The Voynich Ninja

Hello everyone, I am a new member to the forum and I decided to join because I decided to purchase one of the more high-end facsimiles of the Voynich manuscript and wanted to show it off for the public record. I did see some talk about the Manuscriptum facsimile from searching the site but from what I've seen it doesn't seem anyone here has one, and Google only wants to show off the much more expensive Siloe version, so I figured a post was in order.

I had initially hoped to snag a Siloe facsimile; I suppose I'm new to the realm of book collecting as it hadn't occurred to me that was the sort of thing you could even get. I had already purchased the very reasonably priced Clemens photo facsimile, but the idea of having something that true to life piqued my interest. I reached out and to my dismay was quoted an asking price of nearly $10,000. But, as fortune would have it, there was another option.

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This is the one I have purchased, for $3,000 USD. That includes both shipping to the US and taxes. Still quite a lot for a book but it was the best deal I was going to get for something like this so I jumped on it. And today Ill be showing it off and giving a review. I should state upfront that I am complete novice when it comes to this sort of thing; this is the first and only facsimile I own, so there is a lot that I'm not going to know or even be aware of, and feel free to ask my anything you are curious about that I skip over.











The book itself came with a decorative box with a compass in it for some reason. It smelled strongly of finish, and while of decent quality there were a few spots where the wood was splintering off. Overall I would say the build quality is good. Inside were a pair of white gloves (that i had already put on for the taking of the next pictures), a folder with a certificate of authenticity, and the manuscript wrapped in a numbered leather sheet with a wax seal. The straps are raw hide (I think) and are tied in the back , so i was able to remove the seal without breaking it and keep it in the folder with the certificate.









And now for the main attraction.









Lets start with points where I'm pretty sure they deviate from the original. This book is a hard back (or at least feels like one), whereas I think the original MS was limp vellum. And it has those tie strings that the Siloe facsimile also saw fit to include, not sure why; I haven't seen anything saying the original MS had them. I know the real manuscript doesn't retain its original binding, maybe this is more normal for the time when it would have been produced?







The website says the cover is bound in natural calf parchment and sewn with cotton threads, which as far as I know is true and correct to the original. The pages are printed on Fedrigoni Pergamenata, a type of paper that superficially simulates vellum. I don't know what vellum feels like, especially 600 year old vellum like in the original MS, but I purchased some modern vellum from etsy and the pages are pretty similar. Not exactly but close enough for layman like myself.

The book is stiff, it doesn't lay open on its own and sometimes feels like it doesn't want to open at all. I have thumbed through it a couple times in its entirety at this point and have tried to gently open it to a certain extend while doing so, trying not to accidentally damage it.

The book simulates the damage to the original MS fairly well. Most of it in done through printing, like the water stains and discolorations, but they have taken the time to cut the shapes of some of the more irregular pages (by hand with a scalpel) and include holes and sutures present in some of the pages (without the thread, tho).






And of course the fold outs are present. Not much to say on those that hasn't all ready, other than that the rosette is a bit of a struggle with the pages being stiff, and you can see that one middle corner that isn't bending quite right. I'm probably not going to be opening it regularly.



And finally, here is the certificate with a little more info.

Thank you all so much for reading, and if you have any questions please comment below and I'll be sure to answer.

Great purchase!
Thanks for sharing your review!
From the description on the manuscriptum.eu:

Quote: A faithful scientific copy published by Manuscriptum Publishing House, reproducing every little detail of the original...

It is interesting which scans they used, publicly available or another better scans.

Maybe it will be a strange request, but could I ask you to make a closer photo of this area (below)? In particular, I'm interested in the drawings at the bottom edge up to the corner.
[attachment=6885]

This looks like a well-made product. I wonder why they put a compass on the box though, makes it look like a pirate treasure. I guess it's a convenient way to make it look more fancy. The gloves are an interesting choice as well, especially since the current trend among curators appears to be to ditch the gloves; being able to feel what you're doing decreases the risk of damage. Maybe in this case it is to keep the material free from shiny finger grease?
David owns the Siloe facsimile - it would be interesting to see what difference the triple price makes.

(21-10-2022, 12:34 PM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Maybe in this case it is to keep the material free from shiny finger grease?

The surface is already glossy. Laser printing on ordinary paper looks better.

(21-10-2022, 12:00 PM)Searcher Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Great purchase!
Thanks for sharing your review!
From the description on the manuscriptum.eu:

Quote: A faithful scientific copy published by Manuscriptum Publishing House, reproducing every little detail of the original...

It is interesting which scans they used, publicly available or another better scans.

This one was made from the public scans.

Welcome to the forum, Odd_Honey_WV, thanks for sharing and congratulations on adding to your collection!

