Created README.md

Author: JWBurgers

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# An Introduction to Cryptography
+
+
+## Short description
+
+This small book offers a deep-dive introduction on cryptography. Where possible it focuses on conceptual, rather than formal exposition of the material. 
+
+
+## Motivation and aims
+
+It is difficult to find many materials that offer a good middle ground in cryptography education. 
+
+On the one hand, there are lengthy, formal treatises, really only accessible to those with a strong background in mathematics, logic, or some other formal discipline. On the other hand, there are very high-level introductions that really hide too many of the details for anyone that is at least a bit curious. 
+
+This introduction to cryptography seeks to capture the middle ground. While it should be relatively challenging and detailed for anyone new to cryptography, it is hardly the rabbit hole of a typical foundational treatise. 
+
+
+## Target audience
+
+From developers to the intellectually curious, this book can be useful for anyone that wants more than a superficial understanding of cryptography. If your aim is to master the field of cryptography, then this book might also be a good starting point. 
+
+
+## Reading guidelines
+
+The book contains four chapters: "What is Cryptography?" (Chapter 1), "Mathematical Foundations of Cryptography" (Chapter 2), "Symmetric Cryptography" (Chapter 3), and "Asymmetric Cryptograpy" (Chapter 4).
+
+Unless you have a strong background in mathematics, number theory is probably the most difficult topic in this book. I offer an overview of number theory in the last section of Chapter 2, and it also appears in the exposition of the RSA cryptosystem in Chapter 4.
+
+If you are really struggling with the details in these parts of the book, I recommend you settle for a high-level reading of them the first time around. 
+
+
+## Acknowledgements
+
+The most influential book in shaping this overview has been Jonathan Katz and Yehuda Lindell’s _Introduction to Modern Cryptography_, CRC Press (Boca Raton, FL), 2015. 
+
+The main additional sources that have been helpful in creating the overview in this book are Simon Singh, _The Code Book_, Fourth Estate (London, 1999); Christof Paar and Jan Pelzl, _Understanding Cryptography_, Springer (Heidelberg, 2010) and a course based on the book by Paar called “Introduction to Cryptography” (available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1usFRN4LCMcfIV7UjHNuQg); and Bruce Schneier, Applied Cryptography, 2nd edn, 2015 (Indianapolis, IN: John Wiley & Sons). 
+
+I will only cite very specific information and results I take from this sources, but want to acknowledge my general indebtedness to them here.  
+
+For those readers who wish to seek out more advanced knowledge on cryptography after this introduction, I highly recommend Katz and Lindell’s book. Katz also has a Coursera course called “Cryptography” which is based on the book. It is somewhat more accesible. For anyone that wants to learn more at a beginner level, I highly recommend Singh’s entertaining book.
+
+
+## Contributions
+
+Please have a look at the contributions file in the repository for some guidelines on how to support the project.