Ciphers, cosmology, cryptology — oh my! This long-awaited episode delves into the pages and the mystery of what some have called the most mysterious manuscript in the world: the Voynich Manuscript, now in the collection of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Come for the discussion of a medieval plumbing fantasy, stay in spite of the limp vellum and the parts where Lindsay sounds a little like Daffy Duck. Time markers: Narrative opener - 6:50 Introduction to manuscript - 12:00 Wiflrid Voynich - 35:58 Contents of manuscript - 1:01:05 Early History - 1:42:35 Cryptographic Attempts - 2:00:45 Conclusion - 2:33:00 Sources - 2:46:30 Track features royalty free music and sound effects, including: -Kevin MacLeod, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G, Movement I (Allegro), BWV 1049 -Kevin MacLeod, Spring Thaw -Success Dream (Hooksounds.com) -Universfield, Fast Knocking on Door (Pixabay) -Sea You Later, Typewriter (Pixabay) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Come to learn about the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner and her museum, stay in spite of the purring and the ludicrous number of chimneys. C’est mon plaisir. See images and sources over at StuffAboutThingsPodcast.com. And if you're feeling spicy, you can buy Lindsay (that's me) a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/stuffaboutthingspodcast. All contributions are deeply appreciated and go towards the maintenance and production of the podcast. If you enjoy the episode but you cannot / don't want to buy a coffee (fair enough!), please consider leaving a rating or a review instead, if your listening platform allows for it! Much love, x Lindsay x Song credits: Kevin Macleod, Bach Brandenburg Concerto #4 Kevin Macleod, Fairytale Waltz Success Dreams (Hooksounds)

**busts through wall** SHE’S BACK WITH A HALLOWEEN TREAT! That is, if you’re into 3.5-hour podcast episodes about stolen art. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, mostly because it never ends. This episode covers all 13 works stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in March 1990. Come for rarely shared information about 13 fascinating works of art and glace plombier, stay in spite of the amateur audio editing and frequent use of “Of the 13 works stolen from the Gardner Museum…” to open individual sections. What can I say? When you write and record separate sections over the course of 3 months, things happen. Do let me know if you notice any (major) audio issues by emailing [email protected]. Remember: I am an art historian doing my best. Opening Narrative 3:40 Vermeer’s The Concert - 16:40 Rembrandt van Rijn, All Works - 46:30 Govaert Flinck, Landscape with an Obelisk - 1:29:15 Chez Tortoni - 1:52:00 Degas Drawings: 2:19:00 Eagle Finial - 2:51:00 Bronze Ku - 3:15:00 Conclusion - 3:37:00 Music credits: Kevin MacLeod - Brandenburg Concerto 4 Success Dreams (Hook Sounds) Kevin MacLeod - Unseen Presence Kevin MacLeod - Lone Harvest Kevin MacLeod - Virtutes Instrumenti Kevin MacLeod - Blue Feather Kevin MacLeod - Touching Moments Kevin MacLeod - Nervous Piano Kevin MacLeod - Shadowlands Kevin MacLeod - Ghostpocalypse Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

**PART II is still coming! It'll be worth the wait. Should be up by late September-ish** IT’S HAPPENING. That’s right. I’m (finally) doing it. You asked, and I have answered. Put on your cop costumes, stick on that wax mustache, and buzz that buzzer. We’ve got some heistin’ to do. Except not, because we care about art and museums and, y’know, the law. Please join me for my longest episode ever. Come for the heist, stay in spite of at least three Bobbys. And don’t forget to buy me a couple of “coffees” at coff.ee/stuffaboutthingspodcast. Just think of my parched throat! Time Stamps: Opening narrative - 3:50 The Heist - 10:00 The Aftermath - 23:10 The Investigation - 28:50 The Suspects - 55:00 Conclusion - 2:15:50

Anne of Cleves or Anne of Catfish? This minisode pays homage to Anne of Cleves, wifey #4 to King Henry VIII—namely the portrait of her by Hans Holbein the Younger. Was Anne really the most unattractive of Henry’s wives? Did Holbein really pull one over on his murdery boss by engaging in too much Renaissance face-tuning? How many people died as a result? Come for the thumb ring, stay in spite of Henry VIII's weird definition of "sister." Minisode features the gorgeous song "Sheltered Swan" by Sascha Ende.

THE QUEEN IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! This episode is a deep dive into one of the few oil paintings that can claim TikTok fame: the Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche, which has been a beloved fixture of the National Gallery in London for decades. Come for the so-called Nine Days’ Queen, stay in spite of the 15-minute tangent about the Third Act of Succession.

This episode is a deep dive into the so-called “Holy Grail of Shipwrecks”: the San Jose Galleon. Come for the Dutch gin bottles and hypothetical emeralds, stay in spite of the monster demon fish (dolphins) and my meltdown over dodgy research methodologies. Episode features track "Enigmatic and Alluring" by Universfield, sourced from Freesound.

An ancient shipwreck, filled with magnificent treasures from around the world--every maritime archaeologist's dream, right? But when does dream become delusion? Join me for the podcast's longest (!) ever (!!) episode (!!!), during which we take a DEEP DIVE (ha) into Damien Hirst and the 2017 Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable exhibition. Come for the blow-by-blow of the documentary, stay in spite of my wine-induced gullibility. shownotes: https://stuffaboutthingspodcast.com/2024/08/19/episode-41-damien-hirst-the-wreck-of-the-unbelievable/

**insert Jaws theme song here** A new episode swimmin’ straight for you! This one features the classic trio: sharks, death, and formaldehyde. That is to say, it is a deep dive (ha) into Damien Hirst’s The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, AKA The Shark One. Come for facts about optimal methods for shark taxidermy, stay in spite of the bleeped f-bombs. Please note that this track contains the occasional spot of spicy adult language. Those words have been superficially bleeped, but if listened to on 1.25x or 1.5x speed, the bleeps become ineffective.

🌊🗿 🌊🗿🌊 The emojis say it all: this episode is a deep dive into the monolithic moai of Rapa Nui—also known as Easter Island. Come for the in-depth discussion of how generations of Rapanui (i.e. the people of Rapa Nui) made and moved moai; stay in spite of the bad puns about 🌋 volcanoes 🌋. The wave noises are courtesy of Tim Kahn via FreeSound.

As R.L. Stein would say, “Say 🧀 and ☠️!” In this episode, it’s more like “The 💀👻 say 🧀!” This episode explores the strange world of spirit photography, a whacky offshoot of early photography that had its heyday in the 1860s and 1870s. Come for the lite sarcasm regarding Spiritualism, stay in spite of the primordial ooze.