Cryptic: From Voynich to the Angel Diaries, the Story of the World's Mysterious Manuscripts

by Garry J. Shaw

An absorbing history of Europe’s nine most puzzling texts, including the biggest mystery of the Voynich Manuscript
 
Books can change the world. They can influence, entertain, transport, and enlighten. But across the centuries, authors have disguised their work with codes and ciphers, secret scripts and magical signs. What made these authors decide to keep their writings secret? What were they trying to hide?
 
Garry J. Shaw tells the stories of nine puzzling European texts. Shaw explores the unknown alphabet of the nun Hildegard of Bingen; the enciphered manuscripts of the prank-loving physician Giovanni Fontana; and the angel communications of the polymath John Dee. Along the way, we discover how the pioneers of science and medicine concealed their work, encounter demon magic and secret societies, and delve into the intricate symbolism of alchemists searching for the Philosopher’s Stone.
 
This highly enjoyable account takes readers on a fascinating journey through Europe’s most cryptic writings—and attempts to shed new light on the biggest mystery of the Voynich Manuscript.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval

472 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2025

About the author

Garry J Shaw is an author and journalist, writing about archaeology, history, and travel. He studied archaeology and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, and afterwards moved to Egypt to teach for the American University in Cairo. He has lectured in the UK, Egypt, and Canada, appeared in documentaries, and taught an online introduction to ancient Egypt for Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education.

Reviews

[Diane Jeske · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

I picked this book up primarily because I’ve been curious about the mysterious Voynich manuscript for awhile. I found the discussions of that manuscript interesting, especially the author’s showing of how many of its features would have been familiar to contemporary readers. He suggests that they would have assumed that the odd writing was a code that could be cracked and they would then be rewarded with esoteric knowledge on these topics. The author thinks that most likely it is a hoax and it is all meaningless.

There are also interesting discussions of John Dee and the language of the angels, and of others who encoded their manuscripts. But there is also much that is tedious: I didn’t find the discussions of the provenance of the manuscripts at all interesting. On balance, worth reading for those curious about medieval manuscripts who are willing to wade through some dull detail.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick impressions: As a whole, this is an interesting book. The author looks at a text, and then we get to look at the text writer's life followed by a look at the context of the time and history around a document or book. By looking at the historical context we can better understand the books discussed.

(Full review with additional reading notes available on my blog soon.)