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Bletchley Park Brainteasers: The World War II Codebreakers Who Beat the Enigma Machine--And More Than 100 Puzzles and Riddles That Inspired Them
Have a knack for mastering Morse code? Want to discover whether your crossword hobby might have seen you recruited into the history books? Do you think you could have outsmarted the Nazi's enigma machine? Bletchley Park was the top-secret home of British World War II codebreakers. If you're a history buff or a fan of the New York Timescrossword puzzle, this is the book for you.
When scouring the land for high-level codebreakers, the Bletchley Park recruiters left no stone unturned. As well as approaching the country's finest mathematicians, they cast their nets much wider, interviewing music students who could read orchestral scores, chess masters, poets, linguists, hieroglyphics experts, and high-society debutantes fresh from finishing school. To assess these individuals, they devised various ingenious mind-twisters--hidden codes, cryptic crosswords, secret languages, and complex riddles. These puzzles, together with the fascinating recruitment stories that surround them, that make up the backbone of this book, endorsed by Bletchley Park itself.
The codebreakers of Bletchley Park were united in their love of a good puzzle. If you feel the same, why not dive in, put your mental agility to the test, and discover: Would Bletchley Park have recruited YOU?
When scouring the land for high-level codebreakers, the Bletchley Park recruiters left no stone unturned. As well as approaching the country's finest mathematicians, they cast their nets much wider, interviewing music students who could read orchestral scores, chess masters, poets, linguists, hieroglyphics experts, and high-society debutantes fresh from finishing school. To assess these individuals, they devised various ingenious mind-twisters--hidden codes, cryptic crosswords, secret languages, and complex riddles. These puzzles, together with the fascinating recruitment stories that surround them, that make up the backbone of this book, endorsed by Bletchley Park itself.
The codebreakers of Bletchley Park were united in their love of a good puzzle. If you feel the same, why not dive in, put your mental agility to the test, and discover: Would Bletchley Park have recruited YOU?
280 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2017
122 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
Sinclair McKay
55 books176 followersSinclair McKay writes regularly for the Daily Telegraph and The Secret Listeners and has written books about James Bond and Hammer horror for Aurum. His next book, about the wartime “Y” Service during World War II, is due to be published by Aurum in 2012. He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 17, 2019
One thing comes clear after reading this book, Bletchley would not have selected me.
Worth a look if you like complex puzzles with a bit of history thrown in.
Worth a look if you like complex puzzles with a bit of history thrown in.
May 28, 2018
A mega-fun book of brainteasers that's also an informative account of what Bletchley Park codebreakers would have been up against. Perfect for detective nerds! (12+)
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
January 6, 2020
The right combination of history and puzzles for me - after all, history is comprised of puzzles, don't you think? We all have to work at decoding everything around us.
Not sure that I would have been good enough to have been selected for Bletchley. I'd like to imagine that I would have been.
I'll be working on these puzzles for a long time - they're a lot of fun!
Not sure that I would have been good enough to have been selected for Bletchley. I'd like to imagine that I would have been.
I'll be working on these puzzles for a long time - they're a lot of fun!
April 12, 2018
Bletchley Park is one of those places that have become almost mythical to those interested in the history of the Second World War. A secret establishment, its story remained largely secret for many years after the war, and the work of the men and women who worked there only became public in the last quarter of the twentieth century.
The remarkable story of the code-breaking that went on at Bletchley is now largely in the public domain, and many books, TV programmes and films have appeared over the last thirty years. This book takes a particular approach. It looks directly at the people; who they were and how they were recruited and selected.
That process was initially very haphazard; but it worked. Academics who worked with arcane languages or toiled over pure mathematics. Chess addicts, happy to spend hours contemplating the results of one move. Anyone fluent in languages. But it was soon realised that a huge range of skills were needed, and those in charge were happy to recruit from every part of society. The resulting mix of people was incredibly diverse; it must have been an intensely exciting place to be.
In this book the author gives a potted history of Bletchley; describes how the recruitment process worked; and recounts some individual stories of those who ended up there. But the main focus of the book is the puzzles, riddles, tests and teasers that were used to assess people. They took many forms, and each chapter tests a different part of the psyche. From crosswords to morse code, from invented languages to logic, its all here. Many of the puzzles are actual examples from the time, and they range - for me, at least - from the relatively simple, to completely impossible.
