Klaus Schmeh’s Encrypted Book List (EBL)
This is a list of encrypted books. Its purpose is to catalog all encrypted books that are known. For the definition of an encrypted book refer to the end of this page. If you know an encrypted book that is not listed here I would be interested to learn about it. If you have information that might answer the open research questions mentioned with each book I would be interested, as well.
Voynich Manuscript
ID: 00001
Status: unbroken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 230
Content: handwritten note in an unknown script, many illustrations
Author: unknown
Creation time: unknown, probably 15th century
Location: Beinecke Library, Yale University
Page scans: https://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3519597
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
- Who was the author?
- Where and when was it created?
Literature:
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript
Codex Rohonci
ID: 00002
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 448
Content: unknown, illustrations contain biblical motives
Author: unknown
Creation time: unknown, probably 16th century
Location: Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Page scans: https://www.dacia.org/codex/original/original.html
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
- Who was the author?
- Where and when was it created?
Literature:
- Láng, Benedek (2010), Why don’t we decipher an outdated cipher system? The Codex of Rohonc, Cryptologia 34: 115–144
- Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohonc_Codex
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2013/06/05/top-25-der-ungelosten-verschlusselungen-platz-25-der-codex-rohonci/
James Hampton’s Notebook
ID: 00003
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 104
Content: hand-written notes, probably with a Christian background
Author: James Hampton (1909-1964)
Creation time: around 1950
Location: Smithonian Archive
Page scans: https://www.cs.sjsu.edu/faculty/stamp/Hampton/pages.html
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2013/07/03/top-25-der-ungelosten-verschlusselungen-platz-17-das-verschlusselte-notizbuch-des-kunstlers-james-hampton/
- https://www.focus.de/wissen/mensch/gastkolumnen/schmeh/hampton-kryptogramme-der-kuenstler-und-das-verschluesselte-notizbuch_aid_1019820.html
Zauberhandschrift
ID: 00004
Status: broken
Broken by: Sabina Lüdemann, Birgit Pfeil
Number of pages: 90
Content: Treatise on magic
Author: unknown
Creation time: probably 18th century
Location: University Library of Kassel
Page scans: https://orka.bibliothek.uni-kassel.de/viewer/image/1374150101659/3/
Open research questions:
- Who was the author?
- Where and when was it created?
Literature:
- https://blog.ub.uni-kassel.de/ub/2013/08/23/hollenzwang-und-pentagramm-zauberhandschrift-in-der-bb6/
Codex Seraphinianus
ID: 00005
Status: unbroken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 127
Content: illustrated encyclopedia of an imaginary world
Author: Luigi Serafini (*1949)
Creation time: 1976-1978
Location: many printed copies available
Page scans: https://www.cetteadressecomportecinquantesignes.com/Luigi.Serafini.-.Codex.Seraphinianus.pdf
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
Literature:
- www.believermag.com/issues/200705
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Seraphinianus
Ancient Mysteries
ID: 00006
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: ????
Content: Manifest of the Association of Maiden Unity and Attachment
Author: unknown, probably a member of the Association of Maiden Unity and Attachment
Creation time: 1835
Location: Only known copy is located in the British Library, London (Shelfmark 4783.a.30).
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Encryption has been solved but no decrypted version is available
- Who was the author?
- Do other copies exist?
Literature:
- Klaus Schmeh: Codeknacker gegen Codemacher (3rd edition), W3L 2014
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13186753
Mysteries of Vesta
ID: 00007
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 61
Content: Manifest of the Association of Maiden Unity and Attachment (part 2)
Author: unknown, probably a member of the Association of Maiden Unity and Attachment
Creation time: 1850
Location: Only known copy is located in the British Library, London (Shelfmark 944.c.19).
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Encryption has been solved but no decrypted version is available
- Who was the author?
- Do other copies exist?
Literature:
- Klaus Schmeh: Codeknacker gegen Codemacher (3rd edition), W3L 2014
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13186753
Codex Igo
ID: 00008
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 470
Content: Collection of prayers in English and Latin (only parts of the book are translated), the encryption method used is the same (or similar) to the one used in Fabian Humphrey’s Prayer Book (00043).
Author: probably Fabian Humphrey (the author is not named but the similarity with Fabian Humphrey’s prayer book suggests that it was written by the same person)
Creation time: 1571 (on one of the last pages “April 1571” is noted, which is assumed to be the creation time)
Location: British Library, London (Sloane 1360)
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Encryption has been solved but no completely decrypted version is available
- Who was the author?
- Why was it encrypted?
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/codex-igo-sloane-1360/
- Klaus Schmeh: Codeknacker gegen Codemacher (3rd edition), W3L 2014
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2013/12/25/codex-igo-ein-verschluesseltes-buch-aus-dem-jahr-1571/
- https://archive.org/stream/reliquiaeantiqua02wriguoft/reliquiaeantiqua02wriguoft_djvu.txt (contains a short paragraph about Sloane 1360, dating it to 1546, which is not the year mentioned in the book)
Codex Compendium
ID: 00009
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 60
Content: medical book with encrypted foreword and many encrypted notes (cleartext is in Latin)
Author: unknown
Creation time: ca. 1625
Location: Wellcome Library, London (MS 199)
Page scans: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/codex-compendium-wellcome-library-ms-199/
Open research questions:
- Encryption has been solved but no complete decrypted version is available
- Who was the author?
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2013/11/27/der-codex-compendium-ein-teilweise-verschluesseltes-buch-aus-dem-17-jahrhundert/
- Klaus Schmeh: Codeknacker gegen Codemacher (3rd edition), W3L 2014
Subtlety of Witches
ID: 00010
Status: broken
Broken by: Tony Gaffney, Kat Mueller, Rian Hagebeuk
Number of pages: 400
Content: Calepino-type dictionary
Author: unknown
Creation time: probably between 1543 and 1566
Location: British Library (MS Add. 10035), London
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Why was it encrypted?
- Who was the author?
Literature:
- Klaus Schmeh: Codeknacker gegen Codemacher (3rd edition), W3L 2014
- https://reddit.com/r/subteltyofwitches/comments/dg2xx4/what_we_know_about_the_book_and_its_author/
Penitentia Manuscript
ID: 00011
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 16
Content: text written in a newly invented writing system
Author: Gordon Rugg
Creation time: ~2010
Location: online
Page scans: https://web.archive.org/web/2012id_/https://www.scm.keele.ac.uk/research/knowledge_modelling/km/people/gordon_rugg/cryptography/penitentia/index.html
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
Literature: https://www.scm.keele.ac.uk/research/knowledge_modelling/km/people/gordon_rugg/cryptography/penitentia/index.html
Ricardus Manuscript
ID: 00012
Status: unbroken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 230
Content: text and illustrations ressembling the Voynich manuscript
Author: Gordon Rugg
Creation time: creation is still going on
Location: online
Page scans: https://www.scm.keele.ac.uk/research/knowledge_modelling/km/people/gordon_rugg/cryptography/ricardus_manuscript.html
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
Literature: https://www.scm.keele.ac.uk/research/knowledge_modelling/km/people/gordon_rugg/cryptography/ricardus_manuscript.html
Codex Copiale
ID: 00013
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages:105
Content: treatise about a secret society named “Occulists”
Author: unknown, probably member of the Occulists
Creation time: probably between 1760 and 1780
Location: ????
