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+--- Thread: Browsing loose pages of VM (/thread-5186.html)
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Browsing loose pages of VM - Rafal - 29-12-2025
According to recent results of Lisa Fagin Davis (which was also suggested earlier) Voynich Manuscript wasn't originally bound a a book but was a set of loose sheets.
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If I understand it correctly binding not only messed the original order of bifolios but also made you see only half of a bifolio together with a half of some other, random bifolio when you open a book which was never originally intended.
Take Quire 13:
![[Image: schema13.gif]](https://voynich.nu/q13/schema13.gif)
Let's take an example. If I understand correctly page 78v is on the same same side of bifolio as 81r.
(Actually it shouldn't even be called be bifolio because such term suggests belonging to a book but lets leave it)
So the original author who worked with loose sheet of calfskin actually saw with his eyes something like this:
Is it possible somewhere online to browse Voynich Manuscript this way?
Perfectly I would like to have an update of the websites like You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and voynichese.com but don't know if it is going to happen
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - LisaFaginDavis - 29-12-2025
I have put the bifolia (inside and outside) for herbal, balneological/biological, recipes, and stars here:
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Since the astronomical, zodiacal, and rose foldouts are already singulions, they aren't included in the folder.
It's important to distinguish between the inner side of the bifolium (e.g. 78v|81r) and the outer side (e.g. 78r|81v). While it has been argued that some of the bifolia may have been inverted, the LSA data that Colin Layfield and I will be sharing when our article is published argues against any inversions.
A note about terminology, just so we're all on the same page (so to speak):
One side of one leaf (e.g. 78r) is a page;
A leaf (e.g. f. 78 recto and verso) is a folio;
Two leaves that share the same sheet (e.g. 78 and 81) make a bifolium;
Those two connected leaves are conjoint;
A quire made out of one bifolium is called a singulion. (two nested bifolia = a binion; three is a ternion; four is a quaternion; etc.)
I've named the bifolia with their quire, position in that quire (from the outside in), and the suffix [a] for the outside, [b] for the inside. For example, the file titled "13.1a 75r 84v" is the outer side [a] of the outermost bifolium [1] of quire 13, which preserves f. 75r and its conjoint 84v. I hope that's clear.
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - Rafal - 29-12-2025
Thank you Lisa.
If I could have another question...
Do I understand correctly that you say that these bifolios originally weren't supposed to make a book?
Because I am looking at this:
76r looks to me like some title page.
But in this view it is on the right and doesn't have the chance to be any title page.
But if we bend this bifolio in the middle and don't put anything into it then we have pages in the order 76r, 76v, 83r, 83v. Then 76r has the chance to be first page.
Am I right that according to your terminology this bent bifolio would be singulion?
So what do you actually say? These bifolios were browsed bent or unbent?
And if they were singulions why there couldn't be a book made of singulions?
Sorry for imprecise language if it was so.
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - LisaFaginDavis - 29-12-2025
Definitely folded, in which case, yes, 76r would be the first recto of the singulion.
The same is true for 105r, which also begins with a large glyph.
To answer your other question:
You can't bind singulions together in a medieval sewing structure. It wouldn't work, structurally. The bifolia would have been an unbound pile that was nested and bound later, likely by someone who didn't know what else to do with the bifolia.
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - Rafal - 29-12-2025
Thank you again. Now I understand.
When you work only with computer scans, all these folios, bifolios, quires and sewing are actually quite abstract
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - LisaFaginDavis - 29-12-2025
That's so true! It's why working with actual manuscripts or facsimiles is so important. Unfortunately with the VMS that isn't usually possible.
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - bi3mw - 29-12-2025
(29-12-2025, 08:52 PM)Rafal Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.When you work only with computer scans, all these folios, bifolios, quires and sewing are actually quite abstract
As an inexpensive facsimile, I would recommend the following edition. After all, not everyone can afford or wants to buy Siloé
The format is fine, and it has, for example, an indicator of the respective (previously accepted) folio position at the bottom of each page.You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - Rafal - 29-12-2025
If you have 300$ to spend you can try these guys:
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Disclaimer: I have never bought anything from them so don't treat this post as official recommendation.
But they seem to have book covers made from real wood and leather and all the sewing is done manually.
And pages that are foldouts seem to be real foldouts:
![[Image: voynich+1.jpg?format=1500w]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/525dbe2de4b0f07bb3df2c6c/1472381377678-JOL6E6QBIVZT7FRD5L0P/voynich+1.jpg?format=1500w)
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - Grove - 29-12-2025
(29-12-2025, 08:28 PM)LisaFaginDavis Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Definitely folded, in which case, yes, 76r would be the first recto of the singulion.
The same is true for 105r, which also begins with a large glyph.
To answer your other question:
You can't bind singulions together in a medieval sewing structure. It wouldn't work, structurally. The bifolia would have been an unbound pile that was nested and bound later, likely by someone who didn't know what else to do with the bifolia.
Would the singulion view make quire 9 foldout ‘cover’ or starting page be 67r2?
RE: Browsing loose pages of VM - LisaFaginDavis - 30-12-2025
I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you're asking. Quires 9, 10, 11, and 12 are singulions already, so there's no reason to re-orient them.
It's possible that Quire 9 once began with 67r2, since there are unused holes between 67r1 and 67r2, but there's really no way to tell for certain. Is that you are referring to?