Nick Pelling’s controversial 2006 book, which claims that the Voynich Manuscript was probably written by Antonio Averlino, the Quattrocento architect better known as “Filarete”. Much disputed, but interesting.
Anyone in the UK wanting a cheap copy of my book “The Curse of the Voynich” might consider heading on over to ebay.co.uk, where one has just been put up for sale. It’ll be interesting to see how much it gets… happy bargain hunting!
Errrm… signed copies are still available from the author yada yada [...] Read more »
Here’s a novel explanation for the curious “aiin” and “aiir” pattern found throughout the Voynich Manuscript’s curious text (AKA Voynichese) that I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere else.
In my 2006 book, I pointed out that the Voynichese stroke conventionally transcribed as “n” (in EVA) is actually far closer to a “v” with an embellished right stroke: I [...] Read more »
I’ve just added a new page to the Cipher Mysteries site that looks at the (historical) mystery of the Voynich Manuscript’s quire numbers. This is an aspect of the VMs that has had relatively little coverage (apart from pp.15-18 of my book, *sigh*), yet which should form one of the key dating data.
Should be plenty there [...] Read more »
I suppose this is the review I’ve spent two years steeling myself for. No matter what book critics may say, reviewing other people’s books is an easy word-game to play (typically revolving around inserting themselves into the commentary): whereas putting your own writing under the same spotlight is something closer to therapy. What, with the benefit [...] Read more »
A German Voynich article by Klaus Schmeh just pinged on the Cipher Mysteries radar screen: the ten-second summary is that in an interesting mix of observations and opinions, Schmeh clearly enjoys playing the skeptic trump card whenever he can (though he still fails to win the hand).
In some ways, Schmeh’s bias is no bad thing at all: authors like Rugg [...] Read more »
Readers of my book “The Curse of the Voynich” will doubtless remember (if you made it though to Chapter 12, *sigh*) the parallels I drew between physical architects (such as Antonio Averlino / Filarete, of course) and software/cipher architects: both achieve their design ends using a kind of “intellectual structuring” means. But might there be even closer links?
Concealment through architecture is [...] Read more »
…A.K.A. “small fire in allotment near Harpenden“, as the radio show “Hello Cheeky” used to paraphrase dull news.
Ok, so it’s only a brief mention in a Portuguese blog: but all the same, it’s nice to see someone reading it. I’ll get back under my rock, then…
addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ciphermysteries.com%2F2008%2F08%2F09%2Fthe-curse-mentioned-in-portugal’;
addthis_title [...] Read more »
It’s a typical writer’s puzzle: when something you read (or write) really sucks, but an even half-satisfactory alternative is nowhere to be found. That’s basically how I feel about almost everything that’s been written about the VMs: even though it’s an amazing mystery, that also somehow highlights all the dangerous sides of knowledge, accounts always [...] Read more »
For me, Voynich research is one of those things that grind slowly onwards for long periods of time, punctuated by occasional testosteronal fist-clenching-in-the-air moments of elation, a bit like a prisoner being unexpectedly set free. OK, I know it’s a bit cliched: but I do it anyway.
For “The Curse of the Voynich“, I forensically examined [...] Read more »
I recently found a German Voynich Lexicon wiki-page, with lots of nice things that appear almost nowhere else (such as a link to my Compelling Press Voynich book page, *sigh*).
It has quite a light touch, reminiscent of my old Voynich friend Elmar Vogt: for example, it has a short “Newbold of the month” section pointing [...] Read more »
