// Alternatives
Alternatives to Serious Cryptography
Books in our catalog with overlapping topics and a similar reading level to Serious Cryptography. If Serious Cryptography is the wrong fit at intermediate level, start here.
01 · 2021
Real-World Cryptography
David Wong's hands-on tour of the cryptographic primitives, protocols and pitfalls that show up in actual production systems, with deliberate attention to TLS, Noise, modern AEAD, and post-quantum.
Intermediate5/5David Wong02 · 2010
Cryptography Engineering
A working engineer's introduction to cryptography that takes implementation pitfalls more seriously than most.
Intermediate4/5Niels Ferguson, Bruce Schneier, Tadayoshi Kohno03 · 1998
La science du secret
A lucid popular-science history of cryptography by Jacques Stern, one of France's most eminent cryptographers — from classical ciphers to public-key and the science of secrecy.
Intermediate4/5Jacques Stern04 · 2010
Understanding Cryptography
A genuinely teachable intro to modern cryptography that derives the math instead of hand-waving it, covering symmetric and public-key primitives without drowning you in proofs.
Intermediate4/5Christof Paar, Jan Pelzl05 · 2020
Security Engineering
Ross Anderson's comprehensive textbook on the design of secure systems, covering protocols, access control, side channels, economics of security, and policy.
Advanced5/5Ross Anderson06 · 1999
The Code Book
A narrative history of cryptography from Caesar ciphers to public-key, told through the people and the wars that turned on broken codes. Still the best on-ramp to why crypto matters.
Beginner5/5Simon Singh07 · 2021
Crypto Dictionary
Jean-Philippe Aumasson's alphabetical, opinionated reference on cryptographic terms, primitives, attacks and folklore. Snack-format companion to Serious Cryptography.
Beginner4/5Jean-Philippe Aumasson08 · 2015
Sécurité informatique
A rigorous academic course on the foundations of security — cryptography, authentication, access control — with corrected exercises, from a team of well-known French and Swiss cryptographers.
Advanced4/5Gildas Avoine, Pascal Junod, Philippe Oechslin, Sylvain Pasini09 · 2023
Exercices et problèmes de cryptographie
A rigorous problem book for learning cryptography — over 150 corrected exercises with course summaries, for L3/master/engineering students — by a French academic cryptographer.
Advanced3/5Damien Vergnaud10 · 2024
Extreme Privacy
Michael Bazzell's defender-side companion to OSINT Techniques: a step-by-step program for removing yourself from data brokers, public records, and the everyday surveillance economy without going off-grid.
Intermediate5/5Michael Bazzell