April 17, 2006 — The recently arrested "boss of bosses" of the Sicilian Mafia, Bernardo Provenzano, wrote notes using an encryption scheme similar to the one used by Julius Caesar more than 2,000 years ago, according to a biography of Italy's most wanted man.
 . . .
The letter, written in January 2001 by Angelo Provenzano to his father, was found with other documents when one of Provenzano's men, Nicola La Barbera, was arrested

"...I met 512151522 191212154 and we agreed that we will see each other after the holidays...," said the letter, which included several other cryptograms.

"The Binnu code is nothing new: each number corresponds to a letter of the alphabet. "A" is 4, "B" is 5, "C" is 6 and so on until the letter Z , which corresponds to number 24," wrote Palazzolo and Oliva.

While the classic Caesar cipher moves everything three letters later (A becomes D, B becomes E, etc.), the "Provenzano code" assigns a number to each letter by simply increasing by 3 the value given to the 21 letters of the Italian alphabet listed in order.
So, A becomes 4 (1 3), B becomes 5 (2 3), C becomes 6 (3 3), etc
"In the Provenzano code the key is the 3 shift," mathematics expert Alessandro Martignago told Discovery News.

As the code is cracked, the "512151522 191212154" person becomes "Binnu Riina." Most likely, it refers to Bernardo Riina, arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of aiding Provenzano while he was on the run.

I got a letter from someone who said that Provenzano might have done better if he would have read my book first . . . ;)

Mafia Boss's Encrypted Messages Unraveled

I just get such a giggle out of seeing what shows up in the Amazon "also bought" list on my book's page. Today (sales rank #16,123, btw), it's:

- The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh

- The Cryptogram Challenge: Over 150 Codes to Crack and Ciphers to Break by Robert Allen

- Twisty Little Passages : An Approach to Interactive Fiction by Nick Montfort

- Rootkits : Subverting the Windows Kernel by Greg Hoglund

- Fortune's Formula : The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street by William Poundstone

Especially that "Rootkits" one makes me laugh everytime I see it. Yay, my geek fans are buying my book!

Elonka :)

2501 wrote:

Elonka wrote:
Thanks for the update! I'm curious as to whether or not I need to sit the publisher down and explain that for the book to sell, it might help if it was actually IN the stores! ;)

Elonka:

Finally I got the book last night and it is just awesome. I showed it to all my friends and they started to crack the ciphers. It is more of what I was expeting. Another great book for my collection.
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great, thanks for the feedback! Feel free to post an Amazon review, too. :)

Elonka :)

RE: Amazon.com: The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms: Over 600 Mystery Codes to Be Cracked!: Books: Elonka Dunin

The Da Vinci Code involves a thrilling murder investigation that unearths a secret that could change the course of history. The film opens on May 19th worldwide.

Beginning on April 17th you will embark on a quest that requires skill, intellect, and perseverance. For 24 days, you will encounter unique challenges. These daily puzzles will pull you deeper into the world of The Da Vinci Code. Answer all 24 puzzles correctly for a chance to win untold riches.

For those who like the ARG stuff . . .

The Google 'Da Vinci Code Quest'

Discover Magazine Issues may-06

This month's issue of Discover (May 2006, with the stars on the cover), also has a mention of me and my book, in the "Bogglers" gaming column.

Elonka :)

Discover Magazine - May 2006

She recently took time to discuss "Kryptos" and her new book, "The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms," a collection of more than 600 coded puzzles. Later this month, it will be sold in the United Kingdom as "The Mammoth Book of Secret Code Puzzles."

Q&A about my new book, in the Sunday edition of St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Elonka :)

STLtoday - [Elonka Dunin] doesn't just write about codes -- she cracks them

The Da Vinci Code is currently being adapted into a film by Columbia Pictures, with director Ron Howard; the film will star Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu and Sir Ian McKellen as Leigh Teabing. It is scheduled for release on May 19, 2006.

