The masquerade armchair treasure hunt and solution. Masquerade by kit williams 1979 treasurehunting puzzle book. Feb 15, 2018 masquerade is a book by kit williams that sparked a treasure hunt to find a golden hare. Public hunts come in many shapes and sizes and are published for a number of reasons. The armchair treasure hunt club publishes its own exclusive hunts for its members but also keeps track of current hunts available to the general public through the bimonthly newsletter and online bulletin board. Has anybody heard of a british childrens book called masquerade. Masquerade is a picture book, written and illustrated by kit williams, published in august 1979, that sparked a treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare, created and hidden somewhere in britain by williams. Preiss was inspired by the book, masquerade which was published in england in the year of 1979. Unearthed again golden hare that obsessed a nation books the.
Originally published in august 1979, the book contains clues within its illustrations as to the whereabouts of a small gold and jewelled amulet hare worth. It also gradually reveals hints to how the main puzzle works, before giving away the full solution. October 3, 2019 october 25, 2019 vinitjain 0 comments 12 treasures, hidden treasure, masquerade in 1982 a new york publisher named byron preiss created a book titled the secret. Here is a list of fiction books about following treasure hunts, uncovering hidden clues, and deciphering secret codes. Read this book and join the treasure hunt the clock without a face is a book of clues that takes the reader on a reallife treasure hunt across.
The moon loves the sun, and to show how much she loves him, she gives a token of love to be delivered by the fastest creature around. The armchair treasure hunt club hunts for the general public. Each of the illustrations has a border with a phrase. On each painting there are several pieces of information. Author kit williams reunited with 18carat gold hare which his book masquerade sparked the nations biggest treasure hunt for 30 years ago. The book became the inspiration for a genre of books known today as armchair treasure hunts. His next book had no title, this is my story of my effort to find it and win the book. Kit williams, author of masquerade, the bestselling treasure hunt book, last night. Sep 03, 2017 the book masquerade can still be enjoyed as a childrens tale all on its own, but included within its text and images were hidden clues for finding a real buried treasure since found. I read this book when it first came out, when it was a new book at the public library. A series of events is being staged to mark the 40th anniversary of the publishing sensation that was masquerade, a picture book that promised hidden treasure to the person who could solve the. Has anybody heard of a british childrens book called. Arguably the defining book of the genre of armchair treasure hunts.
Sinclair mckays the secret life of fighter command. Unearthed again golden hare that obsessed a nation books. In 1982 publisher byron preiss buries 12 treasure boxes in 12 north american cities and releases a book of enigmatic images and verses, offering clues to their locations. The author of masquerade, who recently described his book and the mania it had engendered as romantic, a modernday holy grail, called the discovery of his treasure gorgeous news. The crazy story of a real life treasure hunt youtube. The book of masquerade was written and illustrated by kit williams, which contains fifteen paintings that beckoned to the location of a hidden treasure made of 18carat gold, jewelencrusted hare buried somewhere in england. Written and richly illustrated by illustrator and craftsman kit williams and published in september 1979 by jonathan cape, it has itself spawned a number of articles and books on the masquerade phenomenon masquerade tells the story of the moon falling in love with the sun, and how he.
How a reallife treasure hunt obsessed a nation bbc. Some other treasure hunt books that you may find interesting. It was also a visual puzzle and fenns puzzle is not visual. The puzzle book masquerade sparked a national craze but was tainted by a scandal. To ask other readers questions about masquerade, please sign up. This paperback edition with a special introduction by williams.
The 1982 treasure hunt book, the secret, has clues to 12 hidden gems. Bbckit williamsbbc in 1979, this book sparked a national craze for armchair treasure hunting. The masquerade armchair treasure hunt and solution mysterious. Oct 05, 2016 masquerade is the quintessential armchair treasure hunt book. Masquerade book wikimili, the best wikipedia reader.
Unearthed again golden hare that obsessed a nation. The secret treasure hunt explained for beginners expedition. It was reinvented and translated by joan arnold and lilli. Masquerade is a childrens book, written and painted by kit williams, which sparked a worldwide treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare, created and hidden somewhere in britain by williams. Preiss published a puzzle book, the secret, in 1982. The puzzle was presented in two formats, one in an elaborate book illustrated by jeanfrancois podevin and published by warner books, and the. The book was a fantasy story about immigration, using fairies to illustrate how different cultures came to north america and the struggles they encountered when. The secret is a continentsized treasure hunt thats been going on for close to 40 years. Unearthed again the golden hare that obsessed a nation. James renner is on a quest to discover the others, and he invites you to join the hunt. Preiss buried 12 ceramic keys so no metal detector could find them in.
The british treasure hunt for jeweled rabbit is over the. See more ideas about the secret treasure hunt, the secret and the secret book. The book featured a golden hare, which was buried as the prize that readers were searching for. One of six to eight is one of the biggest clues in the book, indicating catherine of aragon, the first of six wives of king henry viii, near whose monument the jewel was hidden. Unexplained mystery of 12 hidden treasures unexplained.
