Aside from the books others mentioned, I wanted to also suggest one that recently came out: "Serious Cryptography" by Jean-Philippe Aumasson. What I like about this book is that it focuses on teaching crypto via programming practical implementations. So if you like coding and learning by example I highly recommend it.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593278268/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RSWKAbQZMK4FV
Serious Cryptography is a pretty good book for a beginner to read and get a grasp on a lot of the sub topics. Plus it has nice python code snippets for ya to play with IIRC.
[Serious Cryptography](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Serious-Cryptography-Jean-Philippe-Aumasson/dp/1593278268) is a very popular and highly rated introduction text.
I wouldn't say it's particularly mathematically rigorous but it will give you a solid introduction to the important principles underpinning modern cryptography.
Alright,
Well, my advice then is to study a little Python coding language. This sounds very doable with Python (there's even cool beginner books on how to crack codes with Python ( https://www.amazon.com/Serious-Cryptography-Practical-Introduction-Encryption/dp/1593278268/ )
That's how I'd go about it if I were in your shoes.
This has been recommended to me, and while I haven't read it (yet), Ive found other books by the same author very useful.
Wow this looks awesome, just ordered a copy from amazon. I really like the cover design and web aesthetic choices, slick as fuck.
If anyone wants other book suggestions, I have Crypto Dictionary and Serious Cryptography, both are excellent.
I recently read "Serious Cryptography: A Practical Introduction to Modern Cryptography"[1] and I recommend it.
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It explains the basics without going too much into the theoretical bits and proofs and even goes a bit into post-quantum stuff.
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Other than that, I really enjoyed Dan Boneh's Cryptography I course on Coursera [2]. I did not have time to do the assignments when I took it, but even just the theory is very interesting and up to date.
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[1] https://www.amazon.com/Serious-Cryptography-Practical-Introduction-Encryption/dp/1593278268/