Book Dealer's Lucky Find: The Unreadable Book

The manuscript that refuses to be read

Chapter 1

The dusty trunk of Villa Mondragone

Chapter 2

Plants that do not exist

Chapter 3

The rules of Voynichese

Chapter 4

Princes, alchemists, and forgers

Chapter 5

The battle of the brains

YOUR GOAL

Master of The manuscript that refuses to be read

Ch 1 · The dusty trunk of Villa Mondragone

007skaty Scientists determine the age of historical calfskin parchment.

We can prove how and when something was made without ever understanding why.

007skaty Yale University provides a secure home for a rare vellum manuscript

A secure home at Yale University

007skaty After changing hands for years, this fragile 240-page vellum book found a permanent home at the Beinecke Library

Unlocking the age of calfskin

007skaty An open calfskin book displays strange, coded text that no one can read.

Ink and paint from the past

BETA

007skaty Drag raw ingredients to mix historic paints to discover how ancient scribes illustrated mysterious books.

Fun Fact

Carbon-dated pages: The Voynich Manuscript's parchment is made from the skins of approximately 14 or 15 calves.

Glossary

manuscript (noun)
A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed. In 1912, Wilfrid Voynich discovered the enigmatic medieval manuscript inside an Italian Jesuit college's chest.

Gossip

If you found an unreadable medieval book, what would you do first?

Quiz

Who is the Voynich Manuscript named after?

007skaty A medieval manuscript is missing many of its original pages

Quiz

Which university library houses the original Voynich Manuscript today?

007skaty Wilfrid Voynich discovered a mysterious undeciphered manuscript.

Quiz

In which European country did Wilfrid Voynich purchase the manuscript in 1912?

Quiz

In what year did Wilfrid Voynich purchase the mysterious manuscript that bears his name?

Quiz

Approximately how many pages are left in the Voynich Manuscript today?

Quiz

According to carbon dating, when was the parchment of the Voynich Manuscript made?

Quiz

What did chemical testing reveal about the ink used in the Voynich Manuscript?

Quiz

What animal skin was used to make the vellum pages of the Voynich Manuscript?