VMs: Re: The Why's of Decryption

[Chris Gross <cgross@xxxxxxxxx>]

I first learned about the VMS in high school when I read "The
Codebreakers", which had a chapter on the manuscript. I was struck by the
fact that everything about it seems... off, if you understand what I mean.
It looks as though it ought to be easier to decipher than it is-- it 's
hard for me to put this into words, but everything turns out to be
unfamiliar on closer examination; the alphabet and its use, the
illustrations, the astronomical charts... Everything seems to have some
sort of sticking point, like the way the plant illustrations can't be
positively identified... If it's a hoax, it's a pretty impressive one. If
it's not, I wonder if more of these books were written and are lost in
Manuscript Limbo somewhere?  I don't think the author(s) just sat down and
wrote this one book in isolation, assuming it's really about something
(they would have needed to develop and practice the cipher, for one thing);
if any related books were to turn up someday, it might help with the
deciphering effort...

In any case, I'm new to the list, and I find these discussions fascinating!

Chris Gross

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