'Rich Salz' wrote:

I have also heard good things about a book by Warwick Ford.

Along the same lines, I just picked up "Cryptography, Theory and Practice" by Douglas R. Stinson (CRC Press, 1995). It seems to be very comprehensive but lacks the readability of Schneier. This is definitely not a beginner's book, but it would be useful to someone seeking greater insight into the math behind crypto. Fred <admin@dcwill.com>