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With this extraordinary first volume in what promises to be an epoch-making masterpiece, Neal Stephenson hacks into the secret histories of nations and the private obsessions of men, decrypting with dazzling virtuosity the forces that shaped this century.

In 1942, Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse - mathematical genius and young Captain in the U.S. Navy - is assigned to detachment 2702. It is an outfit so secret that only a handful of people know it exists, and some of those people have names like Churchill and Roosevelt. The mission of Watrehouse and Detatchment 2702-commanded by Marine Raider Bobby Shaftoe-is to keep the Nazis ignorant of the fact that Allied Intelligence has cracked the enemy's fabled Enigma code. It is a game, a cryptographic chess match between Waterhouse and his German counterpart, translated into action by the gung-ho Shaftoe and his forces.

Fast-forward to the present, where Waterhouse's crypto-hacker grandson, Randy, is attempting to create a "data haven" in Southeast Asia - a place where encrypted data can be stored and exchanged free of repression and scrutiny. As governments and multinationals attack the endeavor, Randy joins forces with Shaftoe's tough-as-nails grandaughter, Amy, to secretly salvage a sunken Nazi sumarine that holds the key to keeping the dream of a data haven afloat. But soon their scheme brings to light a massive conspiracy with its roots in Detachment 2702 linked to an unbreakable Nazi code called Arethusa. And it will represent the path to unimaginable riches and a future of personal and digital liberty...or to universal totalitarianism reborn.

A breathtaking tour de force, and Neal Stephenson's most accomplished and affecting work to date, CRYPTONOMICON is profound and prophetic, hypnotic and hyper-driven, as it leaps forward and back between World War II and the World Wide Web, hinting all the while at a dark day-after-tomorrow. It is a work of great art, thought, and creative daring; the product of a truly iconAmazon.com Review
Neal Stephenson enjoys cult status among science fiction fansand techie types thanks to Snow Crash, which socompletely redefined conventional notions of the high-tech future thatit became a self-fulfilling prophecy. But if his cyberpunk classic wasbig, Cryptonomicon is huge... gargantuan... massive, not justin size (a hefty 918 pages including appendices) but in scope andappeal. It's the hip, readable heir to Gravity's Rainbow andthe Illuminatustrilogy. And it's only the first of a proposed series--for moreinformation, read ourinterview with Stephenson.

Cryptonomicon zooms all over the world, careeningconspiratorially back and forth between two time periods--World War IIand the present. Our 1940s heroes are the brilliant mathematicianLawrence Waterhouse, cryptanalyst extraordinaire, and gung ho,morphine-addicted marine Bobby Shaftoe. They're part of Detachment2702, an Allied group trying to break Axis communication codes whilesimultaneously preventing the enemy from figuring out that their codeshave been broken. Their job boils down to layer upon layer ofdeception. Dr. Alan Turing is also a member of 2702, and he explainsthe unit's strange workings to Waterhouse. "When we want to sink aconvoy, we send out an observation plane first.... Of course, toobserve is not its real duty--we already know exactly where theconvoy is. Its real duty is to be observed.... Then,when we come round and sink them, the Germans will not find itsuspicious."

All of this secrecy resonates in the present-day story line, in whichthe grandchildren of the WWII heroes--inimitable programming geekRandy Waterhouse and the lovely and powerful Amy Shaftoe--team up tohelp create an offshore data haven in Southeast Asia and maybe uncoversome gold once destined for Nazi coffers. To top off the paranoiactone of the book, the mysterious Enoch Root, key member of Detachment2702 and the Societas Eruditorum, pops up with an unbreakableencryption scheme left over from WWII to befuddle the 1990sprotagonists with conspiratorial ties.

Cryptonomicon is vintage Stephenson from start to finish: shorton plot, but long on detail so precise it's exhausting. Every page hasa math problem, a quotable in-joke, an amazing idea, or a bit of sharpprose. Cryptonomicon is also packed with truly weirdcharacters, funky tech, and crypto--all the crypto you'll ever need,in fact, not to mention all the computer jargon of the moment. A wordto the wise: if you read this book in one sitting, you may die ofinformation overload (and starvation). --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (876)

Awesome!!
One of the best sci fi novels of all time! Thanks for suggesting it Tom!

