Voynich Manuscript, and then a huge leap forward in time to the Codex Seraphinianus. Oh, unless you count private shorthand diaries, of course. :-) Bischoff's excellent list is, of course, only for medieval manuscripts: no great surprise given the massive oversupply of 17th century cipher letters. :-) But all the same, it's nice to see pigpen creeping in there at the bottom. :-) Just so you know, my plan for this site (such as it is) is to dig up (and make available) unbroken ciphers, that people stand a chance of deciphering - of reading something that hasn't previously been read. But we'll see how it goes... Thanks fastercat, Luis, & Rene: obviously this post must have pressed some kind of collective button. :-)

What excited me most was the idea that there might be other sizeable cipher manuscripts out there: as it stands, we have Fontana’s (only lightly-) ciphered mss, the Voynich Manuscript, and then a huge leap forward in time to the Codex Seraphinianus. Oh, unless you count private shorthand diaries, of course. :-)

Bischoff’s excellent list is, of course, only for medieval manuscripts: no great surprise given the massive oversupply of 17th century cipher letters. :-) But all the same, it’s nice to see pigpen creeping in there at the bottom. :-)

Just so you know, my plan for this site (such as it is) is to dig up (and make available) unbroken ciphers, that people stand a chance of deciphering – of reading something that hasn’t previously been read. But we’ll see how it goes…

]]> By: Rene Zandbergen http://www.ciphermysteries.com/2008/10/02/british-library-cipher-manuscript/comment-page-1#comment-68 Rene Zandbergen Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:15:27 +0000 http://www.ciphermysteries.com/?p=246#comment-68 Just a short comment on the first comment... A list of 'real historical ciphers' was already composed by Bernhard Bischoff, and may be found on the web site of Philip Neal: http://voynichcentral.com/users/philipneal/bischoff.html Best wishes, René Just a short comment on the first comment…

A list of ‘real historical ciphers’ was already composed by Bernhard Bischoff, and
may be found on the web site of Philip Neal:
http://voynichcentral.com/users/philipneal/bischoff.html

Best wishes, René

]]> By: Luis V http://www.ciphermysteries.com/2008/10/02/british-library-cipher-manuscript/comment-page-1#comment-64 Luis V Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:56:55 +0000 http://www.ciphermysteries.com/?p=246#comment-64 Great entry, Nick! Interesting random stuff you might think worth browsing: Catch of the day: Augusto Buonafalce's "Cicco Simonetta's Cipher-Breaking Rules" (Cryptologia, V.32, 2008). Also this: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=94137 -Urszula Szulakowska's The Alchemy of Light (at least partially on Google Books?) -Andrew Robinson's Lost Languages. Carpe Diem, Luis Great entry, Nick!
Interesting random stuff you might think worth browsing:
Catch of the day: Augusto Buonafalce’s “Cicco Simonetta’s Cipher-Breaking Rules” (Cryptologia, V.32, 2008).
Also this:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=94137
-Urszula Szulakowska’s The Alchemy of Light (at least partially on Google Books?)
-Andrew Robinson’s Lost Languages.
Carpe Diem,
Luis

]]> By: fastercat http://www.ciphermysteries.com/2008/10/02/british-library-cipher-manuscript/comment-page-1#comment-61 fastercat Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:32:24 +0000 http://www.ciphermysteries.com/?p=246#comment-61 Thank you for another great post! It would be an interesting list of historical encoded documents like Sams has hinted at. Perhaps your call to other readers to fill in the blanks will be the start! Many of the current ‘unsolved ciphers’ like the Beale and Voynich may never be ‘solved’ due to the fact that perhaps their creators looked at them as a way to make money or be something of a 15th century Dr. Seuss. I agree with Sams’ quote and find the documents that had a purpose to be the ones worthy of attack. The trouble is finding them. It is so much more rewarding to decode something that had inherent meaning at one time. Friedman’s book on decoding ‘real’ war intercepts is one of my favorites. So much of ‘The Cryptogram’ like publications are simply famous quotes and although sometimes interesting, are not very rewarding. Along with your soon to be started list of ‘real’ historical ciphers, I would love to see other similar types of lists made available. The effort to decode previously uudecoded Enigma intercepts is one example. Reading the declassified papers from Russian intercepts is another. I only wish they would provide the raw data as well. How about a collection of criminal codes? A book of the Unabomber’s elaborate code would be one I’d buy. Just because it has been decoded by others does not take away the fun of attacking a code and seeing it unravel before your eyes. Unsolved ciphers are not the only excitement out there. The U.S. has a long list of periods when codes where used that would make an excellent collection. Rum Runners, Dope smugglers, business secrets. Surely there is some excitement to be found in their records. It is frustrating to read about criminals using codes but never getting to see any actual ‘intercepts.’ How about a collection of failed codes? Friedman and Poe talk about the codes they were sent that they easily decoded. That would be an interesting peak inside their lives and the ones that sent them in. How about a collection of personal codes? ‘The Cryptogram’ had an article on a secret affair that one of the members decoded. The ACA was approached with some coded documents from the estate looking for help in decoding them. Perhaps this is the type of tracks that Sams was referring to. Surely there are others out there waiting discovery. I like the new format of your site. I found it just before the change and have been an avid reader since. I’ve only just gone through many of the highlights and have enjoyed all the bunny trails your posts have taken me. Thank you and keep up the great work! Thank you for another great post! It would be an interesting list of historical encoded documents like Sams has hinted at. Perhaps your call to other readers to fill in the blanks will be the start! Many of the current ‘unsolved ciphers’ like the Beale and Voynich may never be ‘solved’ due to the fact that perhaps their creators looked at them as a way to make money or be something of a 15th century Dr. Seuss. I agree with Sams’ quote and find the documents that had a purpose to be the ones worthy of attack. The trouble is finding them. It is so much more rewarding to decode something that had inherent meaning at one time. Friedman’s book on decoding ‘real’ war intercepts is one of my favorites. So much of ‘The Cryptogram’ like publications are simply famous quotes and although sometimes interesting, are not very rewarding. Along with your soon to be started list of ‘real’ historical ciphers, I would love to see other similar types of lists made available. The effort to decode previously uudecoded Enigma intercepts is one example. Reading the declassified papers from Russian intercepts is another. I only wish they would provide the raw data as well.

How about a collection of criminal codes? A book of the Unabomber’s elaborate code would be one I’d buy. Just because it has been decoded by others does not take away the fun of attacking a code and seeing it unravel before your eyes. Unsolved ciphers are not the only excitement out there. The U.S. has a long list of periods when codes where used that would make an excellent collection. Rum Runners, Dope smugglers, business secrets. Surely there is some excitement to be found in their records. It is frustrating to read about criminals using codes but never getting to see any actual ‘intercepts.’

How about a collection of failed codes? Friedman and Poe talk about the codes they were sent that they easily decoded. That would be an interesting peak inside their lives and the ones that sent them in.

How about a collection of personal codes? ‘The Cryptogram’ had an article on a secret affair that one of the members decoded. The ACA was approached with some coded documents from the estate looking for help in decoding them. Perhaps this is the type of tracks that Sams was referring to. Surely there are others out there waiting discovery.

I like the new format of your site. I found it just before the change and have been an avid reader since. I’ve only just gone through many of the highlights and have enjoyed all the bunny trails your posts have taken me. Thank you and keep up the great work!

]]>