(21-10-2022, 12:57 AM)Odd_Honey_WV Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.It smelled strongly of finish

Just of interest, do you consider that a drawback? I'm a record collector and have always liked the smell of finish (of printing in that case), always being a bit disappointed when it wanes in the course of time

(21-10-2022, 12:57 AM)Odd_Honey_WV Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Inside were a pair of white gloves

An interesting move indeed. I would agree with Koen that it serves two purposes: to give one the feeling of a professional dealing with the historic artefact, and the more practical issue of sparing the book from finger grease.

(21-10-2022, 12:57 AM)Odd_Honey_WV Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The straps are raw hide (I think) and are tied in the back , so i was able to remove the seal without breaking it

I have one collectible manufactured in a sealed envelope, and I remember scratching my head over how to open it without breaking the seal. Finally I was able to carefully separate the glued side edges of the envelope and approach the contents from that unexpected direction.

The guys who make these seals don't always appreciate the collectors' unwillingness to break them, yours is a lucky case

(21-10-2022, 12:19 PM)Searcher Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Maybe it will be a strange request, but could I ask you to make a closer photo of this area (below)? In particular, I'm interested in the drawings at the bottom edge up to the corner.

How's this? I can try taking another if you would like.

(21-10-2022, 12:34 PM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.This looks like a well-made product. I wonder why they put a compass on the box though, makes it look like a pirate treasure. I guess it's a convenient way to make it look more fancy. The gloves are an interesting choice as well, especially since the current trend among curators appears to be to ditch the gloves; being able to feel what you're doing decreases the risk of damage. Maybe in this case it is to keep the material free from shiny finger grease?
David owns the Siloe facsimile - it would be interesting to see what difference the triple price makes.

Yeah I'd bet its a vibes thing, its what a lay person would expect for a collector so they follow suit. I've also seen that curators forgoe the gloves, and the official videos for the Siloe show them handling it barehanded, so I dont shy away from touching directly.

(21-10-2022, 03:27 PM)nablator Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The surface is already glossy. Laser printing on ordinary paper looks better.

Unfortunatly. The shine is probably the biggest short coming. Granted we had a fairly intense light close to it for these photos, but even with normal lighting conditions you'll still notice it.

(22-10-2022, 12:12 AM)Anton Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Just of interest, do you consider that a drawback? I'm a record collector and have always liked the smell of finish (of printing in that case), always being a bit disappointed when it wanes in the course of time

No, I was just stating as a matter of fact.

(22-10-2022, 12:12 AM)Anton Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.An interesting move indeed. I would agree with Koen that it serves two purposes: to give one the feeling of a professional dealing with the historic artefact, and the more practical issue of sparing the book from finger grease.

Yeah, thats probably what they had in mind. The photos are from Sept 20th, and I've handelded it number of times since then without gloves and haven't noticed any wear from it. But who knows what might happen in the long run.

(22-10-2022, 12:12 AM)Anton Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I have one collectible manufactured in a sealed envelope, and I remember scratching my head over how to open it without breaking the seal. Finally I was able to carefully separate the glued side edges of the envelope and approach the contents from that unexpected direction.

The guys who make these seals don't always appreciate the collectors' unwillingness to break them, yours is a lucky case

Lol. Yeah glad these guys thought ahead on that one.

I've been told that unless the material is likely to be damaged, it's not recommended to wear gloves with vellum manuscripts. Reasons? They pick up substances from one page and transfer to another in a way that your hands don't, and if your hands are properly cleaned they won't have any oils or secretions on them. Also they deaden your hands, so it's more likely you might tear a page or catch the cotton on the page or something.

As for your copy, it looks very nice. No idea why there's a compass on the cover! The Siloé box is an ancient African woodbox, the name of which escapes me at the moment but it feels very nice.

IIRC the original VMS no longer has ties but it's assumed at some point it would have, which is why Siloé put theirs on (it also finishes it off and stops it from opening). 

My version opens very well in a manner that feels very smooth and original. Yours does seem to catch the glare quite a bit in that one photo, but it might just be a bad photo. The Siloé one can feel a little glossy at times, which I suppose is part of the treatment to allow them to photostat the printing on.

It's a beautiful thing you have there and congratulations on your purchase.

(22-10-2022, 04:37 PM)Odd_Honey_WV Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.{image}
How's this? I can try taking another if you would like.

Thanks for the answer and photo. Unfortunately, the fragment of my interest on the photo you made is blurred and under the angle. The matter is about this part:
[attachment=6886]
It seemed to me that this fragment on your photo a little differs from that provided by the Beinecke Library. Probably, it is due to the angle of the photography. I'd just like to check something. So I'd be grateful if you make a photo of that fragment again.

P. S. I'll show later why exactly I ask for this.