VMS decryption scenarios

[ReneZ]

Wladimir's observation is correct. That the MS has been rebound by the Jesuits (i.e. after it was sent to Kircher) is certain from statements by Ruysschaert related to the entire collection in which the Voynich MS was contained (see his 1959 catalogue), and from a statement from someone working in the Vatican library (personal communication) who reported that 90 or 95 percent of the collection acquired from the Jesutis has the same limp vellum cover.
There's another report that a general rebinding was done because many books were infested by woodworms.

The wormholes in the Voynich MS are concentrated in the earliest and last folios, and in remnants of the old paper lining of the textblock that can be seen here:



The woodworms were there because of an earlier binding in wooden boards. These were covered in tanned leather, and marks of the tanning are still visible on the first and last folio.
These are not my own insights, but statements from experienced MS conservators who inspected the MS in November 2014.

Since the worms ate through the folio numbers, as Wladimir mentions, these must have been written when the MS still had its earlier binding with wooden boards. That makes complete sense, since these numbers were probably added latest around 1600, while the MS was in Prague, but quite possibly before that (my opinion).

The fact that the deep hole in the upper right corner of folios 1-7 does not affect folio 5 is because this folio is clearly smaller in the upper right corner, as seen in the Voyager image of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. , where the hole in f6 is visible.