Brown is working on a new novel, called The Solomon Key, which will reportedly take place in Washington DC, and feature the secret society of the Freemasons. Exact release date has not been announced, but the most common media speculation says late 2006 or sometime in 2007.

Brown's promotional website states that puzzles hidden in the bookjacket of The Da Vinci Code (including two referring to the Kryptos sculpture at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia) give hints about the subject of the next novel.

Dan Brown says that he currently has outlines for at least 12 future books, one of which involves a famous composer's "all factual" associations with a secret society.

I am memeing this not because the article is interesting, but because the wording is. The last few paragraphs are *my* phrasing, lifted word for word out of the "Future Projects" section of the Dan Brown Wikipedia article, about 80% of which was written by me.

Fashion Monitor Toronto - Dan Brown Clear of Da Vinci Code Plagiarism Accusations

FYI, I just got word today from someone who had a "pre-order" in at Amazon, that they received their copy this morning. So that's about 10 days from the official "release" date of March 28, but at least it's good to know that they're finally shipping! I also spoke to a store manager at Borders today, who said that for their chain at least, he got word that the books have left the warehouses, and are "IT" (In-Transit) to the stores. His guess is that they'll be on shelves within the next few days. He also mentioned that most new books only do a preliminary shipment of 1 book to each store, but for mine, the buyers pre-ordered 2-4 for each store, which he says is unusual but a good sign that they're optimistic it'll sell well. So, I'm encouraged!

Elonka :)
http://www.elonka.com/mammoth/

Paperback: The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms:

Well, I just got word from one of my fans, that at least Walmart.com has my book in stock, as my fan was able to receive it by ordering through walmart.com.

I have yet to hear of any actual brick-and-mortar store carrying it though. The stores are telling me that the book showed as "released", and that any walk-in customers can special order it for a 3-7 day delivery. The stores also say that they've ordered "shelf copies" several weeks ago, but haven't received anything yet. Their records show that hundreds of copies are just sitting in the warehouses and not shipping for some reason.

My "scam antennae" are starting to wave. On Amazon, there are now *17* "used and new" copies of the book selling through discount sellers, who are officially undercutting Amazon (and Walmart's) price by about a buck, but then of course putting on a hefty Shipping & Handling fee.

I have to wonder though -- Where are all of these "used" merchants getting their copies from, considering the book hasn't even shipped yet, and the stores are reporting *trouble* with getting their copies? What it looks like, is that the "used" sellers are people in warehouses, who are diverting the copies of my book from the bookstore sales, to their own inventories, and doing it in such numbers, that it's preventing bookstores from stocking the book.

Is this just my paranoia talking? Or has anyone else ever heard of such a problem? I'm just bewildered by how bookstores aren't carrying the book, but the quantity of "used & new" copies is going up dramatically. And, is this a good thing or a bad thing? I mean, intuitively, it would seem to me that to sell more books, it would help if the bookstores actually had them ON THE *(@*#& SHELVES. Especially since I've got major press coming up within the next few weeks -- a column in an upcoming issue of "Discover" magazine, plus an upcoming article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As I've been trying to explain to my publisher, if the book's getting press, it might help to sell a few copies if it was actually available in stores?

(grumbling and ranting),

Elonka

Walmart.com: The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms

The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms: Over 600 Mystery Codes to Be Cracked! (Paperback)

It's official, my book's out. :) The Amazon listing shows it as "now delivering", though their blurb and graphic are still out of date. And I can't find any stores in St. Louis that are actually carrying it (they all say that they're supposed to have 2-4 copies on the shelves, but despite having ordered it in mid-February, haven't received a shipment yet). And, ironically enough, the Amazon listing already shows 3 used booksellers offering copies, which gives me a good laugh since they probably don't have their copies yet either!

But, it's out! I'm published, I think . . .

Elonka :)

Amazon.com: The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms: Over 600 Mystery Codes to Be Cracked!: Books: Elonka Dunin