Did you love Dan Brown's "The lost Symbol"? Fascinated by secret codes and deciphering lost history? With over 300 different puzzles of varying skill levels from the simplest substitution puzzles to fiendishly difficult ciphers "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. The book is unique in that there are three conspiracy stories, set in the times of the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War, and the present day, which are encrypted through the book - to uncover the stories you need to crack the ciphers! The types of puzzles include: cryptograms with letter substitutions, number substitutions (A=1, B=2, etc.), and symbol substitutions (A=B, etc.). It includes: Caesar Ciphers - also called Shift Ciphers where there is a shift of number of letters in the alphabet; Masonic Ciphers - a collection of real symbols and ciphers used by Masons for hundreds of years, including the substitution cipher exchanging letters for symbols based on a grid design (also known as the Pigpen Cipher); Rail Fence Ciphers - in this type of transposition cipher a message is written along a zig-zag path, across two to five lines (or rails), and then broken into sets of letters; Caesar Box Ciphers - messages are written down the columns of a grid, and transcribed by row by row; Keyboard Ciphers - using cellphones and computer keyboards to create ciphers; and, Twisted Path Ciphers - the message is written into a grid, along a winding path, and then transcribed row by row. It also includes: Anagrams and Wordplay; Anagrams - rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase; Cryptic Clues - learn some tricks from the world of cryptic crosswords, and solve these anagram, hidden word, and double definition clues; and, 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.

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. Introduction. Part I: Code and Cryptogram Strategies. Chapter 1: Clueing You In about Codes and Cryptograms. Chapter 2: Cracking the Codes. Part II: Secret Stories, Codes, and Cryptogram Puzzles. Chapter 3: Solving Three Conspiracies. Chapter 4: Letter Substitution Cryptograms. Chapter 5: Number Substitution Cryptograms. Chapter 6: Symbol Substitution Cryptograms. Chapter 7: Caesar / Shift Ciphers. Chapter 8: Masonic Ciphers. Chapter 9: Rail Fence Ciphers. Chapter 10: Keyboard Codes. Chapter 11: Assorted Ciphers. Chapter 12: Anagrams and Cryptic Clues. Chapter 13: Double Level Puzzles. Part III: Hints and Answers to the Cryptos and Codes. Chapter 14: Hints to Help Crack the Cryptograms and Puzzles. Chapter 15: Answers to All Cryptograms and Puzzles. Appendix: Historical Background to the Conspiracy Stories.