The Colin McEnroe Show Mysteries, hoaxes, and magic: Decoding mystifying manuscripts
Oct 29, 2025
This podcast features Garry J. Shaw, an author and journalist focusing on mysterious manuscripts, Lisa Fagin Davis, a renowned manuscript expert, and David Weinberg, a podcast producer. They dive into the enigmatic Voynich Manuscript, discussing its und deciphered nature and the risks it poses to academic careers. Lisa shares her paleographic insights into the manuscript's multiple scribes, while Garry introduces the intriguing Rohonci Codex. Together, they explore wild theories, historical cryptic texts, and the captivating allure of deciphering ancient mysteries.
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Voynich's Mysterious Visual Structure
- The Voynich Manuscript is physically small but its unreadable script and strange themed illustrations create instant mystery.
- Its sections (herbal, astrological, bathing, recipes) suggest purpose but the unreadable text blocks interpretation.
Voynich Whisperer’s Long Relationship
- Lisa Fagin Davis has studied the Voynich for over 30 years since encountering it as a Yale grad student.
- She uses paleography and codicology to analyze its handwriting and material structure rather than cryptology.
Voynich Is Unusually Uncracked
- The Voynich stands out because many contemporary ciphers from its era have been broken while it remains impenetrable.
- Artificial scripts are hard to keep consistent, making Voynich's persistent unreadability exceptional.
