Manuscrit ms 408
Manuscrit ms 408 Voynich

Today just as in the past, ms. 408 is the most mysterious manuscript in the world. It was written in the thirteenth century by the English monk Roger Bacon, blacklisted by the Holy See. It has done the rounds of Europe several times, exciting the passions of collectors and monarchs; it disappears and reappears before winding up in the library of a Jesuit college in Rome. In 1912, it is spotted there by Wilfried Voynich who carries it off to the United States. But at Yale just as in the Old Country, no one can work out the text which remains obstinately indecipherable. The plot thickens when two celebrated academics both fall into irreversible comas for no apparent reason…

Thierry Maugenest is the author of Venise.net and Poudre des rois, both hits with booksellers and librarians alike, which have been translated in several languages. His latest detective fiction is based on the true story of manuscript ms. 408.