23-04-2026, 08:36 PM
It sure feels to me like this question has been asked and answered. Regardless of HOW the tab was attached, the fact that the tab is essentially the same height as the manuscript and - as Andrew has demonstrated - the letter folds along existing creases to fit neatly within it feels like pretty satisfactory evidence that the letter was once attached to the manuscript. My experience tells me that we are very unlikely to learn anything more by speculating and theorizing. But of course you are welcome to do so.
And you are exactly right about the Library. The Beinecke owns and is responsible for the manuscript, and it is up to them to decide if the risks of any imaging or forensic tests are worth the potential rewards. And no matter what anyone says, every kind of testing and handling involves risk. Their job is to quantify the risks and rewards and base a decision on that information. Those who make those decisions may not agree with the person making the request when discussing the test's risk/reward calculation. But it is their call. And where the Voynich is concerned, they really do not want to mess around with anything that could potentially cause harm to the manuscript or its associated documents. That's why you can't just walk into the Library and ask to see it.
The Library Director, the curator, the lawyers, and the conservation officer are not the bad guys here. Their job is to care for the manuscript (and the MILLIONS of other objects in their care) and protect it from harm so that it can be preserved for the future. The digital images have made it accessible to the world. Those images also protect the manuscript by making it possible for millions of interested researchers to study it without having to handle it.
And you are exactly right about the Library. The Beinecke owns and is responsible for the manuscript, and it is up to them to decide if the risks of any imaging or forensic tests are worth the potential rewards. And no matter what anyone says, every kind of testing and handling involves risk. Their job is to quantify the risks and rewards and base a decision on that information. Those who make those decisions may not agree with the person making the request when discussing the test's risk/reward calculation. But it is their call. And where the Voynich is concerned, they really do not want to mess around with anything that could potentially cause harm to the manuscript or its associated documents. That's why you can't just walk into the Library and ask to see it.
The Library Director, the curator, the lawyers, and the conservation officer are not the bad guys here. Their job is to care for the manuscript (and the MILLIONS of other objects in their care) and protect it from harm so that it can be preserved for the future. The digital images have made it accessible to the world. Those images also protect the manuscript by making it possible for millions of interested researchers to study it without having to handle it.