> If you’re reading this, you’re probably a red-blooded American programmer with a simmering interest in cryptography. And my guess is your interest came from B

> If you’re reading this, you’re probably a red-blooded American programmer with a simmering interest in cryptography. And my guess is your interest came from Bruce Schneier’s Applied Cryptography. Yep. I read it at... age 16? It was old by the time I got to it, since I'm relatively young, but I still loved it. It didn't give me a spark for crypto, I had the spark when I ordered the book, but it did a very good job of nurturing and kindling it. > The biggest problem with Applied Cryptography isn’t the technical content, but the tone. It can’t decide whether to be a tour guide or a handbook. That's a good summary. Personally, I've always thought of it as a hands-on encyclopedia.