A True Gem.
I have read Cryptonomicon twice. The first time was an enjoyable, sublime and yet difficult experience. (The math was tricky for me!) I loved the characters and the story line and could not put it down. And I was drawn back to it. I read it again about a year later, and for whatever reasons, the second reading was way better. (Yeah, I know, 1000+ pages!)

Even if you are not the type of person that has the patience to read a 1000+ page novel, the two chapters that will make it worthwhile are the 'Captain Crunch', and the 'Wisdom' chapters. As dire, brutal, and heart wrenching as some of this book is, these two chapters will make you want to laugh out loud. If you like Vonnegut or even Clavell, you will love this book!

As another reviewer said, you can skip over the math and still follow the story without losing anything. So don't get bogged down with the crypto-details. Skip over what you cannot comprehend, it's okay. You will be rewarded.

Bacon tastes good
Yikes.

I once almost posted an article concerning the coding techniques of Francis Bacon and a few of his chums. I thought that I was so very clever at the time. Thankfully I never did put that lame business out there.

During my first day in an actual College I learned something about coding and matrices and arrays, and some other stuff about dangling particaples, and spelling......

This book blew me away. One minute I am one with the China Marines duking it out with those Akkido using Nips just after being in a Jap bar eating raw fish.

Everybody in this book seems to understand Manilan, English, various Chinese dialects, and the Limits to a Function.

Bletchley Park? Well it ain't MacArthur Park for sure.

What a delightful piece of work it truly is. Oh say can you hear that star spangled banner ye'et KABOOM... and then we are off to the races.

I learned more about submarines and morphine in this book than I did in Chemistry 101 or in about 50 W.E.B. Griffin novels. I learned more about Jungles than I did by reading all 25 Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books at least twice.

The Japs have an unbreakable cypher that was broken at just about the time that they created it. The Krauts have an unbreakable code that was also broken by our Allies who refused to use the asset. What the heck was wrong with those Brits anyhow? I kept wondering to myself...if there is a grain of truth to any of this then why oh why did 50 million folks have to die? Was it all about the money? Who is better at keeping secrets? Are the English people really as dumb as their Royal Highnesses come across as being?

I dunno which part was my favorite. There are so many good ones. The Cap'n Crunch stuff was bizarre, why not throw that stuff into the middle of a work about War, Cyberspace, the pursuit of purple bottles numbered and labeled by Nazi Doctors who were so intent on curtailing drug abuse?

Who got the gold? Ferdinand Marcos?

And that stuff about the exquisite nylons furniture store was in a word, hysterical.

What a terrific read.

Right up my alley leading to Golgotha.

Not bad, certain parts of the book didn't seem to fit
Long book.Ending was lame, don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it...but this random dude shows up at the end for no apparent reason (at least to me).

a few parts of the book didn't seem to fit, like when randy was trying to get dental surgery.

The best knock in the head ever...
Only 1152 pages in paperback, yet somehow I finished in less than three weeks, reading mainly at night prior to falling asleep with almost 2 pounds of book knocking me in the cranium.I slept, not from boredom, but from exhaustion, because I could not put Cryptonomicon down.Neal Stephenson is an amazing author.His characters are down-to-earth, human and real, yet his stories are so intelligent and complexly woven that I find myself acknowledging that I must be an idiot. However, like a sherpa guiding you up a death-defying peak, and safely down again, Stephenson manages to ensure that even those of us with inferior intellect are able to follow along, enjoy the trip and feel accomplished once it is through. ... Read more

Product Description
The Encyclopedia of Exotic Tropical Fishes for Freshwater Aquariums is an inspiring resource. The book is separated into two sections, with the first part encompassing six chapters of both general and specific fishkeeping information and the second part offering detailed profiles of 1000 freshwater species. All fish enthusiasts will appreciate the down-to-earth writing style and superb images by some of the world’s top photographers. This practical reference also features anatomical drawings, multiple tip boxes, and over 2800 full-color photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Great book
One of the best books in my collection. I highly recommend it to anyone into Freshwater aquariums.

Encyclopedia of exotic tropical fishes
I love this book it is very easy to use and covers just about all tropical fish in the hobby.

