Voynich Manuscript
Manuscript number 408 is a mysterious book thought to have been written in the 15th or 16th century and comprising about 240 vellum pages of handwritten text, of which the majority have illustrations. The text of the manuscript has never been deciphered, and the author, script, and language remain unknown. The book was acquired from Polish-American book dealer Wilfrid M. Voynich, who himself acquired it in 1912 when the Collegio Romano was apparently short of money and decided to sell (very discreetly) some of its holdings.