The challenge of cloning the Holy Grail of cryptography

From 2005 onwards, more and more publications and books were appearing that abounded in the unfathomable mystery of the Voynich manuscript. One of them fell into the hands of the editors of SILOÉ, Juan José García and Pablo Molinero who, attracted by the spell as soon as they learned of the existence of the manuscript, did not hesitate to begin the process of obtaining the execution rights for an unabridged facsimile edition. Shortly afterwards, they contacted Yale University in the USA, which holds the original in its famous Beinecke Library of Rare Books and Manuscripts, and travelled to New Haven to see the original. The editors say that, unsurprisingly, the experience of leafing through the original was truly magical.

Then began the long and unexpectedly arduous process of obtaining the publishing rights that would culminate at the end of 2015. The name of SILOÉ would travel around the world on the backs of the most varied newspapers and

media in many countries that echoed the excellent news that SILOÉ had been chosen among a considerable number of the most important publishers from all over the world, all of them dedicated to this exciting art of cloning manuscripts and ancient documents and who also aspired to obtain those rights. It was an ambitious challenge and something completely unprecedented in the Spanish publishing scene.

Over the following two years, a complicated task was carried out to achieve what seemed almost impossible: to obtain the exact replica, the clone that some like to boast about. According to Carbon 14, the original manuscript saw the light of day in the 15th century. Six centuries later, the true copy was born, an authentic facsimile that recreates to perfection not only its format and its complicated fold-outs, but also the texture and crackle to the touch of its vellum, the flaws with which time has marked it and its attempts to repair them, that is, the delicate and difficult stitching. Its handmade binding recreates the inside and outside of the original in its smallest details. All this work, much of it manual, has been possible thanks to the work of great professionals, extraordinary craftsmen and thousands of hours of work and passionate dedication.

As a result of all this, the world has a demanding and unique edition, with the SILOÉ seal, limited to only 898 numbered copies, each with its corresponding notarial certificate. The publishing house from Burgos is proud to have been chosen for this exceptional task and is delighted to finally be able to distribute a copy of this intriguing and captivating manuscript to all the corners of the globe. These copies will contribute mightily to a greater knowledge and study of the manuscript and, who knows, perhaps to its eventual decoding.