Bibliography of cryptography

Johannes Trithemius' Polygraphiae (1518) is the first printed book on cryptology.

Books on cryptography have been published sporadically and with variable quality for a long time. This is despite the paradox that secrecy is of the essence in sending confidential messages – see Kerckhoffs' principle.

In contrast, the revolutions in cryptography and secure communications since the 1970s are covered in the available literature.