20-03-2026, 06:29 PM
Let me address some issues.
> I would think labour costs would make the actual cost above that of a buying a book
Not necessarily. I haven't thought up the idea of Voynich Manuscript being cheap myself. That's what Lisa Fagin Davis says and some other too. Materials and the execution are poor. Probably whoever wrote it and made illustrations wasn't paid much.
And of course, you could just buy a book. But then you had an ordinary book. Not every of your clients was illiterate and easily impressed. Some could recognize and even read that the herb on your page is let's say thyme. They would say "Thyme? I already tried it. It doesn't work".
With imaginary plants and an unusual book it was different. Our charlatan could give his clients a lot of crazy stories like:
"You know, there is some special plant which could help you. It grows only in the Holy Land in Gethsemane garden where our Lord was arrested. But you know what? By accident I have a tincture made of it. But you realize it won't be cheap, right?"
He didn't care that it won't work. He was a travelling charlatan and when his client realized he was cheated the charlatan was long gone.
It also seems a mistake to me that a charlatan wouldn't have any more expensive and advanced prop.
Have a look at an example from the more recent past:
This is a charlatan's machine. It is suppose to diagnose diseases but it just fakes it.
But you will probably agree that making it required some money investment, time, creativity and effort.
A charlatan needs to seem believable and make good impression. Some advanced prop really helps him with it as people think
"Hey, if he wanted to cheat me, he would make it simpler"
And then he gets you
> I would think labour costs would make the actual cost above that of a buying a book
Not necessarily. I haven't thought up the idea of Voynich Manuscript being cheap myself. That's what Lisa Fagin Davis says and some other too. Materials and the execution are poor. Probably whoever wrote it and made illustrations wasn't paid much.
And of course, you could just buy a book. But then you had an ordinary book. Not every of your clients was illiterate and easily impressed. Some could recognize and even read that the herb on your page is let's say thyme. They would say "Thyme? I already tried it. It doesn't work".
With imaginary plants and an unusual book it was different. Our charlatan could give his clients a lot of crazy stories like:
"You know, there is some special plant which could help you. It grows only in the Holy Land in Gethsemane garden where our Lord was arrested. But you know what? By accident I have a tincture made of it. But you realize it won't be cheap, right?"
He didn't care that it won't work. He was a travelling charlatan and when his client realized he was cheated the charlatan was long gone.
It also seems a mistake to me that a charlatan wouldn't have any more expensive and advanced prop.
Have a look at an example from the more recent past:
This is a charlatan's machine. It is suppose to diagnose diseases but it just fakes it.
But you will probably agree that making it required some money investment, time, creativity and effort.
A charlatan needs to seem believable and make good impression. Some advanced prop really helps him with it as people think
"Hey, if he wanted to cheat me, he would make it simpler"
And then he gets you