Throughout history the brightest and most ingenious minds have been pressed into the service of secret communication. Secrecy, codes, and the transmission of covert messages have always played a crucial role in the unfolding of many great events. In matters of love and war especially, the instinct for mystery has never diminished. And with the advent of cell phones, credit cards, and online communication, we're more reliant than ever on the latest developments in cryptography.

Secret Messages is a lively chronicle of coded messages, secret passwords, code-names, concealment tricks, and other types of ingenious communication. Some are famous, like Benedict Arnold's cipher for his secret correspondence with the British during the Revolutionary War, others are little-known nuggets of trivia. Each example is an intellectual challenge to the reader, as well as a glimpse into the innovative ways humankind -- from battlefield commanders to television personalities -- has found to conceal and convey information.

Both playful and unusual, Secret Messages is an extensively researched collection of wit and wile at its best -- and a primer into the extraordinary capabilities of the human mind.