So why the relatively low score? Well, I was never quite sure what the book was trying to do. The ongoing story of the recruitment process, and the personal stories, are interesting, but not enough to really satisfy. If you are looking for a history of Bletchley Park, then this is not it. And as a puzzle book, it may also come up short. Interesting and varied, but at times somewhat repetitive. It is, perhaps, a good book to have lying around to occasionally challenge yourself, rather than one to read through in one go.
Finally, what of the question prominently displayed on the front of the book; 'Would Bletchley Park have recruited you?' Well, we all have different strengths and weaknesses. Some sections of the book, I was able to fathom and solve many of the puzzles. But some sections left me completely baffled! I don't think I would have found myself working in what must have been one of the most intellectually rewarding environments in our history.
The remarkable story of the code-breaking that went on at Bletchley is now largely in the public domain, and many books, TV programmes and films have appeared over the last thirty years. This book takes a particular approach. It looks directly at the people; who they were and how they were recruited and selected.
That process was initially very haphazard; but it worked. Academics who worked with arcane languages or toiled over pure mathematics. Chess addicts, happy to spend hours contemplating the results of one move. Anyone fluent in languages. But it was soon realised that a huge range of skills were needed, and those in charge were happy to recruit from every part of society. The resulting mix of people was incredibly diverse; it must have been an intensely exciting place to be.
In this book the author gives a potted history of Bletchley; describes how the recruitment process worked; and recounts some individual stories of those who ended up there. But the main focus of the book is the puzzles, riddles, tests and teasers that were used to assess people. They took many forms, and each chapter tests a different part of the psyche. From crosswords to morse code, from invented languages to logic, its all here. Many of the puzzles are actual examples from the time, and they range - for me, at least - from the relatively simple, to completely impossible.
So why the relatively low score? Well, I was never quite sure what the book was trying to do. The ongoing story of the recruitment process, and the personal stories, are interesting, but not enough to really satisfy. If you are looking for a history of Bletchley Park, then this is not it. And as a puzzle book, it may also come up short. Interesting and varied, but at times somewhat repetitive. It is, perhaps, a good book to have lying around to occasionally challenge yourself, rather than one to read through in one go.
Finally, what of the question prominently displayed on the front of the book; 'Would Bletchley Park have recruited you?' Well, we all have different strengths and weaknesses. Some sections of the book, I was able to fathom and solve many of the puzzles. But some sections left me completely baffled! I don't think I would have found myself working in what must have been one of the most intellectually rewarding environments in our history.
May 6, 2019
Realistically I haven't picked this up in ages and I suppose I have to call it abandoned. I found it tougher going than I expected but may return to it at a later date. It's not helped by being a paperback and I haven't read a physical book through to the end in more than a year, so not too much should be read into the star rating as I know I haven't given it a good go.
October 14, 2019
The answer to a question asked on the cover - would you have been chosen to work at Bletchley Park? - is most definitely "No." But it was fun looking at the way those who did work there actually went about their business. Some of the puzzles are a bit artificial, and the standard for questions on the crossword section are quite different to what we have today. But interesting nevertheless.
October 20, 2020
What a cool book! I was expecting something like the puzzle books you can buy at the grocery store, but this also taught history - and the puzzles were legit!
March 28, 2021
Good blend of history and typology of different kinds of brain teasers-puzzles.
January 26, 2022
Wonderful book. While not obviously a detailed history of the topic, the link to the minds of the great people that worked there is just terrific.
January 3, 2025
While I found the stories of the various codes and the people recruited to solve them fascinating, I would never have got a job at Bletchley Park as I was able to solve very few of the puzzles included.
Would you love to master morse code? Could you have have outsmarted an enigma machine? Would your love of chess have seen you recruited into the history books? When scouring the land for top-level code breakers, the Bletchley Park recruiters left no stone unturned. As well as approaching the country's finest mathematicians, they cast their nets much wider, interviewing sixth-form music students who could read orchestral scores, chess masters, poets, linguists, hieroglyphics experts and high society debutantes fresh from finishing school. To assess these individuals they devised various ingenious mind-twisters - hidden codes, cryptic crosswords, secret languages, complex riddles - and it is puzzles such as these, together with the fascinating recruitment stories that surround them, that make up the backbone of this book. The code breakers of Bletchley Park were united in their love of a good puzzle. If you feel the same, why not dive in, put your mental agility to the test and discover: Would Bletchley Park have recruited YOU?
