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One of the most mysterious texts in the world lives here in Connecticut. The Medieval Voynich Manuscript is at the Beinecke Library at Yale University. Scholars have been trying for over a century to decipher it. This hour, we look at the Voynich and at other examples of mysterious manuscripts from around the world. GUESTS: Lisa Fagin Davis: Professor of Practice in Manuscript Studies at the Simmons University School of Library and Information Science and Executive Director of the Medieval Academy of America Garry J. Shaw: Author and journalist covering archaeology, history, and world heritage. His newest book is Cryptic: From Voynich to the Angel Diaries, the Story of the World's Mysterious Manuscripts David Weinberg: Podcast producer and writer. He is lead instructor for the Transom Traveling Workshops. He formerly worked at Marketplace and KCRW. He produced an episode about "Louie Louie" for the podcast Lost Notes MUSIC FEATURED (in order): Lost in Translation – The Neighbourhood Columba aspexit, BN 54 – Christopher Page, Emma Kirkby, Gothic Voices Secret Messages – Juliana Hatfield The Book of Love – Mike Doughty The Philosopher’s Stone – Van Morrison Louie, Louie – The Kingsmen Louie, Louie – The Sandpipers

Can the U.S. dollar survive the U.S. government?

Dr.

Ezra Glinter receives the Award for Biography from juror Mark Freiman.Ruth Rifka receives the Award for Poetry from juror Rona Arato.Jennifer Lambert of Harper/Collins accepts the Award for Fiction on behalf of Ayelet Tsabari from juror Anna Porter.Simon Rabinovitch receives the Irving Abella Award...

A Johns Hopkins scholar believes a skillful understanding of history can translate into practical tools for confronting contemporary problems.

Our ongoing look at new books that have recently caught the eye of our print and online editors this month.Cover Stories by Jamie Kamph
Another fine volume from Oak Knoll Press, with Kamph looking at over 100 bookbindings and their many and varied designs and techniques, explaining each one's journey.

Morten Høi Jensen is a Danish-American writer whose recent book, The Master of Contradictions: Thomas Mann and the Making of The Magic Mountain (Yale University Press, 2025) presents, through the l…

“Fallout: The Inside Story of America’s Failure to Disarm North Korea” is a book likely to dismay readers.  The author Joel S. Wit, a distinguished fellow at the Henry L. Stimson Center and a former State Department official, has written a compelling insider’s history of Washington’s failure to come to grips with Pyongyang’s development of […]

Here are a few new book releases that are worth checking out: Makoto Fujimura, Sue Monk Kidd, Niloufar Khonsari, more...

Joy Marie Clarkson reviews Shūsaku Endō's Portraits of a Mother: A Novella and Stories

Marc James Carpenter is Associate Professor of History at the University of Jamestown. This interview is based on his new book, The War on Illahee: Genocide, Complicity, and Cover-Ups in the Pionee…

In a new collection of translated works, the Japanese literary giant Shūsaku Endō wrestles with shame and the relentless pull of faith.

For the original surrealists, dreaming was not a matter of idle fantasy but a tool for political and social transformation.

Jane Eisner discusses Carole King’s Jewish upbringing, the personal challenges she overcame, her decades long musical career and her activism.

On The Master of Contradictions: Thomas Mann and the Making of “The Magic Mountain,” by Morten Høi Jensen.

Successful assassinations often expose internal weaknesses and intelligence failures in the countries where they take place.