Memo on The Voynich Manuscript

1. Memorandum
DATE: February 5, 2015
TO: Claudia Grinnell
FROM: Kayla Hill KH
SUBJECT: The Voynich Manuscript: Ingenious hoax or unbreakable cipher?
Introduction
The Voynich Manuscript is one of the most mysterious books in the world. Still, to this day, the
Voynich Manuscript resists all efforts to be completely deciphered. The contents, as well as the
origin, are still in an extraordinary debate. This memo provides information on the research that
has been conducted in attempting to prove if the Voynich
Manuscript is a devious hoax or a genuine message.
Background
 About
The Voynich Manuscript is a medieval illustrated manuscript
that has approximately 235 pages made out of vellum
material. Along with approximately 38,000 words written in
an unknown script, the manuscript also contains color
drawings of plants, stars, and nymphs (Information Sciences
Institute, 2009).
 Dates and Origin
The one known fact that stays consistent throughout research is that the Voynich Manuscript was
brought to American in 1912 by Wilfred M. Voynich. In 2009, radiocarbon dating pinned down
the age of the book's vellum to the mid-15th century (New Scientist, 2011). Ideas of where
Wilfred Voynich discovered it are still questionable.
 Content
Written in Central Europe at the end of the 15th or during the 16th century, the language is still
being debated as vigorously as its puzzling drawings and undeciphered text. Described as a
magical or scientific text, nearly every page contains botanical, figurative, and scientific
drawings of provincial but lively characters, drawn in ink with vibrant washes in various shades
of green, brown, yellow, blue, and red (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, 2013).
Figure 1: Voynich Manuscript Plant
Courtesy of Beinecke Rare Book and
Manuscript Library, Yale University

2. 2
Memo to Claudia Grinnel February 6, 2015
Key Points
 Information regarding what the Voynich Manuscript is about is clear.
 Information regarding the origin and dates of the Voynich Manuscript is less clear.
 Information regarding the meaning of the Voynich Manuscript is unclear.
Researchon the Contents
The contents of the Manuscript are divided up into 5
categories:
 The first and largest section contains 130 pages of plant
drawings with accompanying text, and is called
the Botanical division.
 The second contains 26 pages of drawings
and astronomical in nature.
 The third section contains 4 pages of text and 28 drawings,
which would appear to be biological in nature.
 The fourth division contains 34 pages of drawings, which
are pharmaceutical in nature.
 The last section of the Manuscript contains 23 pages of text arranged in short paragraphs,
each beginning with a star. The last page (the 24th of this division) contains the Key only
(Gordon, 2012).
Researchon the Origin
There is still uncertainty of where the Voynich Manuscript was
discovered. One theory states that Wilfred M. Voynich brought
to America a mysterious manuscript which he had found hidden
in the treasure chest of a south European castle (Manly, 1931).
Another theory states that Wilfred M. Voynich found the
manuscript in an Italian monastery, though it is believed to have
belonged to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II of Bohemia
(Campbell, 2011). Considering the dates to be far apart, many
researchers have speculated between these two ideas.
Researchon the Undeciphered Script
There is much controversy if the Voynich Manuscript is valid.
Some researchers believe that the manuscript follows a
Figure 2: The Voynich Manuscript
Courtesy of Beinecke Rare Book and
Manuscript Library, Yale University
Figure 3: Wilfred M. Voynich
Courtesy of
http://www.ciphermysteries.com/

3. 3
Memo to Claudia Grinnel February 6, 2015
syntactical structure and has its own set of grammar rules. Others believe it’s just a hoax. One
article states, “Here we analyze the long-range structure of the manuscript using methods from
information theory. We show that the Voynich manuscript presents a complex organization in
the distribution of words that is compatible with those found in real language sequences. We are
also able to extract some of the most significant semantic word-networks in the text. These
results together with some previously known statistical features of the Voynich manuscript, give
support to the presence of a genuine message inside the book” (Montemurro, 2013). Another
article contradicting the previous statement says, “Why is The Voynich Manuscript likely a hoax
regardless of any new analysis? If it is not, it is the only hand-written document in history that
had 200 pages and no errors” (Campbell, 2013). Research has shown to be prevalent on
believing that the Voynich Manuscript contains a true meaning, but there are still some
researchers that keep their doubts.
ConspiracyTheories
The strangest conspiracy theory that I came across on is that
the Voynich Manuscript is an alien language. This theory
also references to the idea of the aliens knowing something
that humans didn’t know, for example, the invention of the
telescope. But a second, closer look reveals that nothing
here is what it seems. Alien characters, some resembling
Latin letters, others unlike anything used in any known
language, are arranged into what appear to be words and
sentences, except they don't resemble anything written –
or read – by human beings (Stolte, 2011). Other theories
state that the Voynich Manuscript is a hoax or a challenge
for wealthy people to waste their money or meant for only
the chosen people with a Godly power to understand.
Conclusion
Overall, I have given the most common viewpoints of research. Some researchers believe the
manuscript was found in a European castle. Others believe the manuscript was found in an
Italian monastery. Some researchers believe the manuscript is complete gibberish. Others
believe there is a genuine message. Either way this manuscript is very mysterious and has still
not been deciphered. I hope that this paper will inform and motivate research to understanding
the manuscript and discover the true meaning. Now it’s up to you to decide. Is the Voynich
Manuscript an ingenious hoax or unbreakable cipher?
Figure 4: Strange Illustrations
Courtesy of Beinecke Rare Book and
Manuscript Library, Yale University

4. 4
Memo to Claudia Grinnel February 6, 2015
Works Cited
The Voynich Manuscript (2009). Information Sciences Institute. Retrieved February 6, 2015,
from http://www.isi.edu/natural-language/people/voynich.pdfhttp://www.isi.edu/natural-
language/people/voynich.pdf
Campbell, M. Uncrackable Codes: The Voynich manuscript. New Scientist, 44-44.
Voynich Manuscript. Retrieved February 6, 2015, from
http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/collections/highlights/voynich-manuscript
Matthews, J. (1931). Roger Bacon and the Voynich MS. 6(3), 345-391.
Gordon, C. (2012, January 1). World Mysteries - Voynich Manuscript. Retrieved February 6,
2015, from http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_13.htm
Montemurro, M., Zanette, D., & Szolnoki, A. (2013). Keywords and Co-Occurrence Patterns in
the Voynich Manuscript: An Information-Theoretic Analysis. PLoS ONE.
Gannon, M. (2013, June 25). Mysterious Voynich Manuscript Wasn't a Hoax, Study Suggests.
Retrieved February 6, 2015, from http://www.livescience.com/37737-voynich-manuscript-
language-hoax.html
Campbell, H. (2013, June 25). Is The Voynich Manuscript Not Gibberish? Retrieved February 6,
2015, from http://www.science20.com/cool-links/voynich_manuscript_not_gibberish-115473
Experts determine age of book 'nobody can read' (2011, February 10). Retrieved February 6,
2015, from http://phys.org/news/2011-02-experts-age.html
Gannon, M. (2014, February 20). 10 Words in Mysterious Voynich Manuscript Decoded.
Retrieved February 6, 2015, from http://www.livescience.com/43542-voynich-manuscript-10-
words-cracked.html