Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

My enjoyment of this book was hampered by having read many other books on the subject. It did fill in gaps in my historical timeline but in the areas I was familiar with, it did not really add anything. An excellent book for someone just starting an interest in codebreaking or someone interested in military history who has not otherwise delved into this critical area.

Images of The National Archives: Codebreakers is a historical pictorial collection documenting the history of Britain's codebreakers from the Renaissance on toward the modern activity of the Signal Corps during and after WW2, Bletchley Park, Turing (gets his own chapter) and the rest. Released 30th April 2020 by Pen & Sword, it's 144 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

The author, Dr. Stephen Twigge, is a historian at the National Archives, and definitely seems to know what he's talking about. The book is very well researched, moderately well annotated (especially for such a short book), and written in layman accessible language which is never dry or boring. The illustrations and images are the main attraction and the author does a wonderful job of explaining and illuminating without pedantry. I really enjoyed his commentary and got much more out of the illustrations by way of his explanations.

I have been a cryptography nerd since I was a little kid and grew up a maths/coding fanatic, and Turing was an early hero of mine. The author does a decent job of explaining some complex early computer science concepts which Turing was exploring, an overview of Enigma, as well as giving a brief and dispassionate biography of his life and tragic death in 1954. I really enjoyed seeing facsimile pictures of some of Turing's notes and research papers; it gave me a little chill to see notations in his own hand in pen.

The book includes a cross referenced index, bibliography, and notes. Very well illustrated and engagingly written. Four stars. This would be a superlative choice for readers interested in history. I learnt quite a lot and enjoyed paging through and seeing the documents and notes.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Haunting images, and a great amount of information. I felt like I learned something valuable. The code breakers is a part of history I have always been interested and this book didn’t disappoint.

I love this book as it's well researched and full of facts. I liked the pictures and the documents shown.
I learned a lot about codes and cipher and it was a good read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I thought that this was a really interesting book and it was crammed full of detail.

I do love history and am reading more and more on the period that covers the Second World War at the moment so this was a book that was right up my street.

I already thought that Alan Turing and his team of codebreakers were fascinating but the book has made me determined now to visit the Bletchley Park site where these discoveries that most likely shortened the war took place as I want to expand my knowledge and it has really sparked an interest for me and it does make me wonder how different things may have been had they not been able to crack the codes and ciphers when they did.

The book is just under 150 pages and it is quite a quick read but I was fascinated as I was reading and I definitely felt more informed after I had finished it.

I found that the book was well written and there was just the right amount of detail, you could very easily have been overwhelmed with some of the terms that would have been used at the time but the author has kept the book concise – highly recommended!!

Author Stephen Twigge published the book “Images of The National Archives: Codebreakers” in 2020 (August). This is his third book.

I categorize this novel as ‘G’. The book looks at UK Signals Intelligence. It begins before WWI and goes up through the Cold War, but the emphasis is on the activities during WWII. As you might imagine from the name, the book contains many photos.

I enjoyed the 1.5 hours I spent reading this 144-page history. This was a quick read and is more novella length. It does have many interesting photos, though I thought it could have been much longer. If you have an interest in Bletchley Park, you will find this book of interest. I give this book a 3.4 (rounded down to a 3) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Very good introduction to the history of codes and ciphers. Many excellent pictures and reproductions of original documents and machines used in code breaking. Focuses primarily on the major code breaking events of WW1 and WW2.

I love history, especially military, so I was really looking forward to reading this. A well-written book with not too much information that you are overwhelmed, but a fascinating insight into codes and ciphers. Totally loved it! I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.