The Voynich Ninja

Lisa kindly permitted me to post this. Most users will already be very familiar with the information she will be presenting. However, those who are new to the Voynich Manuscript and/or new to this site will no doubt find this an excellent introduction.

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Secret Code, Lost Language, Nonsense, or Hoax: The Voynich Manuscript's Enduring Mysteries

Oct 18, 4:30–6 PM
Onsite: Newhouse Lounge
Online: Zoom

Free and open to the public (please be sure to register)

Per the event page:

"The Voynich Manuscript (Beinecke Library MS 408) has been called The World's Most Mysterious Manuscript, and for good reason. Written entirely in an otherwise-unattested set of symbols and illustrated with unidentifiable plants, uninterpretable astrological diagrams, and astonishing biological drawings, the Voynich Manuscript (named for bookdealer Wilfrid Voynich) has intrigued, mystified, and frustrated linguists and cryptologists worldwide for centuries. Is it a code? A lost language? Does it have meaning at all? Or is it a hoax perpetrated on the world by a fifteenth-century prankster or modern forger? What do we know, and what do we have yet to learn? In this lecture, Dr. Lisa Fagin Davis, one of the foremost experts on the manuscript, will describe the manuscript's history, walk through its contents, and explain current theories and research methodologies.

Lisa Fagin Davis received her PhD in Medieval Studies from Yale University in 1993 and has catalogued medieval manuscript collections at Wellesley, Tufts, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, the Walters Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Boston Public Library, and several private collections. She has taught Latin Paleography at Yale University and Rare Book School (Charlottesville) and regularly teaches an introduction to Manuscript Studies at the Simmons University School of Library and Information Science. She was elected to the Comité international de paléographie latine in 2019 and has served as Executive Director of the Medieval Academy of America since 2013."

Thanks for posting! And yes, this is a very introductory lecture for a non-specialist public audience. But all are welcome!

In case any of you are interested, here's the public (and very introductory) Voynich lecture I gave at Wellesley a few weeks ago: 

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I consider the reference to the need for interdisciplinary cooperation to be very important. However, I would not classify the work of laypeople as irrelevant per se. With their "unbiased" point of view, laypeople can bring new impulses to Voynich research. Even if there is usually no development beyond the initial stages, it may well be worth taking a closer look at some of the lay works.

I didn't really get an anti-laypeople vibe from the talk. More of "when someone tells you they solved the Voynich, be very cautious". I think it is very important to warn an audience possibly interested in picking up VM research about the common pitfalls they may encounter in themselves and others - which Lisa did well.

I wouldn't call the average layperson "unbiased" either. More likely uninformed and unaware of possible biases...

(28-11-2023, 06:38 PM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I wouldn't call the average layperson "unbiased" either. More likely uninformed and unaware of possible biases...

OK, I didn't mean the people who claim to have found a quick "solution" and now just have to convince the rest of the world.

In her talk, Lisa cites Koen and René. I guess she agrees that laypeople can contribute useful research.