The Voynich Ninja

Rene, your post made me realize I wasn't clear about what I meant when I said "the book". I'm assuming (I may be wrong) that the book in the picture is a sample or prototype of what they are trying to achieve with these "clone" copies, as they are calling them.

I am also assuming that they would not take the original pages of Beinecke 408 and be so cavalier with them, strewing them all over a desk, on top of each other, with tools and another book on top of the loose folios but I can't help noticing that the mottled marks and triangular tear in the vellum match the original:



So... assuming folio 28r on the table is one of the clone pages (I certainly hope it is!), it appears that they are not just reproducing the images, but are creating physically similar replicas.

Well, knowing the Spaniards that could very well be an original page... we're lucky they didn't take them down to the bar with them for a coffee!   But the caption on the original photo says it's taken in Spain, so they're all copies.

Pablo from Siloé told me that the pages will be exactly replicated, down to artificially introduced imperfection in the vellum (which I understand to mean reproduction of cuts and tears). I wonder what they use the string for?

The next time I'm in northern Spain I shall have to blag a guided visit around their workshop and do a write-up for the forum.

Of course, with an examination of this level, we should soon have our final answers over the question of letters hidden under the paint, etc.

(08-10-2016, 08:03 AM)davidjackson Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Well, knowing the Spaniards that could very well be an original page... we're lucky they didn't take them down to the bar with them for a coffee!   But the caption on the original photo says it's taken in Spain, so they're all copies.

Pablo from Siloé told me that the pages will be exactly replicated, down to artificially introduced imperfection in the vellum (which I understand to mean reproduction of cuts and tears). I wonder what they use the string for?

The next time I'm in northern Spain I shall have to blag a guided visit around their workshop and do a write-up for the forum.

Of course, with an examination of this level, we should soon have our final answers over the question of letters hidden under the paint, etc.

I would be very interested in seeing a writeup if you could get a close look at their work. If you convince them it would be good publicity, maybe they'll give you the VIP tour.  

I think the string is for reproducing folios like 37r (I hope I remember that number correctly). It's the one with stitching to the right of the plant.

Hello JKP,

Yes, I was assuming the same, though I would somehow expect that the final copies for sale would also have a cover similar to the original. This may, on the other hand, not be a good idea for very practical reasons, and I don't know what is the usual practice with such facsimile issues.

The article about Siloe that was circulating in different versions in the media was written by a French journalist who interviewed them. She reported that the pages are recreated as photographs, which are then 'treated' to make them as close to the original as possible, including cutting into the exact shape, and recreating the holes and blemishes.

Yale intend to use a replica in classrooms, where the original MS has occasionally been used in the past.

So has anyone read the essays? Anything interesting?

(16-10-2016, 04:22 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.So has anyone read the essays? Anything interesting?

I am waiting for everybody to get their copy before discussing the articles so we don't spoil it for those who haven't gotten theirs.
I got mine two days ago. It is fun to leaf-through the VMs pages in their actual size.

Reviews of the book (of all possible nature) are likely to appear outside this forum, also in blogs advertised through the blogosphere, so it will gradually become more difficult to avoid reading spoliers.

I created a thread with big spoiler tags for those who want to share an opinion already:
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The Nature Journal has reviewed the book a couple of months ago:
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According to wikipedia: "Nature is an English multidisciplinary scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. It was ranked the world's most cited scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports"