EuropeEvent

Publication of Steganographia in Frankfurt

When: 1606
Where: Frankfurt
Episodes: 1

Johannes Trithemius's Steganographia, written around 1499, was published in Frankfurt in 1606. The release included a decryption key that revealed the work's true focus on cryptography and steganography rather than magic.

Episodes

1606 · FrankfurtFrankfurt Publication
Steganographia was published in Frankfurt in 1606, including a decryption key that exposed its cryptographic nature.

Background and detail

Publication Context. Steganographia is a three-volume work by German Benedictine abbot Johannes Trithemius, originally written around 1499. It was published in Frankfurt in 1606. The text initially appeared to discuss magic and spirit communication, but the 1606 publication included a decryption key for the first two volumes, revealing their actual subject as cryptography and steganography.

People involved

Johannes Trithemius · Author

Sources

Steganographia Wikipedia, revision of 2025-08-16

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.