Encyclopedia of Exotic Tropical Fishes
Excellent textbook on freshwater fish species and specific details oneach fish.The best book I have found for researching an incrediable number of freshwater fish! Pictures are excellent. The beginning of the book covers history, systemantics and speciation, anatomy and physiology, nutrition and feeding freshwater fihes.In addition, the textbook touches on reproduction of fishes and general but detailed information on aquarium management. The profiles of the fishes is extraordinary and easy to read, with excellent pictures!I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys having and keeping aquariums with EXOTIC freshwater fishes!

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Truly exceptional book
I enjoyed the book immensly. I read it in one day cover to cover all 900+ pages. Very informative and great pictures of fish. I have been a hobbyist for 20 years and I still learned something from it. ... Read more

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New Third Edition
Compliance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act is critical when handling acquisitions and mergers. The initial Notification and Report Form must be completed with great care. Preparing for and responding to Requests for Additional Information (Second Requests) requires familiarity with the law and practice of the agencies. Failure to comply can be very costly your clients may be hit with unanticipated delays as well as substantial monetary penalties.

Acquisitions Under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, Third Edition, will help you guard against hefty civil fines, save you time in compliance and protect your clients. This comprehensive guidebook leads you step-by-step through the premerger notification provisions and the myriad regulations surrounding the Act. It examines: jurisdictional requirements of the Act; exemptions from the Act's coverage; notification and waiting period procedures; preparation of the notification and report form; realistic compliance methods; changes in requirements enacted by Congress and promulgated by the FTC; and enforcement actions taken by the FTC and DOJ. The Appendices include the complete statute, new and revised Rules, the Statements of Basis and Purpose that accompany the Rules, a summary of the Second Request process, the Annual Reports to Congress, and all pertinent Formal Interpretations.

Book #00550; looseleaf, three volumes, more than 3,300 pages; Third edition published in 2008, updated as needed. ISBN: 978-1-58852-154-5
Your purchase price includes the cost of all previous updates and any updates that may be issued within three months of your order.



3300 pages - 3 volumes ... Read more

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Spiral bound SCOTT FORESMAN-ADDISON WESLEY D'Nealian Handwriting TEACHER'S EDITION. Contains the pages of the student book (answers in red), with teacher's information in the side and bottom margins. ... Read more

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Paperback Grade 4 SCOTT FORESMAN-ADDISON WESLEY D'NEALIAN HANDWRITING nonconsuable student book, ISBN# 0-673-59292-8. ... Read more

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March 2005 Issue ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Prairie Prince, Steve Perry, Jeff Scott Soto, Randy Jackson, Steve Smith, Neal Schon, Robert Fleischman, Aynsley Dunbar, Jonathan Cain, Gregg Rolie, Steve Augeri, Deen Castronovo, Larrie Londin, Ross Valory, George Tickner, Mike Baird, Stevie "Keys" Roseman. Excerpt:Aynsley Dunbar Aynsley Thomas Dunbar (born 10 January 1946, in Liverpool , England ) is an English drummer . He has worked with some of the top names in rock and roll , including John Mayall , Frank Zappa , Ian Hunter , Lou Reed , Jefferson Starship , Jeff Beck , David Bowie , Whitesnake , Sammy Hagar , UFO , and Journey . Dunbar is ranked by Rolling Stone as the twenty-seventh greatest drummer of all time . Career He was almost the drummer for The Jimi Hendrix Experience when in an audition Hendrix was unable to decide between Dunbar and Mitch Mitchell - the latter won Hendrix's coin flip. Dunbar led the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation which issued a number of albums. Dunbar co-wrote "Warning," recorded by Black Sabbath on their first album . The Dunbar version was recorded in 1967 for his solo release The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation. Subsequently, Dunbar founded a short-lived progressive rock band called Blue Whale, which debuted with a tour of Scandinavia in January 1970. Following the recent collapse of the original lineup of King Crimson , Dunbar unsuccessfully tried to recruit Robert Fripp as Blue Whale's guitarist. Fripp, in turn, unsuccessfully tried to recruit Dunbar as King Crimson's new drummer. Dunbar was later the drummer for Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention , featuring on albums such as Waka/Jawaka , and The Grand Wazoo , as well as the film 200 Motels . In 1974 he played on the soundtrack for "Dirty Duck", a Chuck Swenson adult animated movie. In the mid 1970s, Dunbar joined Journey for their first four ... ... Read more