We came across this mysterious book at a library sale not too long ago. We can't figure out what it is and it irritates me to death. Please comment if you know what it is or have any idea at all! It's got a dark cover, typical trade paperback size. Inside the front cover is a handwritten number- 01639 - and "Hugo Antl.", as far as we can figure. There's no title page of any sort, copyright or title or anything. Inside there's a page number along the top, and then the numbers 1 through 30 going down the side. Then there're cryptic initials of some kind (W.M., S.D., J.D., T., etc.) There there appears to be some sort of dialogue, using a mix of capital and lowercase letters, with no spaces of any sort. Some lines end with question marks or periods, some with nothing. Some include parentheses, some dashes. I figure it's for an English-speaking entity, since there are occasional (See Code) in the middle of the text. Also, at the end there's an index at the end with the headings at the beginning of every section listed with their page numbers. Note that "index" is written in English. Page 52 is earmarked.
Are the letters code, or abbreviations? Is it a court proceeding or a military interrogation?
What do the cryptic numbers on the first page mean? Is it a serial number? The number of books printed? A date?
Who or what or where is Hugo Antl.? "Antl" is followed by a period, so is it an abbreviation? A name with a simple dot added out of habit?
I couldn't find anything on Google about code books, and tried many types of simple coding techniques to decipher the writing, but no luck! Focusing on the number and name(?) written on the inside page, I determined that 01639 is the area for Neath in the U.K., and there's a town called Hugo in Oklahoma that's just southeast of another town called Antlers.
Any ideas?
ANTL, HUGO was born 26 October 1897; received Social Security number 474-40-0537, which corresponds to Minnesota; and died July 1975
ReplyDeleteif this was the owner of the book you may be able to do some genealogy research and find a clue there. Will ask my dh , he was cryptologist many years ago. Hope you find the answer.
Wow, thanks! (I'll try looking at genealogy!)
DeleteFrom other research, it looks like it's a Masonic book of some sort. The abbreviations stand for the titles of the participants.
ReplyDeleteAny progress on deciphering the book. I also have a similar book. Got any tips?
ReplyDeleteMost of what I found out is summed up in this forum:
ReplyDeletehttp://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/antiques/msg101457213074.html?1
We figured that the abbreviations along the side are the shorthand forms of the officers' positions (Worshipful Master = W.M., Treasurer = T., etc.). I think the rest is some sort of secret Masonic ritual, and each letter is the first letter of the word-- a cheatsheet. Masons were (and are) required to memorize whole passages and rituals word-perfect, so this was probably a handy guide for beginners.
Howdy, just ran across this in a Google search.
ReplyDeleteYou're correct, for the most part. It's a Masonic cipher and serves as a "cheat sheet". Basically, new Masons are given one of these for each of the three degrees in order to learn the rituals, and as a reminder when the memory becomes rusty. This one is a real bear, because it's first-letter only. The ones I learned from were more like: i y cn rd ths, y cn bcm a Fmn an b pt o th glbl cnspcy.
It's probably more accurate to say that the information in it is considered by Masons to be private, rather than secret, since the rituals themselves have been "exposed" and published many dozens of times over the last few hundred years, especially now that we have an internet.
The only actual "secrets" in Masonic activity, by which I mean things we are oath-bound not to reveal, are the modes of recognition: the handshake (we call it the "grip"), steps, and passwords.
All the rest is dramatic sketches, usually with a philosophical lecture based on stonemason's principles and tools and the building of King Solomon's Temple, an allegory for building one's character, i.e. we "act by the plumb (upright), meet on the level, and part on the square".
Cheers!
GStone
Past Master, Doric Lodge #92, F&AM, 32° AASR