VMs: Re: BBC-4 programme - letters

[Gabriel Landini <G.Landini@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

On Thursday 12 Dec 2002 11:27 pm, Rene Zandbergen wrote:
> could anyone who saw the documentary tell me
> whether there were any shots inside the Archives
> of the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana in Rome?

They show a closeup of the shelves where the archives are held (if that is the 
real place). 

> Were there any shots of the Baresch or Kinner
> letters, or in fact of any Kircher letters?

Yes, and they made a mistake there:

The program is slowly driven towards the hoax theory by Voynich (no mention of 
Barlow's paper either) but ends with the possibility that Voynich may not 
have been the hoaxer after all because there is "one more letter".

They mention a letter 1 year after Marci letter to Kircher (that is Kinner's 
letter), but I am quite sure, by the looks of the writing, that they showed 
Barschius letter instead (which is an earlier one, 1639). No mention of B at 
all (or Rene's part in finding this evidence) (which is a shame).

So to clarify:
1637:  Georg Baresch sends from Prague some transcription of the manuscript to 
Athanasius Kircher (via Fr.  Théodore Moret (Moretus)? ) (letter not found)

1639: (27 Apr) Georg Baresch writes to Athanasius Kircher and mentions the 
manuscript and the previous transcription (sent via Moretus?). They show this 
one in the programme.

1666: (19 Aug) Johannes Marcus Marci sends the VMS to Kircher + letter. They 
talk about this letter (attached to the MS) but I do not think it is shown 
(in the acting it is shown a letter, I do not recall if they show the 
orginal).

1667: (5 Jan) G.A. Kinner sends letter to Kircher asking if he deciphered the 
book sent by Marci. They "talk" about this letter in the programme but showed 
Barshius' one instead. (!)

Cheers,

Gabriel