Reeds/Landini's interlinear file in EVA, version 1.6e6

This is a new version of the the Reeds/Landini interlinear VMS transcription. The main improvements over version 16e5 are:

• the new full transcription by Takeshi Takahashi has been included (tag "H"), with line numbers matching the other versions;
• all versions have been manually realigned by the insertion of "!" fillers;
• all line breaks, and all "-" breaks due to intruding figures have been checked against the original.

The files

The release is available as:

• a single file (gzip, 346 kB) (pkzip, 348 kB)
• 765 separate files, one for each "text unit"---meaning a a page, or a part threof, containing a single type of text (paragraphs, labels, circular text, etc.) (tar+gzip, 381 kB) (pkzip, 617 kB)

You can also get only the comments that describe each page:

• a single file (gzip, 96 kB) (pkzip, 96 kB)
• 270 separate files, one for each page (tar+gzip, 112 kB) (pkzip, 231 kB)

Finally, you may want to get a machine-readable index file that lists the text units and their attributes, in their logical order; and extensive comments describing the main differences between this version and Landini's original file.

The interlinear files are in EVMT standard format, exxcept that in the file-per-unit archives (arch16e6.tgz, arch16e6.zip) the page header lines have been commented out with `## '.

The alphabet is basic EVA, uncapitalized. Weirdoes are transcribed as "*" or some close approximation in basic EVA, often with their extended EVA code in {}-comments, e.g. qo*{&178}eedy.

Why?

For the last couple of years the reference electronic edition of the VMS was Gabriel Landini interlinear file (interln16.evt), which contains transcriptions done by Friedman, Currier, Tiltman, and others (most of them compiled by Jim Reeds and Jacques Guy).

Although it was produced mainly as an archival compilation of those early transcription efforts, Landini's interlinear is also the largest and best-documented sample of VMs text that is publicly available. However, because of its archival purpose, Landini's file uses the FSG encoding of the Voynich alphabet, and does not include many recent transcriptions.

For most of my analysis work, I have been using using this hacked version of Landini's interlinear, which I translated the new European Voynich Alphabet (EVA), and gradually expanded with new material.

With the inclusion of Takeshi Takahashi's independent and (almost) complete transcription, this is now the most complete electronic edition of the VMS avaliable. In fact, it seems that over 99% of the surviving text is now covered by the interlinear, and over 98% of it is covered by at least two transcriptions. Moreover, now that all the versions have been synchronized, we can easily compare them, create consensus or majority editions, etc. etc.

Presumably other Voynichologists will find this file useful, that is why I am posting it here. Let me add however that this file is not meant to be a replacement for the Reeds/Landini inerlinear (an historical document about the efforts of Friedman and co.), and neither to duplicate the EVMT transcription effort (which will be a *double-checked* transcription, hence far more accurate than any of the versions in this file).

Main differences between versions 1.6e5 and 1.6e6

• Revised the initial comments (units f0.A--f0.Z).
• Renamed and/or reordered and/or repartitioned the units in some pages (f58v, f67r1, f67v2, f68r1, f68r3, f68v3, f68v2, f68v1, f70r1, f70r2, f70v2, f70v1, f71r, f71v, f72r1, f72r2, f72r3, f72v3, f72v2, f72v1, f73r, f73v, f75v, f77r, f77v, f80r, f82r, f82v, f83r, f83v, f84r, f84v, f85r2, f86v4, f85v2, f86r4, f89r2, f89v2, f89v1, f99r, f99v, f100r, f101v2, f101v1, f116r).
• Synchrnized (i.e. aligned vertically) all versions of each line, by inserting "!" (and sometimes "%") fillers in the right places.
• Checked and fixed all line and paragraph breaks, by refrerence to the manuscript.
• Checked and completed all embedded "-" breaks, to record all extra-wide interword spaces, or intrusion of figures or vellum defects. These have been marked "-{plant}", "-{fold}", "-{gap}" etc., as seemed appropriate. Also marked the end of line with "-{plant}" or "={plant}" etc. whenever the line ended prematurely (before the "normal" margin) because of a figure or defect.
• Renamed page f86r4 (the nine-rosette diagram) to f85v2.
• Merged page f101v1 into f101v2 (since the text runs across both panels). .
• Added new transcriptions and corrections of scattered text/labels/keyseqs/etc. (mainly in f15r, f27r, f27v, f29r, f29v, f32v, f33v, f34r, f34v, f37r, f39v, f41v, f43r, f43v, f46v, f48v, f50r, f56r, f57v, f70v1, f70v2, f72r1, f72r2, f72r3, f72v1, f72v2, f72v3, f73r, f73v, f75r, f75v, f77r, f80r, f82r, f82v, f83r, f83v, f84r, f84v, f85v2, f86v5, f87v, f89r1, f89r2, f89v1, f89v2, f95v2, f99r, f99v, f100r, f103r, f103v, f104r, f106r, f112v, f114v, f115r, f116r).
• Created a new file "f0.W" (previously a part of "f0.V") containing a list of all changes that I made to the original Reeds/Landini interlinear (mainly versions "F", "C", "K", "T"), now in terms of the original line numbers as appearing in interln16.evt.
• Added a very boringly detailed verbal description of the nine-rosette diagram (unfortunately only 2/3 complete since I have yet to see a reproduction of f86r5 and f86r6).