Page scans: https://stp.lingfil.uu.se/~bea/copiale/display150.html
Open research questions:
- Who was the author?
Literature:
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copiale_cipher
- https://stp.lingfil.uu.se/~bea/copiale/
Blitz Ciphers
ID: 00014
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: unknown
Content: text written in an unknown writing system
Author: unknown
Creation time: unknown, probably 19th century or older
Location: unknown owner in UK
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
- Who was the author?
- Where and when was it created?
- Who owns the book today? Can additional page scans be made available?
Literature:
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitz_ciphers
- https://www.ciphermysteries.com/blitz-ciphers
Samuel Pepys’ Diary
ID: 00015
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 3,100
Content: diary of British state servant Samuel Pepys, written in an adapted shorthand and containing many code expressions
Author: Samuel Pepys
Creation time: 1660-1669
Location: University of Cambridge
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- none (Pepys’ diary is well researched)
Literature: https://www.pepysdiary.com/
Géza Gárdonyi’s Diary
ID: 00016
Status: broken
Broken by: code-breaker and secret agent Ottó Gyürk in 1971
Content: diary of Géza Gárdonyi
Author: Géza Gárdonyi (1863-1922), Hungarian writer and journalist
Creation time: ????
Location: ????
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Almost no information is available in English.
Literature:
- https://www.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tamop425/0038_matematika_Kalman_Liptai-Cryptography/ch02.html
Charles Wesley’s Diary
ID: 00017
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 1,000
Content: diary of Charles Wesley (1703-1791)
Author: Charles Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement
Creation time: 1736-1756
Location: John Rylands University Library at the University of Manchester
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Additional scans should be made available.
Literature:
- https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/aug/27/wesley.methodism.diaries
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/2627661/Charles-Wesleys-250-year-old-journals-reveal-fears-that-Church-of-England-could-split.html
- Heizenrather, Richard: “Decoding Wesley’s Diaries,“ Cryptologia 3/1978
Action Line Cryptogram
ID: 00018
Status: solved
Broken by: Nick Pelling supported by a number of other cryptogram enthusiasts
Number of pages: 9
Content: mnemoic aid for ritual descriptions of the Oddfellows
Author: unknown, probably a memmer of the Oddfellows
Creation time: 1899
Location: several copies are known to exist
Page scans: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2013/06/07/top-25-der-ungelosten-verschlusselungen-platz-24-das-action-line-kryptogramm/
Open research questions:
- Summary of cryptographic aspects
Literature:
- https://www.ciphermysteries.com/action-line-cryptogram
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2014/07/02/action-line-kryptogramm-top-25-krypto-raetsel-nach-78-jahren-geloest/
- “Action Line” Challenge, CRYPTOLOGIA, vol. II, n. 4, pp. 368-370, October 1978
Simeone Levi’s Memoirs
ID: 00019
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 355
Content: memoirs of egyptologist Simeone Levi
Author: Simeone Levi
Creation time: 1900
Location: family of Simeone Levi
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Only small parts of the content are publicley available.
Literature:
Beatrix Potter’s Diary
ID: 00020
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: ????
Content: diary of children’s author Beatrix Potter, written in a writing system invented by herself
Author: Beatrix Potter
Creation time: 1881-1897
Location: Beatrix Potter Society
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Additional page scans should be made available.
Literature:
- Wikipedia (contains one paragraph about Potter’s encrypted journal): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_Potter
- Harris, Barbara: „A Different Kind of Column, “ Cryptologia, 1/1977
- Leslie Linder, 2012. „The Journal of Beatrix Potter from 1881 to 1897,“ Warne
Antonio Marzi’s Diary
ID: 00021
Status: broken
Broken by: Armin Krauß
Number of pages: 100
Content: daily reports of WW2 spy Antonio Marzi
Author: Antonio Marzi, Italian spy and partisan
Creation time: 1944-1945
Location: family of Antonio Marzi
Page scans:
- http://www.crittologia.eu/storia/critMarzi.html
Open research questions:
- none (Marz’s diary is well researched)
Literature:
- https://www.crittologia.eu/critto/php/critMarzi.phtml
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/10012872/Italian-resistance-fighters-secret-diary-cracked-by-codebreaker.html
- https://einestages.spiegel.de/s/tb/28303/geheimes-tagebuch-aus-dem-zweiten-weltkrieg-entschluesselt.html
- https://www.mysterytwisterc3.org/images/challenges/mtc3-schroedel-03-italienischersoldaten-en.pdf
Book of Woo
ID: 00022
Status: unbroken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 4
Content: unknown content, written in a writing system invented by the author
Author: Oliver Knörzer
Creation time: 2013
Location: online
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
Literature: https://www.sandraandwoo.com/2013/07/29/0500-the-book-of-woo/
Hugh’s Diary
ID: 00023
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: unknown
Content: Diary of a person named Hugh
Author: an anonymous man, Donald McCormick calls him Hugh
Creation time: 1905
Location: unknown (McCormick is the only source mentioning this diary, but no details about the author and his family are given)
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Who owns the book? Can additional page scans be made available?
Literature: Donald McCormick: Love In Code. Eyre Methuen, London 1980, p. 112
Loretta’s Diary
ID: 00024
Status: broken (some parts are still unbroken)
Broken by:
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary of a woman living in the New York area
Author: An anonymous woman, Donald McCormick calls her Loretta
Creation time: 1960’s
Location: unknown (McCormick is the only source mentioning this diary, but no details about the author and his family are given)
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Who owns the book? Can additional page scans be made available?
- Some parts of the diary have not been deciphered yet (might be difficult, as the author was obviously under drug influence)
Literature: Donald McCormick: Love In Code. Eyre Methuen, London 1980, p. 167
Nagybajom Manuscript
ID: 00025
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: ????
Content: Treatise about Hungarian freemasonry
Author: ????
Creation time: ????
Location: unknown
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- There is almost no information about this book in English.
Literature:
- https://magyarnarancs.hu/tudomany/az-o-kezirasaval-irodott-a-szabadkomuves-szoveg-vamos-hanna-titkosiras-kutatot-kerdeztuk-86138
- https://index.hu/tudomany/2013/08/07/az_fbi_sem_torne_fel_a_regi_magyar_kodokat/
- https://recsrv.iti.mta.hu/rec.iti/Members/szerk/pha/07-Vamos-MagyarArion.pdf
William Byrd’s Diary
ID: 00026
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: ????
Content: diary of William Byrd (planter, slave-owner and author from Virginia)
Author: Colonel William Byrd II (1674-1744)
Creation time: 1709-1712, 1717-1721, 1739-1741
Location: ????
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Page scans should be made available.
Literature:
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Byrd_II
- David Kahn: The Codebreakers (1996), p. 777
Baron Hailsham’s Diary
ID: 00027
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: ????
Content: diary of British politician Quintin Hogg (Baron Hailsham)
Author: Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone (1907-2001)
Creation time: ca.1970 – ca. 1974
Location: Margaret Thatcher Foundation
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- Page scans should be made available?
Literature: https://www.margaretthatcher.org/archive/hailsham.asp
Ashmole Cryptogram
ID: 00028
Status: broken
Broken by: Kurt Josten
Number of pages: ?
