December 21, 2004

The Voynich Manuscript (Yale, Beinecke MS 408) has been called the most mysterious manuscript in the world. Its illustrations are crude and confusing, its subject matter elusive, its date uncertain, its text undecipherable.

Some scholars believe that it is the product of an elaborate hoax, while others have suggested that it is the sole surviving treatise written by and depicting rituals of the Cathars. There are virtual communities devoted to the study of this single manuscript, should you find yourself unable to think of little else. For the merely curious, simply type the word Voynich in the search box and enjoy the mystery.

posted by bibliochick 20 years ago
  • Excellent post!
  • "The Voynich" has fascinated me for quite a while (read: pre-internets). Know that much of what you read on various boards are pure conjecture (some of it mine) and that the truth lies somewhere between hoax and advertising. You know, like Pepsi Blue. Still, an amazing post for the uninitiated.
  • Thanks, Johnny Hazard. Not completely uninitiated, though. I was a rare book librarian (with degree and all) for a couple years and reading up on the Voynich was a time-killer for me. I'm of the hoax camp, myself, much as I wish it were a Cathar document. Upcoming book by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone on Francis Bacon's "connection" to the MS is what inspired me to poke around on the web this morning.
  • I remember this link being posted before the Great Database Purge of '04. But it's well worth reposting. Fascinating, "Ninth Gate" kinda stuff...
  • I have access to the Beinecke (good library, but not enough English parish records), I wonder if I could request to see the real thing, or if it's under lockdown...They often do lock down this sort of thing. Maybe a friendly medievalist would be able to help...
  • Catelogue entry - MS 408, with bibliographic details.
  • bibliochick... what ISN'T Francis attached to? ))))
  • btw... happy birthday biblio.
  • Pretty clearly a hoax, as bibliochick indicates, but a great story for all that. Speaking of old hoaxes, what is the status of the Shroud of Turin these days?
  • jb, I'm afraid you're probably out of luck as far as getting some hands-on time with the MS, or even seeing the real thing, but it never hurts to email the curator of MSS and ask. I would reckon that this particular volume attracts a lot of attention, not all of it from completely rational people (well, not in a good way, at any rate). Their rules are awfully stringent, but that's not uncommon with a collection of that calibre. The rare book library where I worked allowed anyone to see and handle anything in the collection as long as they were registered and adhered to the rules of the reading room. Not that we had any super-famous manuscripts, but Sylvia Plath fans getting emotional over her braid and the obsessive Aliester Crowley fans sometimes make stressful times for the reading room attendant. Thanks for the nanners and the birthday wishes, Johnny Hazard!
  • Oh and jb, congrats on deciding on a thesis topic. Wish I could say the same! Can you wangle an academic angle and get your advisor to write a letter to get you in to see the MS? You may have a better chance, particularly if you're part of the Yale student body. Woooo, try it!