Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing

Paul B. Janeczko. Candlewick Press (MA), $16.99 (144pp) ISBN 978-0-7636-0971-9

Known for his editing of poetry anthologies, Paul B. Janeczko studies another form of often-perplexing writing in Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing, illus. by Jenna LaReau. Janeczko discusses numerous codes that have been used throughout history, from Morse code and semaphore to examples of code usage, such as the ""Beale cipher,"" a still-unsolved mystery regarding the location of treasure supposedly buried in the mid 1800s.

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