Content: Includes notes on the creation of sigils and letters from Thomas Hyde offering information on talismans extracted from manuscripts at Oxford. It is also peppered with ritual magic operations and ritual additions to the making of sigils. This manuscript gives the impression that Ashmole was mining astrological image magic texts for magic that worked, and that practical application and experiment, more than the preservation of prior intellectual traditions, drove his activities (source: Klaassen 2013). Five and a half pages are encrypted.
Author: Elias Ashmole (1617-1692) et. al.
Creation time: 17th century
Location: British Library (Sloane 3822)
Page scans: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2015/08/31/350-jahre-alt-und-ungeloest-das-ashmole-kryptogramm/
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
Literature: Frank Klaassen: The Transformations of Magic: Illicit Learned Magic in the Later Middle Ages and Renaissance. Penn State University Press, 2013, p. 243
Bellicorum instrumentorum
ID: 00029
Status: broken
Broken by: Wilhelm Meyer (1845-1917) broke it before 1910
Number of pages: 140
Content: The book describes a wide range of technologies with about 140 illustrations. Many paragraphs are encrypted.
Author: Giovanni da Fontana (ca. 1395 – ca. 1455)
Creation time: ~1420
Location: The only remaining copy is hosted by the State Library of Bavaria in Munich [BSB cod. icon. 242]
Page scans: https://codicon.digitale-sammlungen.de/Blatt_bsb00013084,00001.html
Open research questions:
- Decrypted version should be made available.
Literature:
- https://bibliodyssey.blogspot.de/2010/01/bellicorum-instrumentorum-liber.html
- Horst Kranz, Walter Oberschelp: Mechanisches Memorieren und Chiffrieren um 1430, Franz Steiner Verlag 2009
Erik Brahe’s Diary
No picture available
ID: 00030
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: ????
Content: diary of Swedish government official Erik Brahe (one line per day)
Author: Erik Brahe (1552–1614)
Creation time: 1592-1601
Location: ????
Page scans:
Open research questions:
Literature: David Kahn: The Codebreakers (1996), p. 777
Henri-Gatien Bertrand’s Diary
No picture available
ID: 00031
Status: broken
Broken by: Paul Fleuriot de Langle (1949-1959)
Number of pages: ????
Content: diary of Henri-Gatien Bertrand, one of Napoleon’s generals
Author: Henri-Gatien Bertrand (1773-1844)
Creation time: 1816-19, 1821
Location: Archive National, Paris
Page scans:
Open research questions:
Literature:
- https://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/chan/chan/AP-pdf/390-AP.pdf
- Bertrand, Général, Grand Maréchal du Palais: Cahiers de Sainte-Hélène; journal 1816-1817. Manuscrit déchiffré et annoté par Paul Fleuriot de Langle. Paris, Sulliver, 1951
- Bertrand, Général, Grand Maréchal du Palais: Cahiers de Sainte-Hélène. Journal 1818-1819. Manuscrit déchiffré et annoté par Paul Fleuriot de Langle, Paris, Editions Albain Michel, 1959
- Bertrand, Général, Grand Maréchal du Palais: Cahiers de Sainte-Hélène Janvier 1821-Mai 1821. Paris, Sulliver, 1950
- David Kahn: The Codebreakers (1996), p. 777
Adelsbach Manuscript
ID: 00032
Status: broken
Broken by: Jörg Steffen
Number of pages: 60
Content: no detailed description available
Author: unknown
Creation time: unknown
Location: Owned by Markus Adelsbach
Page scans: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/files/2016/03/Adelsbach-Zauberbuch.pdf
Open research questions:
Literature:
- https://einestages.spiegel.de/static/image_without_story/24402/_zauberbuch_wer_kann_es_entziffern.html
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2016/03/09/ein-verschluesseltes-zauberbuch-gibt-raetsel-auf/
Browne’s Master Key
ID: 00033
Status: broken
Broken by: solution is available online
Number of pages: 50
Content: Treatise on freemasonry, 11 pages are encrypted
Author: John Browne
Creation time: 1794
Location: Several printed copies are available
Page scans: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/brownes-master-key/
Open research questions:
- Cleartext should be made available
Literature:
- https://www.ciphermysteries.com/2014/06/20/brownes-master-key-mostly-deciphered#comment-304234
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2014/06/20/verschluesseltes-freimaurer-buch-wer-kann-es-dechiffrieren/
Anne Lister’s diary
ID: 00034
Status: broken
Broken by:
Number of pages: 6,600 (27 volumes)
Content: diary of landowner, mountaineer and traveller Anne Lister (1791-1840); about a sixth of the content is encrypted in a substitution code of Lister’s own devising combining letters from Greek and algebra
Author: Anne Lister
Creation time: 1806–1840
Location: ????
Page scans:
Open research questions:
Literature:
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Lister#Diaries
- https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bradford/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8388000/8388858.stm
- https://rictornorton.co.uk/lister.htm
- https://filebin.net/sltl6i1ytozaqtij/Gentleman_Jack_s_Secret_Diary_for_1817__Anne_Lister_s_encoded_journal.pdf?t=7ybuqi3j
Elias Ashmole’s diary
ID: 00035
Status: broken
Broken by: Kurt Josten in 1949
Number of pages: ????
Content: diary of Elias Ashmole (1617-1692), English antiquary, politician, officer of arms, astrologer and student of alchemy
Author: Elias Ashmole
Creation time: 1645–1649
Location: ????
Page scans:
Open research questions:
Literature:
- Kurt Josten (editor): Elias Ashmole 1617–1692. 1996
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Josten
- Tobias Churton: The Magus of Freemasonry: The Mysterious Life of Elias Ashmole.
Liber instrumentorum iconographicus
ID: 00036
Status: broken
Broken by: Wilhelm Meyer (1845-1917) broke it before 1910
Number of pages: 140
Content: The book describes a wide range of technologies with many illustrations. Many paragraphs are encrypted.
Author: Giovanni da Fontana (ca. 1395 – ca. 1455)
Creation time: ~1420
Location: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich
Page scans: not available online
Open research questions:
- Decrypted version should be made available.
Literature: –
Secretum de thesauro experimentorum
ID: 00037
Status: broken
Broken by: Wilhelm Meyer (1845-1917) broke it before 1910
Number of pages: ?
Content: description of memorization devices
Author: Giovanni da Fontana (ca. 1395 – ca. 1455)
Creation time: ?
Location: Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris
Page scans: not available online
Open research questions:
- Decrypted version should be made available.
Literature:
- https://www.voynich.net/neal/omont.html
- Lina Bolzoni: The Gallery of Memory, University of Toronto Press, 2001
Folger Manuscript
ID: 00038
Status: broken
Broken by: Will Baden broke it in 1955
Number of pages: 90
Content: description of Freemason rituals
Author: Robert Folger (1803-1892)
Creation time: 1827
Location: ?
Page scans: not available online
Open research questions:
- Pages scans should be made available
- Decrypted version should be made available.
