BOSS Library
The effective BOSS operative has a wide range of skills. Alongside a selection of Harry’s favourite books about codebreaking, we have included the GCHQ and Bletchley Park puzzle manuals to train your mind, and a selection of novels, biographies, and history books that will help you to learn the important techniques of spy craft.
If you want something to listen to while browsing, then here is something written for the National Cipher Challenge back in 2003. If you fancy writing and recording your own Cipher Challenge theme send us a link. You never know, we might add it here!
If you have a favourite book that doesn’t appear in the library why not let us know and we will see if we can add it.
Back in 2020, in the middle of lockdown, we were delighted to welcome the Book Brothers as guest librarians at BOSS. You may already follow them on Twitter @UKBookBros, and know that they have a huge fanbase including a number of famous authors. This year we are really excited that one those fans, celebrated author and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz has kindly agreed to add his own personal recommendations. Scroll down to our fiction section to find out what they were.
A Christmas Cornucopia for you from Harry and the Elves
One of my own favourite introductions to classical cryptography is Helen Gaines’ “Cryptanalysis”, which is now out of copyright, and you can download a copy here.
In the introduction Helen lists several other classics that inspired her, and for your entertainment, the Elves have tracked them down online. You can find them below.
While most of the links here in the library are to books, one amazing source is the collection of essays by M.E. Ohaver, archived here by Mary and John Toebes. We are grateful to them for their diligent work in keeping that collection alive.
In the introduction Helen mentions several works which inspired her book, and some of them are available online. For your Christmas entertainment we have linked them here. Or if you prefer some lighter reading, how about Edgar Allen Poe’s classic, The Gold Bug, linked here at PoeStories.com, or read for you by Vincent Price at YouTube.
The Non-Fiction Section
The Technical Section
From time to time BOSS staff produce guides that you might find helpful. Some of these are short notes, others expand to considerably longer textbooks. They are free for you to download and read as part of the competition, but copyright remains with the authors.
The Fiction Section
We asked Anthony Horowitz for his three favourite books containing ciphers. His nominations were fantastic and we couldn’t agree with them more:
Of course, if you want more Horowitz there is plenty to keep you entertained! On TV you have Midsomer Murders, Alex Rider and Foyle’s War to binge on, or a choice of so many books we couldn’t list them all! Here is a selection to get you started.
Back in 2020, in the middle of lockdown, we were delighted to welcome the Book Brothers as guest librarians at BOSS. You may already follow thm on Twitter, and know that they have a huge fanbase including a number of famous authors. We asked them to recommend some new books for our list and this is what they came up with
A beautiful graphic novel by Philip Pullman. Read the Book Brothers review here: https://www.bookbrothers.co.uk/the-adventures-of-john-blake/
Another great graphic novel that is also an excellent movie. It tells you the story of Alan Turing, the brains behind the invention of the modern universal computer.
Another exciting series, this one by James Dashner, with four volumes.
James Bond never had much time for breaking codes, but several of his adventures involved ciphers or cipher machines. The novels are a bit dated now, but Charlie Higson updated them brilliantly by taking us back to Bond’s early years. Definitely worth a look.
It has been a long time since they published a new Alex Rider novel, and it seemed just perfect that the latest volume came out the same day the Special Edition Cipher Challenge launched back in March. As AH tweeted, “Alex Rider loves codes and ciphers!”
The Book Brothers are also big fans. For those who enjoy AH’s twisted sense of humour (which was also evident in his TV series Midsomer Murders) you might like to try his Diamond Brothers series. The Book Brothers reviewed The Falcon’s Malteser, and as an extra special treat, AH has made a new story, Where Seagulls Dare, freely available to keep us all amused during the lockdown.
Holly Jackson took thrillers to a new place and redefined the phrase “Good Girl” with her cracking trilogy.
