In a Russian online forum, an encrypted book with similarities to the Voynich Manuscript is being discussed. This tome would be a sensational find if it was genuine – but it’s probably not.
Encrypted books have always been one of my favorite topics. My ever-growing encrypted book list currently contains over a hundred entries, including diaries, notebooks, artworks, Freemason mnemonics and more.
The most famous and most interesting encrypted book of all is, of course, the Voynich Manuscript (#00001 on my list), a 230-pages work surrounded by mystery.
Other encrypted book highlights include the Rohonc Codex (#00002), the Bellicorum instrumentorum (#00029), and Charles Dellschau’s books (#00084).
A second Voynich Manuscript?
Blog reader Alexander Uliyanenkov from Russia has now made me aware of an encrypted book I have never heard of. Here’s the first of two photographs he sent me:
Source: Uliyanenkov
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Coming November 2020 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
This is THE book about code breaking. Very concise, very inclusive, and easy to read. Good references for those who would make codes, too, like Kryptos.
Ed Scheidt, Chairman of CIA Cryptographic Center (ret)
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According to Alexander, this book is currently discussed in a forum operated by VK, the Russian counterpart of Facebook. I therefore call it VK Manuscript, hoping I will find a better name soon. Here’s the second picture:
Source: Uliyanenkov
A modern day production?
As can be seen, the alphabet used by the VK Manuscript author looks similar as the one of the Voynich Manuscript. Some of the symbols are even exactly the same. As the Voynich Manuscript writing system is regarded unique so far, finding another historical book with a similar script would be a sensation. For this reason, it is very likely that the VK Manuscript is a recent production. Of course, one can’t call it a fake, as long as the creator doesn’t claim that it is old.
The illustrations in the VK Manuscript look surrealistic. Perhaps, it is meant as a Russian counterpart of the Codex Seraphianus (#00005 on my list), an encrypted book created by Italian artist Luigi Seraphini in the 1970s.
I would be interested in learning more about the VK Manuscript. Does a reader know who made it? Are more page scans available? Can the text in the manuscript be deciphered? What do the pictures mean? Any feedback is welcome.
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Further reading: The secrets of a 16th century crypto book
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