Literature:
- https://www.themasonictrowel.com/articles/manuscripts/manuscripts/folger_manuscript/the_folger_manuscript_lecture.htm
- Stephen Brent Morris: The Folger Manuscript: The Cryptanalysis and Interpretation of an American Masonic Manuscript. Masonic Book Club, 1992
- https://web.archive.org/web/2009id_/https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/cryptologic_spectrum/unsolved_puzzle.pdf
- Brent Morris “Fraternal Cryptography” (Cryptologic Spectrum, Summer 1978)
Vick Industries Cryptogram
ID: 00039
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 14
Content: Ciphertext consisting of composite individual units
Author: Vir (pseudonym)
Creation time: 2013
Location: online
Page scans: https://web.archive.org/web/2016id_/https://www.vickindustries.com/code.html
Open research questions:
- What does the content mean?
Literature:
- https://www.ciphermysteries.com/2013/07/18/vick-industries-cipher-mystery
Written Mnemonics: Illustrated by Copious Examples from Moral Philosophy, Science and Religion
ID: 00040
Status: broken
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: ?
Content: Freemasonic ritual description
Author: Freemason group known as “The Conservators,” led by Rob Morris
Creation time: 1860
Location: one copy is located at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in Lexington, MA
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- The cleartext should be made available
Literature:
- https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/ciphers/
Donald Hill’s Diary
ID: 00041
Status: broken
Broken by: Philip Ashton, a mathematician at Surrey University, broke it in 1996
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary of Donald Hill
Author: Donald Hill, prisoner of war in Japan during WW2
Creation time: 1941-1942
Location: family possession
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Page scans should be made available
- The cleartext should be made available
Literature:
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6dgQ9vgcDU
- https://personal.maths.surrey.ac.uk/st/P.Aston/decode.html
- Andro Linklater: The Code of Love: A True Story
Cicada 3301 Rune Book
ID: 00042
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 58
Content: the unknown content is a part of the Cicada 3301 game
Author: organizers of Cicada 3301
Creation time: 2014
Location: online
Page scans: https://imgur.com/a/8xnWx/all
Open research questions:
- How can the book be solved
Literature:
- https://uncovering-cicada.wikia.com/wiki/CICADA_3301_2014_PUZZLE_FACTS_PART_9#comm-9089
Fabian Humphrey’s Prayer Book
ID: 00043
Status: broken
Broken by: Frank Klaassen broke it in 2014
Number of pages: 1200
Content: Prayers and religious commonplaces. The encryption method used is the same (or similar) to the one used in the Codex Igo (00008)
Author: Fabian Humphrey
Creation time: 1576
Location: Montreal, McClennan Library (McGill University), MS G 177
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Page scans should be malde available
- The cryptographic aspects should be summarized
Literature:
- https://societasmagica.org/blog?arc=05-2014#_ftn1
Codex Palatinus Germanicus
ID: 00044
Status: broken
Broken by: unknown
Number of pages: 190
Content: Treatise about magic, alchemy, and astrology, a large amount of it is written in cipher
Author: probably a group of alchemists from the Passau area (Niklas Jankowitz, Michael von Prapach, Michel Wulfing)
Creation time: 1426
Location: University Library of Heidelberg
Page scans: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/cpg597
Open research questions:
- Cryptographic aspects should be summarized
Literature:
- https://www.ciphermysteries.com/2009/05/15/cod-pal-germ-597s-cipher
- Bartsch, Nr. 287; Wilhelm Wattenbach, Alchymey teuczsch, in: AnzfKdVz NF 16 (1869), Sp. 264–268
- Bernhard Bischoff, Übersicht über die nichtdiplomatischen Geheimschriften des Mittelalters, in: Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung 62 (1954), S. 13, Nr. 70, 71; S. 25, Nr. 70, 71
- Gerhard Eis, Alchymey teuczsch, in: ders., Medizinische Fachprosa des späten Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit, Amsterdam 1982, S. 307–315, zuerst erschienen in: Ostbairische Grenzmarken, Passauer Jahrbuch für Geschichte, Kunst und Volkskunde 1 (1957), S. 11–16
Roger Williams Manuscript
ID: 00045
Status: broken
Broken by: students of Brown University in Providence, RI, including Lucas Mason-Brown
Number of pages: 234
Content: theologic treatise
Author: Roger Williams
Creation time: around 1680
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Cryptographic aspects should be summarized
Literature:
- https://www.slate.com/articles/life/history/2012/12/the_roger_williams_code_how_a_team_of_scholars_discovered_the_theologian.html
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2014/07/28/der-roger-williams-code/
Cipher Manuscripts
ID: 00046
Status: broken
Broken by: William Wynn Westcott in 1887
Number of pages: 60
Content: Series of magical initiation rituals of the Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn, compendium of magical theory and symbolism
Author: unknown member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Creation time: paper was watermarked in 1809
Location: Library and Museum of Freemasonry, London
Page scans: https://hermetic.com/gdlibrary/cipher/
Open research questions:
- Origin of the Cipher Manuscripts is unclear
Literature:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipher_Manuscripts
Teenager War Diary
no scan available
ID: 00047
Status: broken
Broken by: historian Irving Finkel broke it in recent years
Number of pages: unknown
Content: war time diary of a teenage girl in Great Britain, partially encrypted with a simple substitution cipher, employing characters from other alphabets, including Greek
Author: anonymous teenage girl
Creation time: 1940’s
Location: unclear; the V&A Museum and the Bishopsgate Institute Library (Great Diary Project Archive) don’t have it; maybe Irving Finkel knows where it is
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details about the diary should be published
Literature:
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2624200/Confessions-crushes-stolen-kisses-200-years-teenage-diaries.html
Elisabeth Van Lew’s Diary
ID: 00048
Status: broken
Broken by: David Ryan deciphered it based on a key sheet that was found in van Lew’s watch (the scan above shows the key, not the diary)
Number of pages: unknown
Content: diary of Richmond, Virginia abolitionist and philanthropist, Elisabeth Van Lew (181-1900) who operated a spy ring for the United States during the American Civil War
Author: Elisabeth Van Lew
Creation time: 1860’s
Location: ?
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details about the diary should be published
Literature:
- https://articles.dailypress.com/1995-05-07/news/9505050238_1_libby-prison-elizabeth-van-lew-david-d-ryan
- David D. Ryan: A Yankee Spay in Richmond, 1996
Master Mason Degree (MMDEG)
ID: 00049
Status: broken
Broken by: unknown
Number of pages: unknown
Content: Mnemoic aid for freemason rituals
Author: unknown
Creation time: unknown
Location: ?
