## <f1r>          {$I=T $Q=A $P=A $L=A $H=1}
# Last edited on 1998-10-30 13:32:59 by stolfi
#
# Identification:
#
#   Title: "First page"
#   Page: f1r = AA (Rene) = p001 (Stolfi)
#   Folio: f1
#   Panels: f1r
#   Bifolio: bA1 = f1+f8
#   Quire: A (Rene) = I (Beinecke)
#
# Attributes:
#
#   Language: A (Currier)
#   Hand: 1 (Currier)
#   Subsets: T (Rene), unk (Stolfi)
#   Subject: unknown (text only).
#   Colors: red (Reeds)
#
# Description:
#
#   The page contains four paragraphs (with 4.6, 2.4, 9.5, 5.5 lines,
#   respectively), each followed by a short right-justified title.
#
#   Paragraphs 2 and 3 begin with big "weirdo" doodles, very unlike
#   normal Voynichese letters. The first (EVA &252) looks like a
#   capital K lying on it side, with the vertical bar at the bottom.
#   The second (EVA &253) looks like the first, with an extra
#   squiggly line rising from between the two "horns". The two symbols
#   are drawn or painted with flaring strokes ending in swallowtail
#   serifs.
#
#   A 1-inch band along the right margin is heavily stained. There
#   seem to be two or three columns of letters ("key like sequences")
#   in that band, which are barely visible in the reproductions.
#
#   There is a faint unreadable text at the top of the page,
#   apparently in cursive handwriting.
#
# Comments:
#
#   The page layout suggests four quotes with attributions, or signed
#   endorsements.
#
#   The faint scribbling at the top must be the signature
#   of Jacobus de Tepenecz, as asserted in many references.
#
#   Jim Reeds writes [15 Jul 94]: "The erased key on f1r is discussed
#   by Brumbaugh. It seems to have 3 vertical columns of letters. The
#   leftmost is the ordinary alphabet, lower case italic hand, a
#   through z. I could not check for the presence of every letter (I'm
#   not sure about j, for instance) but a, b, c, ... o, p, q, r, s,
#   ... y, z are pretty clear. Next to those are very spotty frags of
#   Voynich letters. I could make out <8> next to a, <R> next to c,
#   <6> next to y, and one of the gallows letters somewhere near the
#   q, r, s range. [...] The 3d column seems to be 1 off from the
#   first: italic miniscules, r next to s, and so on. More is visible
#   in UV shots than Petersen shows."
#
#   Brumbaugh reportedly claims that there was a date in the upper
#   right corner of f1r before it was obliterated by the application
#   of chemicals (intended to reveal faded writing).
#
#   D'Imperio says that the "weirdo" characters EVA &252/&253 are in
#   bright red ink; confirmed by Glen Claston [20 Feb 1998] and Jim
#   Reeds [03 Mar 1998].
#
#   Rene [28 Jul 1997] found a medieval astrological diagram [1], in
#   Greek, where EVA &252 is used as a symbol for Aries, which is
#   "kruos" or "kryos" in Greek.
#
#   Stolfi suggested [07 Aug 1998] that the symbols may be
#   abbreviations for "Koenig" and "KoenigiN" --- i.e. "K" and
#   "K"-with-squiggle. (How desperate can you get?)
#
# References:
#
# [1] Codex Taurinensis C VII 15 (author anonymous, no date avaliable).
# http://www.ficom.net/members/ditch/secret.htm
#
# [2] John Grove 
# http://members.tripod.com/~VoynichMs/Prefix.htm
#
