Authorized Abridgement, Scholastic, Soft Cover ( )

How I loved this book as a boy. I read it cover to cover, and used it to construct secret codes. My copy did not make it into adulthood, but I'd like to think it's out there somewhere amusing some 10 or 14 year old. Oh, but they have cell phones and the internet now, so that's probably not so likely. Too bad. ( )

Excerpt from the Author's Foreword: "... If I were a teacher of English, science or mathematics, I'd take advantage of the interest and satisfying activities that codes and secret writing offer --- and I know that many teachers already do." This book for beginners is great fun and tells how to thoroughly enjoy the hobby. I discovered this book as a child and it has been a stimulus for endless hours of excitement and intrigue for more than 50 years. ( )

I first read this in grade school. I was pleased to stumble across a copy at a garage sale recently, and read the whole book again that weekend. Fun stuff! Definitely a youth / young adult book, but it is still a fascinating read, and perhaps a way to interest the internet-age munchkin in some lower technology "word magic". ( )

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