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details about the book should be published
Literature:
- https://www.collectorsquest.com/blog/2007/12/17/reading-the-code/
Triangular Book (Ex Dono Sapientissimi)
ID: 00050
Status: broken
Broken by: unknown
Number of pages: 44
Content: Treatise about magic and alchemy
Author: unknown, probably a Freemason
Creation time: ca. 1750
Location: Getty Centre, Los Angeles
Page scans: https://archive.org/details/manlypalmerbox34ms209hall
Open research questions:
- Origin of the book is unknown
Literature:
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/981646?seq=6
Blue Lodge Masonic Ritual Cipher Book
ID: 00051
Status: broken
Broken by: unknown
Number of pages: 126
Content: Masonic treatise
Author: unknown, probably a Freemason
Creation time: 1912
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details are unknown
Literature:
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/1912-Blue-Lodge-Masonic-Ritual-Cipher-Book-Poss-Arizona-Statehood-Freemasonry-/271301740405
Seraphs
ID: 00052
Status: broken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 72
Content: Voynich-like text
Author: Liza Daly
Creation time: 2014
Location: digital
Page scans: https://blog.safaribooksonline.com/2014/11/08/nanogenmo2014-procedurally-generated-mysterious-codex/
Open research questions:
–
Literature:
- https://blog.safaribooksonline.com/2014/11/08/nanogenmo2014-procedurally-generated-mysterious-codex/
The Ritual of The Chapter Containing The Work, Lectures and Monitorial of The M.M., P.M., M.E.M. and R.A. Degrees
ID: 00053
Status: broken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 170
Content: Masonic treatise
Author: H. Wilkinson
Creation time: 1878
Location: Library of Congress, Washington
Page scans: https://archive.org/details/ritualofchapterc00wilk
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://archive.org/details/ritualofchapterc00wilk
Magician’s Magic Movements and Ceremonies
ID: 00054
Status: broken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 266
Content: Masonic treatise
Author: unknown, probably a freemason
Creation time: 1916
Location: Library of Congress
Page scans: https://archive.org/details/magiciansmagicmo00newy
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://archive.org/details/magiciansmagicmo00newy
Joseph Russeel’s Diary
ID: 00055
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary in shorthand
Author: Joseph Russeel
Creation time: 1814
Location: in private ownership
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
–
Literature:
–
Cylob Cryptogram
ID: 00056
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: ?
Content: sequence of geometrical symbols
Author: unknown
Creation time: unknown
Location: in private ownership
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- What is this book about?
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2017/02/08/the-top-50-unsolved-encrypted-messages-50-the-cylob-cryptogram/
- https://cylob.blogspot.de/2007/10/20th-century-voynich-book.html
- http://cipherfoundation.org/modern-ciphers/cylob-cryptogram/cylob-cryptogram-scans/
Clas Livijn’s Diary
ID: 00057
Status: broken
Broken by: Kent Ramliden
Number of pages: 70
Content: Diary of Clas Livijn
Author: Clas Livijn (1781-1844)
Creation time: 1800
Location: Sweden
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details about the book are not known
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2015/04/03/schwedische-literatur-wissenschaftlerin-sucht-unterstuetzung-beim-knacken-einer-verschluesselung/
OOEAD
ID: 00058
Status: broken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: ?
Content: masonic treatise
Author: ?
Creation time: ?
Location: ?
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details about the book are not known
Literature:
- https://alphacentauri900.blogspot.de/2012/10/cypher-book.html
Black Gangster Disciples Document
ID: 00059
Status: broken
Broken by: GS Klivans
Number of pages: 15
Content: treatise of the “Black Gangster Disciples” gang
Author: member of the Black Gangster Disciples
Creation time: ~2005
Location: US police
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details are not known
Literature:
- GS Klivans: Gang Secret Codes: Detected. Police and Fire Publishing, 2013
Bloods Document
ID: 00060
Status: broken
Broken by: GS Klivans
Number of pages: 19
Content: report of a Bloods member
Author: member of the Bloods gang
Creation time: ~2005
Location: US police
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details are not known
Literature:
- GS Klivans: Gang Secret Codes: Detected. Police and Fire Publishing, 2013
Senator
ID: 00061
Status: broken
Broken by: Joe Nickell
Number of pages: ????
Content: masonic treatise
Author: probably a freemason
Creation time: 1948
Location: private possession (there might be many copies)
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- Details are not known
Literature:
- https://www.csicop.org/sb/show/uncovering_secret_messages/
Diary of William Thomas Prestwood
ID: 00062
Status: broken
Broken by: Nathaniel Browder
Number of pages: ????
Content: diary
Author: William Thomas Prestwood (1788-1859)
Creation time: 1808-1850
Location: North Carolina State University Libraries
Open research questions:
- Details are not known
Literature:
- https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/540-the-coded-life-of-william-thomas-prestwood
Rilke Cryptogram
ID: 00063
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 184
Content: printed character sequences with unknown meaning
Author: unknown
Creation time: ca. 1944
Location: owned by Dr. Karsten Hansky
Open research questions:
- purpose of the book is unknown
- encryption is unsolved
Literature:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01611194.2022.2092784
Diary of Noah John Rondeau
ID: 00064
Status: broken
Broken by: David Greene
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary and other personal notes
Author: Noah John Rondeau (1883–1967), widely known hermit in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State
Creation time: ca. 1915 – ca. 1967
Location: Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society
Open research questions:
- cryptographic details should be published
Literature:
- https://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/72015.html
Anonymous Cipher Diary
ID: 00065
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: ????
Content: diary
Author: unknown
Creation time: 1776-1845
Location: Massachusetts Historical Society
Open research questions:
- content should be published
Literature:
- https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2009/05/can-you-crack-the-cipher/
Sketchbook Codex
ID: 00066
Status: partially broken
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: ?
Content: Numerous texts created with different encryption methods
Author: Brian Raiter
Creation time: 2012
Location: Brooklyn Art Library
Open research questions:
- Encryptions should be examined
Literature:
- https://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/sketch/
Ecce Orienti
ID: 00067
Status: broken
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: 242
Content:
Author: M. Wilcott Redding
Creation time: 1870
Location: many printed copies exist
Open research questions:
- –
Literature:
- https://haroldsfonts.com/portfolio/essene-dingbats/
Fr La To Re
ID: 00068
Status: broken
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: 116
Content: masonic treatise
Author: unknown
Creation time: ~1900
Location: many printed copies exist
Open research questions:
- –
Literature:
- https://www.kuenzigbooks.com/pages/books/20209/fraternal-masonic-cipher-ritual/masonic-cipher-ritual-fr-la-to-re
Ast Ritual
ID: 00069
Status: broken
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: 28
Content: masonic treatise
Author: unknown
Creation time: 1822
Location: many printed copies exist
Open research questions:
- –
Literature:
- https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/2011/09/rare-ast-ritual-given-to-library.html
Ritual of the Work and Lectures of Ancient Craft Masonery
ID: 00070
Status: broken
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: ?
Content: masonic treatise
Author: unknown
Creation time: 1894
Location: many printed copies exist
Open research questions:
- –
Literature:
- https://s1122.photobucket.com/user/gub8/media/Cookbooks/Practical%20Cooking%20and%20Dinner%20Keeping%201880/FREEMASONRY/Rituals%20of%20the%20Work%20and%20Lectures/20140722_113007.jpg.html
Monoco Manuscript
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/desparlsp/3222046287/
ID: 00071
Status: unbroken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 35
Content: unknown
Author: David Esparza Sasin
Creation time: ~2009
Location: Owned by the creator
Open research questions:
- Solution is unknown
Literature: –
Agatha Highfield’s Diary
ID: 00072
Status: broken
Broken by: participants of National Cipher Challenge 2004
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary of a ficticious woman
Author: organizers of National Cipher Challenge 2004
Creation time: 2003
Location: digital
Open research questions:
- Solution is not documented
Literature:
- https://www.theguardian.com/education/cipherchallenge/howtoenter/0,,1040141,00.html
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2015/12/12/das-verschluesselte-tagebuch-der-agatha-highfield/
Lane Manuscript
ID: 00073
Status: broken
Broken by: flohansen, Norbert Biermann
Number of pages: 77
Content: handwritten masonic treatise
Author: unknown
Creation time: after 1892
Location: owned by Walter C. Newman
Open research questions:
- Background is not known
Literature:
- https://wp.me/p3BieR-2fu
Natasha Holme’s Diary
ID: 00074
Status: ?
