I'm not on the list just now, my work won't allow me the time to follow it. I'm still just as interested in cryptography though, and would like y'all to email me recommendations on good math books that will give me the background to understand the papers in the field. I'm sure that will include a good numbers theory text. If a beginner at number theory would have a hard time understanding it, please recommend background texts as well:) What else would I need? My computer science texts explain complexity theory well, what would I need in information theory. What would I have to read to understand factoring complexity? Are there any new texts that cover the recent breakthroughs in factoring?
An excellent introductory cryptography textbook that's oriented toward number theory is: A Course in Number Theory and Cryptography, 2nd ed. by Neal Koblitz Springer Verlag If you want a "classic" number theory text, I recommend: An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, 5th ed. by G.H. Hardy and E.M. Wright Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press If you'd like a good introduction to factoring, try: Factorisation and Primality Testing by David Bressoud Springer Verlag Of course, it goes without saying that anyone studying cryptography ought to have a copy of: Applied Cryptography, 2nd ed. by Bruce Schneier John Wiley Hope that helps. Dana W. Albrecht dwa@corsair.com