Calgary engineer believes he's cracked the mysterious Voynich Manuscript

[Ahmet Ardıç]

Voynich sold several thousand printed books (not manuscripts) to the British Museum, over a period of probably 20 years.

In his eighth list of books of 1902, he sold 137 rare books to the BM at once. These are also mostly, if not all, prints. One of them is printed on previously written parchment, i.e. a print palimpsest. Quite unusual, but not particularly valuable.

Let me state this first, you did some of the most comprehensive studies on Voynich and VMS. I read most articles and posts on your web-page a while ago. I believe, when you write about VM history with using scientific approach, you take into account available clear evidence and findings that what you have found. This is actually an issue that every study or article claiming to be scientific should pay attention. In other words, I call the act of writing history by looking at the available data as scientific work. However, if the historical documents are partially destroyed, changed and manipulated, the available data do not provide clarification of the subject under investigation.


There are aspects of the known Voynich story that contradict human logic on many issues. I think these aspects need more research. For this reason, we should look at the existing findings, but we should also try to investigate further areas where our logic tells us that the finding at hand is wrong. Doing so, of course, we ask new questions about doubts. And I'm trying to answer them for myself, and on this side of the business; of course, I'm trying to fill in the gaps, partly by speculating.

As my research progresses and finds new evidence, less speculation will be needed. In other words, these researches will continue until more evidence will found. Moreover, the statements made by many researchers today, considering it to be scientific, cannot shed light on any of the dark sides of this issue.

So I am not claiming that there is no speculation in my articles on Voynich, or in our book. But there is also evidence that there are some clues about some details and new areas that need to be explored. We also mention this evidence in our studies.

Now I'm going to ask you some questions about the details we think differently. If you wish, you can share your opinion and answers to these questions. But it's okay if you don't want to read a long article written in bad English. In this case, you cannot read the rest. If you are not going to read, the summary is that "when we look at the same data, maybe we interpret it differently."

British Museum  related questions:

1- Why did this museum not want to buy much older manuscripts (which parts are only/unique in the world) from Voynich's catalog instead of buying only 137 parts (which mostly printed and some of tham not much valuable works such as a print palimpsest) such as ordinary and particularly valuable works?

2- If this deal was made in 1902 and only 137 pieces of artifacts changed hands, why did this whole list (Voynich-written list-book) stamped by British Museum in 1901 with their seal?

[You can see this BM 1901 seal on the page of this source Source: A First (-Ninth) list of books offered for sale. {With “A First list of books, second edition”, “A Supplement to the Eight list”, and “Index of books contained in List I-VI.”} London 1898-1902 / Author: Voynich, Wilfred Michael, / The British Library System Number is 003818912 / Shelfmark S.C. 1097.]

3- British Library has this list book which has been sealed by British Museum in 1901 with their ‘year-1901-seal’. Why the BM sealed whole list? If BM was bought some of these books why they sealed whole this list book?

4- I visited this library for my research a while ago; I would not be able to see this list-book written by Voynich without permission. I have never been able to reach the original paper book. After a while, I was able to see the photo film of this work because the officer wanted to help by taking initiative on herself (without having a special permit before). Then I saw the 1901 and 1902 BM seals on this photo film of the book. In your opinion, myself as a member reader of this library, why I can physically examine a manuscript older than a thousand years old, but I can't see & examine an ordinary paper book written in 1901 itself ? And why I can see the photo picture of it only after if I will get a special permission? Do you think this situation is normal?

5- Most of The rare books and manuscripts were listed by Voynich in his catalogue books were sold by Voynich or by his wife in time. Some of the list-books written by Voynich, (which has short-descriptions of about 12,700 to 13250 rare books, and let’s say about 13000 rare books and manuscripts) were listed in these list-books.

[Thirty catalogues of which 25 are bound in two volumes and Voynich’s “Short catalogues” with continued a series of nine, (consecutively-paginated “Lists”) which he issued between 1898 and 1902 issued by Wilfred Michael Voynich to sold (David Pearson, Provenance research in book history: a handbook, London 1994, p.169).] & [Stock catalogues, numbered series: 1-16 § 18-29 § 31-32 London, Wilfred M. Voynich, 1903-1912 <https://www.robinhalwas.com/110000-wilfred-voynich-stock-catalogues>]

How many books do you think it takes to fill the shelves of a single bookstore that Mr. Voynich own like in London?  Voynich had established sales points in different locations in Europe.  How many books in total might have been required to keep the shelves of all these bookstores full?

Do you think that he sold only 13 to 20 thousand pieces of books only during the period he did this job for 20 years? (I think there are hints that it may be 30 years, but assume that we consider this period as 20 years as you said)

Let's say he sold 20 thousand pieces during his 20 years of business life. In other words, it should be thought that it only sold 1000 pieces per year. On average, it should sell 2 to 3 books a day (exact number: 2.73 books / each day) at all points of sale throughout its entire European operation. How can this person afford the luxury life and the cost of real estate and workers' salaries and other payments by selling 2 or 3 books a day across Europe? Does this account make sense? Which businessman would invest in this type of business at that time? Does it seem like a wise investment and/or real?

In other words, there are many inconsistencies between known historical information and reality in life.
Of course, this person didn't just sell 137 books to the British Museum. Probably, the museum must have received all of the works on this list presented by him. However, although this museum seems to have received 137 of the works from Voynich, the remaining works must have been shown as donations from many different people. In order not to attract attention, they divided the list into small pieces and made it look as if they were donations from different people. Thus, they prevented any doubts that might arise about the origin of the books in the future. May be they showed that only 137 books sold that connected with Mr Voynich.

We know that his London shop and house were located in a central area close to the British Museum and British Library. It is unclear where he got the money to provide this opportunity.

Many researchers say that Voynich started his business sometime around 1897 or around 1898. But in connection with the 1904 document on the granting of British citizenship to Wilfrid Voynich (The Naturalization Papers Of Wilfrid Michael Voynich - Record HO-144-751-117022, published by National Archives / Researcher Colin MacKinnon), he should have obtained a few reference letters and it should have presented to the British state.  As understood from the official records on this subject, those 2 people who gave him reference letter was worked at the British Museum in the year when they met with him. And one of those people was Richard Garnett, and he had declared that he had known Voynich since 1892.

So, if Voynich, as is often thought, got into the business of selling rare books in 1897 or 1898 and was able to sell some works to the British Museum in 1902, it is possible to think that he may have started to establish these commercial connections in 1892.

Actually, you and I are mostly looking at the same documents. I also get some information from your articles. But we both evaluate that same information differently.

You follow more scientific paths for sure. In my opinion, there is a lot of evidence and documents which say us Mr. Voynich were a liar. For this reason, there is no reason to believe whatever statements Voynich made during his lifetime. Therefore, we cannot accept any statement of this person as first degree evidence for any scientific study.
I think we are looking at the same issue from different angles.

Any researcher might think from this data that Mr Voynich, after getting to know these people (who working at the British-Museum (inspired by them)), decided to get into these business.

Thus, this researcher will say that Voynich entered this business in 1897 or later. For this reason, the date of the first list book written by this person can be regarded as the date this person started work. Or another document of that period can be shown as proof that this person started these works around 1897.

However, someone else who looks at the same data may think that Voynich had started these works in 1892 or before, and can say that is why Voynich contacted that two people who was working in this museum that time.

In the known story, this person achieved an incredible success in what he started with a small capital. However, claiming that these works were started with that small amount of borrowed money as he mentioned is also completely illogical and unrealistic in my opinion. For this reason, the statements of this person cannot be first degree evidence.


So although we look at the same findings, we think differently.