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary of Natasha Holme
Author: Natasha Holme
Creation time: 1980’s, 1990’s
Location: owned by author
Open research questions:
- description of encryption methode
Literature:
- https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1331032-lesbian-crush-diaries-by-natasha-holme
Neil’s Diary
ID: 00075
Status: ?
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary of a man names Neil
Author: internet user named Neil
Creation time: 1980’s, 1990’s
Location: owned by author
Open research questions:
- encryption details
Literature:
- https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1331032-lesbian-crush-diaries-by-natasha-holme
Johannes van Heeck’s cipher manuscript
ID: 00076
Status: broken
Broken by: Nick Pelling
Number of pages: 410
Content: journey description
Author: Johannes van Heeck (1574–1616)
Creation time: ~1600
Location: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana
Open research questions:
- encryption details
Literature:
- https://www.ciphermysteries.com/2016/02/08/johannes-van-heecks-cipher-manuscript
Teenage girl diary
ID: 00077
Status: broken
Broken by: Rui Sousa Silva and Tim Grant
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary
Author: teenage girl
Creation time: ~2003
Location: UK police
Open research questions:
- encryption details
Literature:
- https://forensiclinguistics.net/The%20Cipher%20Diary%20case.pdf
Pietro Giannone’s last poem
ID: 00078
Status: broken
Broken by: Paolo Bonavoglia
Number of pages: 80
Content: poem
Author: Pietro Giannone (1791–1872)
Creation time: ~1870
Location: “Museo del Risorgimento” archive of Modena
Open research questions:
- a complete decipherment has not been published yet
Literature:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01611194.2015.1087072
- https://www.crittologia.eu/critto/giannonePoema.html
- https://www.crittologia.eu/critto/giannoneDecrittato.html
Charles Herbert’s diary
no scan available
ID: 00079
Status: broken
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: 208
Content: diary
Author: Charles Herbert (1757-1808)
Creation time: 1776-1780
Location: University of Delaware Library
Open research questions:
- no detailed information available
Literature:
- https://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/html/mss0097_0037.html
“1984” enciphered in color
ID: 00080
Status: broken
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 432
Content: George Orwell’s novel “1984”
Author: Hyo Myoung Kim
Creation time: 2010
Location: digital
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://www.hyomyoungkim.com/books/nineteen-eighty-four-enciphered-in-colour
Rebus Book
ID: 00081
Status: ?
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 4
Content: Masonic treatise
Author: unknow, probably a Freeemason
Creation time: unknwon
Location: Library & Archive of the Freemasons, London
Open research questions:
- Who wrote the book, when was it written
- What does it say?
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2016/08/28/who-can-solve-this-freemasonic-rebus-book
Russian Notebook
ID: 00082
Status: solved
Broken by: Merzmensch
Number of pages: 5
Content: Outline of a phantasy novel (?)
Author: unknown
Creation time: probably 1980s
Location: owned by somebody in Russia
Open research questions:
- Origin is unclear
Literature:
- https://uptodatetruth.com/community/topic/2234-zagadochnaya-rukopis-v-staroj-tetradi-proshu-pom/
Tengri 137
ID: 00083
Status: partially solved
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: ?
Content: mathematical and physical topics
Author: unknown
Creation time: 2016
Location: only exists as a digital document
Open research questions:
- last seven pages are unsolved
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2017/01/29/tengri-137-who-can-solve-this-encrypted-book/
Dellschau books
ID: 00084
Status: solved
Broken by: Pete Navarro
Number of pages: several hundreds
Content: treatise about a (probably non-existing) aviation club
Author: Charles Dellschau
Creation time: 1899-1922
Location: several owners
Open research questions:
- systematic overview on cryptograms should be made
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2017/01/31/the-mysterious-paintings-and-cryptograms-of-charles-dellschau/
AMMCQ AIYCI
ID: 00085
Status: solved
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: 56
Content: ?
Author: ?
Creation time: 2005
Location: many copies exist
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://gielev.free.fr/livrecrypte.php
Bruno Borges’ books
ID: 00086
Status: solved
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: several hundreds
Content: treatises written by Bruno Borges
Author: Bruno Borges
Creation time: 2017
Location: family of Bruno Borges
Page scans: –
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2017/04/07/alien-obsessed-student-vanishes-and-leaves-behind-encrypted-notes
21st Century Voynich Manuscript
ID: 00087
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: ~100
Content: unknwon
Author: Donald Fisk
Creation time: 2017
Location: online
Page scans: https://web.onetel.com/~hibou/voynich/generated-voynich-manuscript.html
Open research questions:
- content and cipher are unknown
Literature:
- https://web.onetel.com/~hibou/voynich/21stCenturyVoynichManuscript.html
Ernest Rinzi’s Journal
ID: 00088
Status: solved
Broken by: Tony Gaffney
Number of pages: 140
Content: ?
Author: Ernest Rinzi
Creation time: early 20th century
Location: Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Page scans: check here, here and here
Open research questions:
- only small part is decrypted
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2017/09/21/a-phantastic-discovery-the-encrypted-journal-of-ernesto-rinzi/
Maranatha Puzzle Pigpen Text
ID: 00089
Status: solved
Broken by: Maranatha Puzzle participants
Number of pages: 31
Content: ?
Author: Authors of the Maranatha Puzzle
Creation time: 2006
Location: digital
Page scans: ?
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://mysteriouswritings.com/the-maranatha-puzzles-contentment-page/
Clara’s Diary
ID: 00090
Status: solved
Broken by: John Essex
Number of pages: ?
Content: WW2 diary
Author: a woman named Clara
Creation time: mid 20th century
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- only small part is published
Literature:
- https://medium.com/the-coffeelicious/secret-codes-in-grandmas-diaries-ecddf89b9c88
manic_fuzz’ diary
ID: 00091
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: –
Content: teenager diary
Author: anonymous person
Creation time: 1990s (?)
Location: unknown
Page scans: ?
Open research questions:
- diary is unbroken
Literature:
- https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3053551
Diary of an unknown woman
ID: 00092
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: –
Content: diary
Author: unknown person
Creation time: 20th century
Location: unknown
Page scans: ?
Open research questions:
- diary is unbroken
Literature:
Hindoo Theology, for the Use of Missionaries
ID: 00093
Status: solved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 75
Content: Masonic treatise
Author: unknown person
Creation time: 1814
Location: many copies exist
Page scans: https://www.cryptograms.hcportal.eu/api/uploads/pdf/Hindoo_Theology_for_the_Use_of_Missionaries.pdf
Open research questions:
- Cleartext is not available.
Literature: https://www.cryptograms.hcportal.eu/web/#/ciphers/22
Diary of Siegfried Schwabl
ID: 00094
Status: solved
Broken by: Klara Gassner
Number of pages: unknown
Content: diary of a woodworker and soldier
Author: Siegfried Schwabl
Creation time: 1930s and 1940s
Location: Montafoner Museen
Page scans: ?
Open research questions:
- Cleartext is not available.