Bbc culture looks at a childrens book that went viral long before 140character treasure hunts. The top 10 treasure hunts in fiction books the guardian. The followup to williams 1979 artcumtreasure hunt book, masquerade, which gave clues to the location of a golden hare buried somewhere in england. I remember this growing up in the uk i dont think i solved a single clue though. Public interest in the hunt for kit williams golden hare led to the sale of 2 million books, but left the author a virtual recluse.
Masquerade by kit williams, first edition abebooks. Over the years, i began to believe that id just mashed together the memory of a beautifully enchanting cover from a random fantasy novel seen in a supermarket or a dream, a provocatively simple title that no 8 year old could resist secret, treasure and hunt in any order. The book masquerade can still be enjoyed as a childrens tale all on its own, but included within its text and images were hidden clues for finding a real buried treasure since found. The 32page picture book masquerade, by kit williams, is generally considered the first of the genre, guiding readers to locate an 18carat rabbit pendant hidden in bedfordshire, englands. Keeping this in mind, preiss assigned a young artist named john jude palencar to create some twelve. The buried prize was a jeweled golden hare valued at around. Written and richly illustrated by illustrator and craftsman kit williams and published in september 1979 by jonathan cape, it has itself spawned a number of articles and books on the masquerade phenomenon. Oct 21, 2014 bbc culture looks at a childrens book that went viral long before 140character treasure hunts. Masquerade is a book by kit williams that sparked a treasure hunt to find a golden hare. Apr 26, 2018 the crazy story of a real life treasure hunt nerdwriter1.
Aug 20, 2009 author kit williams reunited with 18carat gold hare which his book masquerade sparked the nations biggest treasure hunt for 30 years ago. Its a fascinating story and book of clues for the authors hidden treasure that was eventually found by accident. The book of masquerade was written and illustrated by kit williams, which contains fifteen paintings that beckoned to the location of a hidden treasure made of 18carat gold. Okay, before we get into the nittygritty of masquerade, know the following. A treasure hunt as a united states version of the earlier u. Williams, who spent a month creating the hare treasure, was briefly reunited with. The followup to williams 1979 artcum treasure hunt book, masquerade, which gave clues to the location of a golden hare buried somewhere in england. Sometimes these had relevance on the books solution, and sometimes not. A series of events is being staged to mark the 40th anniversary of the publishing sensation that was masquerade, a picture book that promised hidden treasure to the person who could solve the clues hidden within its pages. Mar 15, 1982 the author of masquerade, who recently described his book and the mania it had engendered as romantic, a modernday holy grail, called the discovery of his treasure gorgeous news. The quest to find 12 hidden treasures from a 1982 treasure. Masquerade, by kit williams was fundamental in popularizing armchair treasure hunts. The crazy story of a real life treasure hunt nerdwriter1.
That book sold millions of copies around the globe. Apr 08, 2019 i remember this growing up in the uk i dont think i solved a single clue though. The book masquerade can still be enjoyed as a childrens tale all on its own, but included within its text and images were hidden clues for. See more ideas about the secret treasure hunt, the secret book and the secret. Masquerade solution tweleve puzzles, treasure hunting. This post goes through some of the little puzzles in the book as much as can be covered in a single blog post. Publishing houses and authors are always looking for interesting and exciting ways to launch their newest books, but byron preiss, author of the secret. Masquerade by kit williams is an illustrated children. Aug 27, 2018 treasure hunt the unsolved clues from a 1982 book aug 27, 2018 patricia grimshaw publishing houses and authors are always looking for interesting and exciting ways to launch their newest books, but byron preiss, author of the secret. Amazingly detailed paintings by kit williams, who worked on this book for three years, but i didnt have the energy to try to solve it. Masquerade is a picture book, written and illustrated by kit williams, published in august 1979. With masquerade, there was nothing that pointed the reader to the solution. In the earth am i confirms that the treasure is, in fact, buried in the ground somewhere, and not inside.
It became the inspiration for a genre of books known today as armchair treasure hunts. In search of the golden horse is a treasure hunting puzzle published in 1984 by the intravision production company. I am not sure how much this is associated with masquerade. Apr 06, 2019 a series of events is being staged to mark the 40th anniversary of the publishing sensation that was masquerade, a picture book that promised hidden treasure to the person who could solve the. Masquerade is a picture book, written and illustrated by kit williams, published in august 1979, that sparked a treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jeweled golden hare, created and hidden somewhere in britain by williams. A modified version of the book also appeared in italian, with a treasure buried in italy. It was conceived as a storybased contest by filmmaker sheldon renan similar in concept to that of kit williams book masquerade. The book consists of a story as well as illustrations. Jul 15, 2014 the 1982 treasure hunt book, the secret, has clues to 12 hidden gems. In charleston, the secret buried treasure remains a. It included 12 short verses, together with an equal number of intricate paintings by. Masquerade is the quintessential armchair treasure hunt book.