Retired from the US military and National Security Agency, and private enterprise, Boone noticed that when technical specialists talk about cryptology the science and art of making and breaking codes or cyphers they generally talk to each other and confuse everyone else. So, he set out to create a bridge between the technical aspects, mostly complex mathematical formulations, and general readers. He begins in 1200, but gulps down six centuries in the first chapter and continues with the introduction of the telegraph, the telephone, and mechanical computing aids. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)