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2018/11/16/an-encrypted-diary-written-by-an-austrian-servant-and-soldier/
Diary of a pedophile priest
ID: 00095
Status: solved
Broken by: ?
Number of pages: unknown
Content: diary of a priest
Author: Pierre C.
Creation time: 1990s
Location: ?
Page scans: ?
Open research questions:
- Cleartext is not available.
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2019/01/21/can-you-break-this-encrypted-diary-of-a-pedophile-priest/
Andrew Fuller’s sermon book
ID: 00096
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages:
Content: sermon book of a priest
Author: Andrew Fuller
Creation time: 1780s
Location: ?
Page scans: ?
Open research questions:
- Cleartext is not available.
Literature:
19th century sailor’s diary
ID: 00097
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary of a sailor
Author: ?
Creation time: 19th century
Location: ?
Page scans: ?
Open research questions:
- Only one page available
Literature:
Ignaz Meyer’s diary
ID: 00098
Status: solved
Broken by: unknown
Number of pages: 370
Content: diary of German teacher and twon writer Ignaz Meyer
Author: Ignaz Meyer
Creation time: 1870-1879
Location: Town Museum of Aichach, Germany
Page scans: ?
Open research questions:
- Other volumes have been lost
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2019/07/20/the-encrypted-diary-of-ignaz-meyer/
- https://www.br.de/radio/bayern2/das-seltsame-tagebuch-des-ignaz-meyer100.html
MSS-Borg.lat.898
ID: 00099
Status: solved
Broken by: Nada Aldarrab, Kevin Knight, Beáta Megyesi
Number of pages: 408
Content: Latin book that describes how to treat various kinds of symptoms and diseases and reveals other pharmaceptic knowledge or secrets
Author: unknown
Creation time: 17th century
Location: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana
Page scans: ?
Open research questions:
- No page scans are available
Literature:
- https://cl.lingfil.uu.se/~bea/borg/
Dorn Manuscript
ID: 00100
Status: unsolved
Broken by: Thomas Bosbach
Number of pages: 7
Content: Excerpt from “Faust” by Goethe
Author: Martin Dorn
Creation time: 2019
Location: Klaus Schmeh
Page scans: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2019/12/10/can-you-decipher-the-dorn-manuscript/#comments
Open research questions:
- –
Literature:
- https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2019/12/10/can-you-decipher-the-dorn-manuscript/
Erich Pieper’s diary
ID: 00101
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: ?
Content: Diary of archeology student Erich Pieper
Author: Erich Piper
Creation time: 1928-1931
Location: Thomas Lieschke
Page scans:
Open research questions:
- solution is unknown
Literature:
Europa Redux Manuscript
ID: 00102
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: ?
Content: illustrations with unreadable captions
Author: unknown
Creation time: 1941-1945
Location: Honey & Wax Bookseller
Page scans: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Kt1HqpcvP/
Open research questions:
- solution is unknown
- origin is unknown
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2020/03/10/the-europa-redux-manuscript-a-fascinating-mystery/
Romanian diary
ID: 00103
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 2000
Content: diary
Author: unknown
Creation time: ca. 1993
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- solution is unknown
- origin is unknown
Literature:
VK Manuscript
ID: 00104
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: unknown
Content: unknown
Author: unknown
Creation time: unknown
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions:
- solution is unknown
- origin is unknown
Literature:
Charles Hafer’s Diary
ID: 00105
Status: solved
Broken by: Bob Bogart
Number of pages: ?
Content: Diary
Author: Charles Hafer (1862-1940)
Creation time: 1904-1907
Location: family possession
Page scans: –
Open research questions: –
Literature: –
Ludwig Göbel’s notebook
ID: 00106
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 20
Content: notes taken by painter Ludwig Göbel (1889-1964)
Author: Ludwig Göbel
Creation time: 1930s (?)
Location: family possession
Page scans:
Open research questions: plaintext is unknown
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2020/12/09/unsolved-the-encrypted-notebook-of-painter-ludwig-goebel/
Freemason book
ID: 00107
Status: solved
Broken by: unknown
Number of pages: ?
Content: unknown
Author: unknown
Creation time: 1760
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions: background is unknown
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/?p=22827&preview=true
Japanese diary
ID: 00108
Status: solved
Broken by: unknown
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary
Author: ?
Creation time: 1997
Location: unknown
Page scans: https://grapee.jp/22172
Open research questions: –
Literature: https://cryptiana.blogspot.com/2021/01/blog-post.html
Gelle Prayer Book
ID: 00109
Status: solved
Broken by: unknown
Number of pages: ?
Content: prayers
Author: ?
Creation time: late 18th century
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions: –
Literature: Benedel Láng: The Rohonc Code
Unknown diary
ID: 001110
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary
Author: ?
Creation time: ~2015
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions: plaintext is unknown
Literature: –
Emil Klein’s notebook
ID: 00111
Status: solved
Broken by: Armin Krauß
Number of pages: ?
Content: ?
Author: ?
Creation time: ~1944
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions: content is unknown
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2019/12/16/encrypted-notes-created-by-a-german-ww2-soldier/
A Captain from Portugal?
ID: 00112
Status: mostly solved
Broken by: Cipherbrain readers
Number of pages:
Content:
Author: Guy de Cointet
Creation time: 1972
Location: 500 copies printed
Page scans:
Open research questions: some pages still unsolved
Literature:
A Few Drawings
Quelle/Source: Guy de Cointet Society
ID: 00113
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: 56
Content: ?
Author: Guy de Cointet
Creation time: 1975
Location: 1000 copies printed
Page scans: https://vimeo.com/310600001
Open research questions: content is unknown
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2022/01/18/ein-verschluesseltes-buch-von-guy-de-cointet/
Das zweyte Silencium Dei
Quelle/Source: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
ID: 00114
Status: solved
Broken by: Richard Ashrowan
Number of pages: 70
Content: Alchemy
Author: Johann Arndt
Creation time: 1798
Location: Beinecke Library
Page scans: https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/10187248
Open research questions: –
Literature:
WW1 diary
ID: 00115
Status: solved
Broken by: Armin Krauß
Number of pages: unknown
Content: Diary
Author: unknown
Creation time: 1916
Location: unknown
Page scans: –
Open research questions: Only excerpt is known
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2022/04/30/wer-kann-dieses-verschluesselte-tagebuch-aus-dem-esten-weltkrieg-loesen/
Arcturus cryptogram
ID: 00116
Status: unsolved
Broken by: –
Number of pages: unknown
Content: unknown
Author: Robert Crimo (suspected Highland Park murderer)
Creation time: 2022
Location: digital
Page scans: http://zodiackillerciphers.com/robert%20crimo%20-%20arcturus%20encrypted%20book.pdf
Open research questions: encryption is still unsolved
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2022/07/15/die-verschluesselte-nachricht-des-highland-park-amoklaeufers/
Book of Soyga
ID: 00117
Status: solved
Broken by: Jim Reeds
Number of pages: 197
Content: treatise on magic
Author: unknown
Creation time: 16th century
Location: several copies exist
Page scans: –
Open research questions: –
Literature: https://archive.org/details/jimreedssoyga/page/n7/mode/2up
Steganographia
ID: 00118
Status: solved
Broken by: Thomas Ernst, Jim Reeds
Number of pages:
Content: Appears to be about magic, but is actually concerned with cryptography and steganography.
