In 1912, a strange manuscript surfaced in the collection of an antique-bookseller. It is written in a language that is not found anywhere else, contains pictures of plants that can not be identified, and astrological charts that don't match any records. The text today is known as the Voynich Manuscript, and it has been called one of the most mysterious books in the world.

The manuscript has been carbon-dated to the 15th century and is believed to have originated from somewhere in Europe. The book's original author remains a mystery, although theories range from an English friar to an Italian architect to aliens.

This is a theme that persists in all aspects of the Voynich manuscript; there are many theories and not many answers.

Even the book's past is uncertain. It is speculated that the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II had owned the Voynich Manuscript while ruling Bohemia and gifted it to Jacobus Horcicky de Tepenec, a Czech pharmacist and chemist. Tepenec is one of the only sure owners due to his signature being found on the pages inside. It is then theorized to have been passed to several other Czech scientists before finally arriving in the collection of Wilfrid Voynich in 1912, the namesake of the manuscript.

Wilfrid Voynich was born in Poland in 1865. After taking part in revolutionary activities against Russia, he was sentenced to Siberia. He escaped and made his way to London, England, where he would meet his wife and begin his career as a rare-book seller. He refused to say where he acquired the text, which Voynich called the cipher manuscript, but his wife revealed that he purchased it near Rome. Voynich believed it was Englishman and friar Roger Bacon's work, a theory that experts have since discredited. He thought that deciphering the book would increase its value, but efforts to do so proved unsuccessful.

The Voynich Manuscript today is held in Yale University's Beinecke Library in Connecticut. Many people, including world-renowned linguists and cryptologists, have tried to decipher the strange text inside, but none have succeeded. Various languages have been tested, ranging from Latin to Turkish to Hebrew, but have not been useful in decoding the book's meaning. Even attempts to decipher it with artificial intelligence have so far proved to be fruitless.

It is divided into four or more sections, depending upon who is reviewing the book. The different parts contain stunning images of plants that appear to have been pieced together from existing species, detailed star charts that include several Zodiac symbols, and a perplexing section containing what is believed to be recipes. It also, impressively, appears to have few mistakes despite being hand-written.

Several theories exist regarding what the Voynich Manuscript was intended to be used for based upon these drawings. One of the most well-known hypothesis is that the book is some type of health manual written in short-hand Latin. However, upon review, there were many flaws found with this theory.

Another popular idea is that the manuscript is merely an elaborate hoax orchestrated by Voynich. This, too, seems unlikely. As previously stated, the book has been carbon-dated back to the 15th century, meaning that he would have had to acquire all the pages from that time period. Linguists have also determined that the book's text is a complex language, with repeated grammar patterns and words associated with specific subjects.

Despite the efforts of so many, the Voynich Manuscript has yet to be deciphered. Perhaps part of its appeal is that it resists understanding. Although one day there may be more answers than theories, until then, this manuscripts' puzzling nature will continue to draw the interest of people worldwide.