Transcription of the Voynich Manuscript

David Kahn describes the history of the Voynich Manuscript in "The
Codebreakers", pp. 863ff.  It is written in a mysterious script, and has
defied solution by some of the most accomplished cryptanalysts in the
world.  There have been several purported breaks, including one rather
recent one, but none has been widely accepted.  The attached transcription
was done by Mary D'Imperio, author of "The Voynich Manuscript:  An Elegant
Enigma" (1978), the most detailed and scholarly study to date of this
document (reprint available from Aegean Park Press).  It uses Prescott
Currier's notation, which is described in her monograph.

To connect you quickly with it, here is an example from the middle.  These
are the first few lines of the example given on page 865 of "The
Codebreakers."

15201B 4CPC89/ZC89/4OPOE/O8AE/SAE/8AD/4OBZC89/4OPC89/4OPC89/4OFC89/8AE-
15202B CEZC89/4OEZCC89/49RS2/98CC89/OFC89/EZC89/SR/Z8AE/SC89/4OEF9-
15203B 4/FCCC9/ZC89/4OFCC89/4O89FC9/4OFC89/2ZCC89/PA3/ZCOE/PCC89/9R9-
15204B 8SCOE/FZC9/4OESZ9/SCOE/OESC89/OES2/OEZCC89/4OFC89/SC89-
15205B PSC8AR/AEAN/SCX9/2AE/ZC89/4OFAE/SC89/4OFC89/4OE/ZC89/EOE-

152 is the page number, 01-05 are line numbers, and B signifies that it's
written in the second (of 2) different handwriting styles.  Slashes
separate words, - indicates the end of the line.  Note that the isolated
words scattered through the pictures at the top are not transcribed.

If you use this work in your analysis, please be sure to give credit to
D'Imperio for this transcription.


	Jim Gillogly
	jim@rand.org
	18 Nov 1991