Author: Johannes Trithemius
Creation time: 1499
Location: Many copies exist.
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161-119891886948
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161-119891886957
IuminomenaI diary
ID: 00119
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages:
Content: Appears to be about magic, but is actually concerned with cryptography and steganography.
Author: Johannes Trithemius
Creation time: 1499
Location: Many copies exist.
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161-119891886948
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161-119891886957
lilvonz diary
ID: 00120
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages:
Content: Appears to be about magic, but is actually concerned with cryptography and steganography.
Author: Johannes Trithemius
Creation time: 1499
Location: Many copies exist.
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161-119891886948
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161-119891886957
Calvinyl diary
ID: 00121
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages:
Content:
Author:
Creation time:
Location:
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161-119891886948
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0161-119891886957
General-Farm-4655 diary
ID: 00122
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages:
Content:
Author:
Creation time:
Location:
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
Starguything diary
ID: 00123
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages:
Content:
Author:
Creation time:
Location: .
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
Thapenguino diary
ID: 00124
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages:
Content:
Author:
Creation time:
Location:
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
Jwfraustro diary
ID: 00125
Status: solved
Broken by:
Number of pages:
Content:
Author:
Creation time:
Location:
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
Tractatus de instrumentis artis memorie
ID: 00126
Status: solved
Broken by: ?
Number of pages:
Content:
Author: Johannes Fontana
Creation time: 1430
Location: ?
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature:
RICEGENOClDE diary
ID: 00127
Status: solved
Broken by: Jew-Lee Lann
Number of pages:
Content:
Author: ?
Creation time: ~2015
Location: ?
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2022/12/14/wer-kann-diese-verschluesselten-tagebuecher-dechiffrieren/
Roachtoom diary
ID: 00128
Status: solved
Broken by: Jew-Lee Lann
Number of pages:
Content:
Author: ?
Creation time: ~2015
Location: ?
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2022/12/14/wer-kann-diese-verschluesselten-tagebuecher-dechiffrieren/
gacha_ive-NSFW diary
ID: 00129
Status: solved
Broken by: Jew-Lee Lann
Number of pages: ?
Content: diary
Author: ?
Creation time: ~2015
Location: ?
Page scans:
Open research questions: –
Literature: https://scienceblogs.de/klausis-krypto-kolumne/2022/12/14/wer-kann-diese-verschluesselten-tagebuecher-dechiffrieren/
Criteria
This list catalogs encrypted books. A document qualifies as encrypted if it has been coded for secrecy (or at least this must be a plausible hypothesis). A document is considered a book if the content is typical for a book (e.g. diary, memoirs, novel, law collection), or if the document has the appearance of a book. This list contains books that are completely encrypted as well as books in which significant parts (e.g. several pages) are encrypted.
Candidates
The following books are candidates for the encrypted book list:
- Masonic Treatise (1802) https://freemasonry.bcy.ca/ritual/finch.pdf
- Encrypted diary from Plunkett Collection: https://sources.nli.ie/Record/MS_UR_056121
- Oliver Hart’s dairy: https://library.sc.edu/digital/collections/tennentowensabout.html, https://digital.library.sbts.edu/handle/10392/3193, https://129.252.189.70/record=b1350782
- Simonds D’Ewes’ diary
- John Dee: MONAS HIEROGLYPHICA (‘THE HIEROGLYPHIC MONAD’), according to “Tobias Churton: The Magus of Freemasonry: The Mysterious Life of Elias Ashmole” there is an encrypted version of this book
- https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/ciphers/
-
Bachter: Dechiffriertabelle für magische Alphabete in Gotha. Damit konnte man dann “Texte” herstellen, um Luzifer herbeizuzwingen und wieder wegzuschicken. Literaturangaben in Diss von Bachter. “Verschlüsselte” Stellen kommen in den Zauberbüchern des 18. Jahrhunderts vor, in den späteren Drucken werden sie typographisch zu aufwendig. Eine Ausnahme vielleicht Scheibles “Handschriftliche Schätze aus Zauberbüchern” Stuttgart ca. 1849. Oder Horst “Zauberbibliothek”.
- https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Masonic-Written-Typical-Shorthand/dp/images/B0032ZNK3Y
- https://www.ebay.de/itm/RARE-1894-ANTIQUE-FREEMASONRY-RITUALS-BOOK-Masonic-Written-Code-ONLY-1-FOUND-/380957357062?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item58b2d3f406
- https://www.etsy.com/de/listing/165627515/kryptische-freimaurer-chiffre-buch
- https://www.clusterflock.org/2008/04/king-solomon-and-his-followers-a-valuable-aid-to-the-memory.html
- A Message in Code: The Diary of Richard Rumbold, 1932-60
- Rev. Jonathan Fisher (1767-1847), a Maine minister who devised his own phonetic code and recorded all his sermons and diaries in it: https://www.jonathanfisherhouse.org/
-
‘The receipt book of Elizabeth Raper; and a portion of her cipher journal’ – this is a printed book (publ. Nonsuch Press1924) and contains no images of the cipher. It is presumably still kept by the Grant family – Great great grandson Bartlett Grant and his son Duncan Grant were responsible for the book.
-
Encrypted Diaries (Lang): https://rfiea.fr/articles/early-modern-ciphers-sources-history1
- Francis Beaufort’s diary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Beaufort, https://www.irishtimes.com/news/beaufort-s-scandals-1.52844
- Monmoth (costs 36$): https://www.jstor.org/stable/548575?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
-
Puschkin’s diary: https://www.mipco.com/english/push.html
- Gertrud Maria Rösch: Codes, geheimtext und Verschlüsselung (p.28)
- Encrypted diary: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/N13677160
Not on the List
The following books have not been included:
- Gorrequer’s secret diary (National Archives): It’s a secret diary but not an encrypted one.
- William Pitt Lawrence’s diary: Contains only a few encrypted lines.
- Karel Hynek Mácha’s diary: Contains only a few encrypted lines.
- The female Confederate spy Rose O’Neale Greenhow kept a diary that was believed to be written in code. However, it turned out to be bad penmanship.
- Day Joyce’s diary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_Joyce_Sheet): is not really a diary and is not encrypted
- Quilt diary: Contains only a few encrypted lines. Description: “A silk and ribbon cot quilt from Deal Castle (1690-1720) is shown for the first time with portraits of the children who slept beneath it and the maker’s diary written in code, which reveals political intrigue and family life in the 18th century.” Information from the V&A Museum: The diary is actually written in a variation of shorthand rather than code, and is not actually in the V&A collection – it was loaned to them from a private collection for the duration of a 2010 exhibition of quilts. There is a chapter about it and the cot quilt in the catalogue from that exhibition, which is available in the National Art Library located at the V&A. Registering as a reader can be done via the website, and is free, but it is usually advisable to request books at least one day in advance.
- https://culturalmormoncafeteria.blogspot.de/search/label/Cipher
- Protokollbuch des studentischen Constantistenordens (Neremberg): Only small parts are encrypted.
- Alfred Moore’s diary (no encryption, just numbers): https://www.rarebooks.nd.edu/digital/civil_war/diaries_journals/moore/
- Joseph W. Ely’s diary (only small parts encrypted): https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/the-codes-of-war/?_r=0
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