Voynich Manuscript, William Romaine Newbold / Cipher of Roger Bacon 1st ed 1928

Description: The Cipher of Roger Bacon Author: (Voynich Manuscript) William Romaine Newbold, ed. by Roland Grubb Kent Title: The Cipher of Roger Bacon Publication: Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1928 Edition: First Printing Description: Hardcover. Tall 8vo, 9.75 x 6.5 inches, cloth in dust jacket, very good, light edgewear and soil to jacket, spine darkened and rubbed, previous owner's name (Solomon Freehof, an important rabbi in Pittsburgh), some bumping to upper outer corner throughout, 224 pp, illustrated. Uncommon in the original edition, especially in dust jacket. Wikipedia: "One of the earliest efforts to decode the book's code was made in [1928] by William Romaine Newbold of the University of Pennsylvania. His singular hypothesis held that the visible text is meaningless, but that each apparent "letter" is in fact constructed of a series of tiny markings discernible only under magnification. These markings were supposed to be based on ancient Greek shorthand, forming a second level of script that held the real content of the writing. Newbold claimed to have used this knowledge to work out entire paragraphs proving the authorship of Bacon and recording his use of a compound microscope four hundred years before van Leeuwenhoek. A circular drawing in the astronomical section depicts an irregularly shaped object with four curved arms, which Newbold interpreted as a picture of a galaxy, which could be obtained only with a telescope.[4] However, Newbold's analysis has since been dismissed as overly speculative after John Matthews Manly of the University of Chicago pointed out serious flaws in his theory. For example, each shorthand character was assumed to have multiple interpretations, and as a result there was no reliable way to determine which was intended for any given case. Newbold's method also required rearranging letters at will until intelligible Latin was produced. These factors alone ensure the system enough flexibility that nearly anything at all could be discerned from the microscopic markings. Although evidence of micrography using the Hebrew language can be traced as far back as the ninth century, it is nowhere near as compact or complex as the shapes Newbold made out. Close study of the manuscript revealed the markings to be artefacts caused by the way ink cracks as it dries on rough vellum. Perceiving significance in these artefacts can be attributed to pareidolia. Thanks to Manly's thorough refutation, the micrography theory is now generally disregarded. Very good / good. Seller ID: H36764 Subject: Occult & New Age RAREBOOKSTORE RareBookStore is a long-established eBay seller specializing in used and rare books in all fields-plus prints, ephemera, maps, music, photography, and the occasional painting. We sell good books at good prices and want you to be satisfied with your purchase. Be sure to add us to your "favorite" sellers and check back to see new items listed daily! We pride ourselves on our high standards, high eBay ratings, and helpful staff, so please contact us directly if you encounter any issues. Standard shipping is via USPS Media Mail. Expedited options are available at checkout. Payment is expected within 2 business days unless otherwise arranged. Our warehouse is staffed Monday-Friday and we respond to inquiries as quickly as possible. We hope you enjoy browsing our selection of great books. Happy reading!This listing was created by Bibliopolis.

Price: 122 USD

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-07-29T13:17:13.000Z

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