Bletchley Park Brainteasers

Do you fancy finding out if you have a talent for morse code? Or discovering whether your crossword hobby might have seen you recruited into the history books? If so and you're a Bletchley Park history buff or a fan of the GCHQ QUIZ BOOK, then this is the book for you.

When scouring the land for top-level code-breakers, the Bletchley Park recruiters left no stone unturned. From mathematical-geniuses to sixth-form students who could read orchestral scores, chess masters, linguists, and Egyptologists who could interpret hieroglyphics, code-breakers were gathered from all around the country.

Once selected, the chosen few had to complete various tests - chess puzzles, crosswords, secret language translations, complex riddles and more - to see if they had what it takes to join the country's elite code-breaking team. Now you can see if you have what it takes, too.

Accompanied by nuggets of historical fascination such as the story of David Omand who was asked to translate an essay written in made-up Elvish and ended up as Director of GCHQ, or Jean Valentine, who volunteered in Dundee aged 18, disclosed that she loved the challenge of a cryptic crossword and found herself whisked down to Bletchley, these brain-teasing puzzles and riddles will give you a taste of what it felt like to be tested by the keenest minds in the country.

“'McKay's book [ The Secret Life of Bletchley Park ] is an eloquent tribute to a quite remarkable group of men and women, whose like we will not see again.'”

'McKay's book [The Secret Life of Bletchley Park] is an eloquent tribute to a quite remarkable group of men and women, whose like we will not see again.' - Mail On Sunday

Sinclair McKay is a bestelling author and social historian. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Bletchley Park Brainteasers as well as the bestselling Secret Life of Bletchley Park, which together have sold over 400,000 copies. He has authored many other books including The Scotland Yard Puzzle Book, The Tower of London Puzzle Book and Secret Britain. He writes for the Spectator and the Telegraph and spends much of his life eyebrow-deep in dusty archives! He lives in east London.

Do you fancy finding out if you have a talent for morse code? Or discovering whether your crossword hobby might have seen you recruited into the history books? If so and you're a Bletchley Park history buff or a fan of the GCHQ QUIZ BOOK, then this is the book for you. When scouring the land for top-level code-breakers, the Bletchley Park recruiters left no stone unturned. From mathematical-geniuses to sixth-form students who could read orchestral scores, chess masters, linguists, and Egyptologists who could interpret hieroglyphics, code-breakers were gathered from all around the country. Once selected, the chosen few had to complete various tests - chess puzzles, crosswords, secret language translations, complex riddles and more - to see if they had what it takes to join the country's elite code-breaking team. Now you can see if you have what it takes, too.Accompanied by nuggets of historical fascination such as the story of David Omand who was asked to translate an essay written in made-up Elvish and ended up as Director of GCHQ, or Jean Valentine, who volunteered in Dundee aged 18, disclosed that she loved the challenge of a cryptic crossword and found herself whisked down to Bletchley, these brain-teasing puzzles and riddles will give you a taste of what it felt like to be tested by the keenest minds in the country.

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