remember this was not designed for computer
assisted solving, nor is it a real-life
(secret service etc.) cryptography situation
but a challange for readers of a cryptography
column.
also compare the background article at
http://www.eapoe.org/works/essays/gm41sw03.htm
quoting Poe:
"It is unnecessary to trouble yourself with the cipher printed in our Dec. number -- it is insoluble for the
reason that it is merely type in pi or something near it. Being absent from the office for a short time, I did not see a
proof and the compositors have made a complete medley. It has not even a remote resemblance to the MS."
which I think sounds credible enough (poor
printers)
I suggest you check out the
poecipher egroup which did not come up with
the solution first, but where the exact
reading of the solved cryptogram was discussed
thoroughly:
http://www.egroups.com/message/PoeCipher/140
here is what I believe it should read:
it was early spring warm and sultry
glowed the afternoon the very breezes
seemed to share the delicious languor of
universal nature and laden of various
and mingled perfumes of the rose and the
jessamine, the woodbine and the wildflower
they slowly wafted their fragrant offering
to the open window where sat the lovers
the ardent sun shone full upon her blushing
face and its gentle beauty was more like the
pyrexia of some wild romance or the fairy
inspiration of a dream than the actual
reality of earth tenderly her lover gazed
upon her as her clustering ringlets
were eased by amorous and sportive
zephyrs and when he perceived the rude
intrusion of the sunlight he sprang to
draw the curtain but she gently stayed
him no no dear charles she softly said
much rather would i have a little sun than
no air at all
which yields a key, depending on how exactly you transcribe the cryptogram, something like
now I'm a bit obsessed with a) tracing the
source of the text (because it sounds tantalizingly familiar to me) and b): why is that
key not plaintext! the "beauty" of this method of encryption would be that if you pick a plaintext key, automatically the more frequent letters get more aliases, yielding the desired flat lettercount of the encrypted message...
Slashdot Mirror
remember this was not designed for computer
assisted solving, nor is it a real-life
(secret service etc.) cryptography situation
but a challange for readers of a cryptography
column.
also compare the background article at
http://www.eapoe.org/works/essays/gm41sw03.htm
quoting Poe:
"It is unnecessary to trouble yourself with the cipher printed in our Dec. number -- it is insoluble for the
reason that it is merely type in pi or something near it. Being absent from the office for a short time, I did not see a
proof and the compositors have made a complete medley. It has not even a remote resemblance to the MS."
which I think sounds credible enough (poor
printers)
I suggest you check out the
poecipher egroup which did not come up with
the solution first, but where the exact
reading of the solved cryptogram was discussed
thoroughly:
http://www.egroups.com/message/PoeCipher/140
here is what I believe it should read:
it was early spring warm and sultry
glowed the afternoon the very breezes
seemed to share the delicious languor of
universal nature and laden of various
and mingled perfumes of the rose and the
jessamine, the woodbine and the wildflower
they slowly wafted their fragrant offering
to the open window where sat the lovers
the ardent sun shone full upon her blushing
face and its gentle beauty was more like the
pyrexia of some wild romance or the fairy
inspiration of a dream than the actual
reality of earth tenderly her lover gazed
upon her as her clustering ringlets
were eased by amorous and sportive
zephyrs and when he perceived the rude
intrusion of the sunlight he sprang to
draw the curtain but she gently stayed
him no no dear charles she softly said
much rather would i have a little sun than
no air at all
which yields a key, depending on how exactly you transcribe the cryptogram, something like
dehiliaXnCnEtHesUuTorsyrop
XDaLXXenXoIsuwXhrTDvzEXgea
FwauadLdAeFyiOrXmTFUXXXgne
TasHpoRXctmwortenOlaXehime
hXeAilmXXnOrpsXtYhXeoXXXAX
NXeurPOrshSXhXXXXeXeXTtXge
now I'm a bit obsessed with a) tracing the
source of the text (because it sounds tantalizingly familiar to me) and b): why is that
key not plaintext! the "beauty" of this method of encryption would be that if you pick a plaintext key, automatically the more frequent letters get more aliases, yielding the desired flat lettercount of the encrypted message...