Cipher Challenge
Tyler's Cryptograph to Poe
A letter signed W. B. Tyler challenged Edgar Allan Poe with this symbol cipher in *Graham's Magazine* in December 1841. The source's text transcription uses Þ and ⊥ for two inverted printer's marks. Corrected 1841 cryptograph and solution
Source & status
- Origin
- Historical cipher
- Solution
- Established
Ciphertext
, † § : ‡] [ ,? ‡) , [ ¡ ¶? , † ,) ¡ , § [ ¶ Þ , [ ,: ¶! [ . § ( , † § ¡ || (? ⊥? , * * ( ⊥ ⊥ ¡ ( [ , ¶ * . ⊥ [ § ¶ § ¡ . ¶] ¿ , † § [ ? ( § [ : : ( † [ . ⊥ ( *; ( || ( , † § ¡ ‡ [ * : , [! ¶ † || ] ? * ! ¶ ⊥ † § ¶ || , . ( ⊥ ¡ ( , ? ‡ § ( ¡ ☜ ¡ ¶ [ ¡ ¶ [ ? ( , ; § ‡ ☞ ‡] † § §: ( † [ † [ ¶? ‡]: * ¡ ¶: ( § ? ] ! ! ¶ † § ‡ ] ; § ? ‡ † ¡ ‡ ⊥ ¶! ( , † §? ( || * ] [ § ¡ ’ ! , : , , † § ☜ ) , ? || *]? , § § (! ⊥ ¡ ( , † § † [ ‡ ? ) * ] [ ⊥ : ? ] ||