Question

From Long back I wanted to learn cryptography and I wanted to become an expert in that. I wanted to learn most of the cryptography algorithms (hashing, encryption, decryption and cracking). After learning the concepts I wanted to implement some of the algorithms using Java. (Even there is JCE API but I am interested to create a kind of one).

Please provide me list of books in order

Books for learning cryptographic concepts (therotical)
books for implementing cryptographic concepts (Practical).

Answer 1

Some of my favourites:

• Cryptography Decrypted
  (theory, basic)
  

Excellent diagrams and explanations of concepts and algorithms

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• Secret and Lies
  (security, general reading)
  

Another book by Schneier which is more about Security than Cryptography. In other words, why cryptography (by itself) cannot guarantee security. In my Top-Ten list.

In his own words (from the book’s Preface🙂

Seven years ago I wrote another book: Applied Cryptography. In it I described a mathematical utopia: algorithms that would keep your deepest secrets safe for millennia, protocols that could perform the most fantastical electronic interactions-unregulated gambling, undetectable authentication, anonymous cash-safely and securely. In my vision cryptography was the great technological equalizer; anyone with a cheap (and getting cheaper every year) computer could have the same security as the largest government. In the second edition of the same book, written two years later, I went so far as to write: "It is insufficient to protect ourselves with laws; we need to protect ourselves with mathematics."

It’s just not true. Cryptography can’t do any of that.

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• Malicious Cryptography: Exposing Cryptovirology
  (theory, advanced)
  

What malicious code that uses cryptography techniques can do (and counter-measures).

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