Cryptologic History:
A 1550 edition of Trithemius’ “Polygraphiae” (first published in 1518)
Donated By: Dr. David Kahn
Year Donated: 2011
A 1550 edition of Trithemius’ “Polygraphiae” (first published in 1518) – It’s the first printed book on cryptology. And if you look closely at the paper peeking from behind the cover, in the early days of printing, presses would use scraps of old manuscripts as filler material between the cover and the opening pages. Historians have discovered manuscripts that were thought to be lost—hidden within the covers of other books.