Would you love to master morse code? Could you have have outsmarted an enigma machine? Would your love of chess have seen you recruited into the history books? When scouring the land for top-level code breakers, the Bletchley Park recruiters left no stone unturned. As well as approaching the country's finest mathematicians, they cast their nets much wider, interviewing sixth-form music students who could read orchestral scores, chess masters, poets, linguists, hieroglyphics experts and high society debutantes fresh from finishing school. To assess these individuals they devised various ingenious mind-twisters - hidden codes, cryptic crosswords, secret languages, complex riddles - and it is puzzles such as these, together with the fascinating recruitment stories that surround them, that make up the backbone of this book. The code breakers of Bletchley Park were united in their love of a good puzzle. If you feel the same, why not dive in, put your mental agility to the test and discover: Would Bletchley Park have recruited YOU?
September 1, 2021
I would not have made it into Bletchley Park!
The structure was great; it was really effective how they divided it so that you had a whole range of puzzles to do. The beginning notes to each chapter were really informative and gave a great overview of the types of people who were recruited into Bletchley.
The puzzles themselves are more difficult than do-able so I got frustrated at times. I thought each section could have started with easier ones and progressed to harder so that at least people could complete some per chapter, whereas there was a lot where I was unable to complete even a single one.
The structure was great; it was really effective how they divided it so that you had a whole range of puzzles to do. The beginning notes to each chapter were really informative and gave a great overview of the types of people who were recruited into Bletchley.
The puzzles themselves are more difficult than do-able so I got frustrated at times. I thought each section could have started with easier ones and progressed to harder so that at least people could complete some per chapter, whereas there was a lot where I was unable to complete even a single one.
August 18, 2020
Firstly it is clear that I would not have made it Bletchley Park. However, I could do some of the problems, whether they were numerical (better) or language.
In the main though some I just didn’t get, and the story was too little to offset, for me, a difficult read.
However times had something to do with this, clearly those educated before WW2 had a greater level of classics than I did, and I think I am typical for my peer group (so they wouldn’t have known about the Beatles, the internet, or Milton Keynes.
Interesting, but better reads for me, in this series.
In the main though some I just didn’t get, and the story was too little to offset, for me, a difficult read.
However times had something to do with this, clearly those educated before WW2 had a greater level of classics than I did, and I think I am typical for my peer group (so they wouldn’t have known about the Beatles, the internet, or Milton Keynes.
Interesting, but better reads for me, in this series.
June 29, 2024
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/bletchley-park-brainteasers-by-sinclair-mckay/
A breezy collection of puzzles, aimed perhaps at older teenagers, with lots of stories about what life was like for the men and women who worked at Bletchley Park during the second world war. A lot of people are into the Bletchley Park fandom and I guess this will feed those cravings and also provide some intellectual stimulation.
A breezy collection of puzzles, aimed perhaps at older teenagers, with lots of stories about what life was like for the men and women who worked at Bletchley Park during the second world war. A lot of people are into the Bletchley Park fandom and I guess this will feed those cravings and also provide some intellectual stimulation.
January 10, 2020
Engaging balance between the stories of the Bletchley park codebreakers & the types of puzzles that fueled their active and passive minds. If you enjoy crossword & Sudoku puzzles independent of ever completing them. Sometimes the puzzle incomplete is the catnip to a connection or breakthrough that has been waiting for the intertextual illumination.
January 2, 2018
Very interesting, but very humbling at the same time. Makes what these people were able to do all the more impressive.
April 9, 2018
Really good short chapters about the people who worked as code breakers.
And really fiendish puzzles to test whether you are smart enough to work at Bletchley Park (I'm not)
And really fiendish puzzles to test whether you are smart enough to work at Bletchley Park (I'm not)
April 29, 2024
Some easy, some challenging, some too tricky. Don’t think I would have made the grade 🤣 but fun finding out.
February 12, 2025
Enjoyed the combination of puzzles with the history of Bletchley Park. This is something that I would pick up and put down so it took me awhile to finish the puzzles.
Read
April 8, 2019An interesting set of puzzles copied from or inspired by those set for the brilliant minds at Bletchley Park.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews