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Paul Gannon
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Inside Room 40: The Codebreakers of World War 1 Hardcover – January 1, 2011

by Paul Gannon (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
See all formats and editions
When the German cruiser Magdeburg ran aground off the Estonian coast in August 1914, the British Admiralty did not realize that what was onboard the ill-fated vessel would hand them a decisive advantage in the battle for North Sea supremacy, and subsequently lead to the birth of the Government Communications Headquarters. Before long, the codebooks used by German warships, u-boats, and naval zeppelins, and the ciphers used by the Germans to communicate with their naval attachés and embassies, had also fallen into the Admiralty’s possession. Having been gifted such priceless information, Admiral Oliver, the Director of Naval Intelligence, assembled a team comprising the most talented British cryptologists who, by the end of the war, had deciphered over 15,000 German communications. Operating out of their humble base in Room 40 of the Admiralty Headquarters, and led by Alfred Ewing, who constructed ciphers as a hobby, the team played an integral role in the naval engagements during the war.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    287 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ian Allen Pub
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0711034087
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0711034082
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Gannon is a journalist and writer who specializes in information and communications technology. His first book, Trojan Horses and National Champions: Crisis in Europe’s Computing and Telecommunications Industry was awarded the ?T Book of the Year in 1997. More recently, he has written the Hillwalking Guide to Snowdonia and the highly acclaimed Colossus: Bletchley Park’s Greatest Secret for Atlantic Books.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ian Allen Pub (January 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 287 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0711034087
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0711034082
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 9 ratings

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Paul Gannon

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
9 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

piso mojado
1.0 out of 5 stars poor scholarship
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2013
Verified Purchase
many conclusions are simply wrong
many statements are inaccurate
possibly interesting anecdotes have no sources

it is worse than half-baked
3 people found this helpful
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Bayard B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Covers breaking of the German Naval and diplomatic codes, and even neutral countries, of World War I.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2017
Excellent story of the fabled British Room 40. The book presents a comprehensive rendering of the British naval, army, and diplomatic code breaking. Most of the book focuses on the interception and decoding of German Naval signals pertaining to the North Sea area. The last couple of chapters then add the British efforts elsewhere, such as the Mediterranean, Baltic, and even the Russian / Bolshevik interceptions and decodings.

The British penetrated just about every code and cypher system used by everybody in WW I, including diplomatic codes used by the neutral US, South American countries, and other European countries. The book offers the most comprehensive story of the Zimmermann Telegram Affair that I have read.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Andrew
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in Canada on August 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
The level of detail was fantastic. It was in now way dry.
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Hunter Jack
5.0 out of 5 stars this information helps me to better understand some special things of the past
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book is interesting not only because its author offers some "spy stories" (these are, if truth, out of my attention), but also describes what I would call "spy technologies". In fact, it concerns more or less detailed and certainly rare information about German ganz geheim (top secret) items, namely signal books, codes, etc., used to keep secrets, and British countermeasures on the other hand. As far as I am doing special researches in the field of naval history, this information helps me to better understand some special things of the past. So I like this book and sincerely thank Paul Gannon for it.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great book for my researches - excellent
One person found this helpful
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James Edwards
4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2022
Verified Purchase
Inside Room 40 (or Before Bletchley Park) is absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in codebreaking, especially especially during WW1 and the legacy of Room 40 and MI1b as the forerunner to GC&CS / Bletchley Park. Highly recommended. An extraordinary amount of detail packed into 256 pages.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Paul writes very well and a good primer for his Colossus book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2015
Verified Purchase
A gem. Paul writes very well and a good primer for his Colossus book.
One person found this helpful
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