Kit williams with the golden hare that was the treasure hunts prize. The armchair treasure hunt club hunts for the general public. The scenario allows the characters to evolve into their roles as adventurers, instead of starting them out on that career. Williams buried a golden hare in a bedfordshire hillside. Wyatt hunt has been sleeping in his car and cutting as many corners as he can to keep the hunt club afloat. I know cadburys also did a hunt book, for golden eggs. For three years, treasure seekers from both sides of the atlantic sought a fabulous golden hare buried by artist kit williams. A bbc radio show and a series of newspaper articles have reignited demand on abebooks for an outofprint treasurehunting book that sold a million copies thirty years ago before fading into obscurity. This hare could be located by deciphering clues in the published book, which itself sold hundreds of thousands of copies. The crazy story of a real life treasure hunt youtube. 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. The book became the inspiration for a genre of books known today as armchair treasure hunts. Books like the butterfly ball and the grasshoppers feast had done very.
Public hunts come in many shapes and sizes and are published for a number of reasons. On the 7th august 1979 kit williams and bamber gascoigne buried the hare jewel in ampthill great park. Mysterious golden hare still casting its spell 30 years on the. Many armchair treasure hunt books have been published over the years, most notably masquerade 1979 by british artist kit williams. Quest for the golden hare by bamber gascoigne goodreads.
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. Its got wonderful pictures and an interesting rhyme theme to it. Wildlife artist launches twoyear treasure hunt to find three golden hares. As mickey and hunt are pulled into the case, they soon learn that the citys golden fundraiser was involved in some highly suspect deals. Within these pages you will find three main areas of interest. Join scoobydoo and shaggy for a day at the beach that becomes a treasure hunt filled with spooky houses and ghostly pirates.
Kit williams masquerade, the childrens treasure hunt book that. Unearthed again the golden hare that obsessed a nation. Jan 26, 2012 the weird story of the golden hare back in 1980, an unusual craze gripped the imagination of people around the world. Scoobydoo, shaggy, and the rest of the meddling kids return in a classic little golden book. I remember reading it when i was pretty young and the whole thing making not much sense. By doing a little amateur astronomy, the exact spot pointed to by the statues long finger can be determined without waiting for the equinox. Bugs bunnys treasure hunt a golden story book, book 10. This book contains fifteen very detailed one or twopage paintings rendered in the fantastic style. In pursuit of the golden key treasure hunt home facebook. The book provides clues to the location of a buried statuette of an owl, created by becker. I found a lot of similarities between the accounts in that book and what kit and i are seeing with the tribute. In 1982, while everyone in britain was still madly digging up hedgerows and pastures in search of the golden hare, the secret. Unearthed again golden hare that obsessed a nation books.
Masquerade by kit williams is an illustrated children. It captivated britain an epic treasure hunt for a beautiful jewel buried in a cow field. Apr 19, 2001 as the 1970s became the 1980s, a childrens book hit the headlines and sold over a million copies. Within masquerades covers were clues that pointed the way to an actual buried treasure.
It also gradually reveals hints to how the main puzzle works, before giving away the full solution. The top 10 treasure hunts in fiction books the guardian. You can take on new quests, and there are 267 new monsters for your defeated monster list, if filling that is one of your goals. Author kit williams reunited with 18carat gold hare which his book masquerade sparked the nations biggest treasure hunt for 30 years ago. Unearthed again golden hare that obsessed a nation. These characters are known to travel the land or the galaxy in search of riches beyond their wildest dreams, no matter the authority figures or laws that stand in the way. A golden hare, a multistep pictorial code, and a country on the hunt. Treasure hunt by john lescroart is the second book in the hunt club series. In the earth am i confirms that the treasure is, in fact, buried in the ground somewhere, and not inside a building, vehicle, or other man. Kit williams a british artist produced masquerade, a beautiful picture book that was more than just a book of paintings or childrens book. Written as a childrens story in large picture book format the addition of a treasure hunt was designed to encourage the reader to examine every picture in fine detail in order to locate the hidden clues to the burial place of a golden hare. And the lovely alicia knows more about thisand more about comothan shes letting on. It is the first book in the treasure hunters series.
Treasure in search of the golden horse ced web page. An armchair treasure hunt is one that you can solve at home and then go out and find the prize, says jenny kile, an amateur treasure hunter and creator of the armchair treasure hunting site. How a reallife treasure hunt obsessed a nation bbc. Jim hawkins twelve or thirteenyearold boy, an innkeepers son. By the time the golden hare had been unearthed, it had led to an astonishing. How the clues within the picture book masquerade turned the uk into a. Image caption artist kit williams with the golden hare that was the treasure hunt s prize. What i found interesting was that several treasure hunts came soon after masquerade, often offering much larger prizes up to a.
In 1979, this book sparked a national craze for armchair treasure hunting. But the wheels of bankruptcy do grind, slowly yet relentlessly. In search of the golden horse and perplex city from my previous two columns, the golden apple tale is an armchair treasure hunt that has not been solved, and the location of the treasure remains a mystery to this day. The 1982 treasure hunt book, the secret, has clues to 12 hidden gems. The story line continues even after you complete the main game. Armchair treasure hunting typified be the book masquerade created by kit willams in 1979, masquerade unleashed a mind. Many of the books hold the clues to real treasures gems, jewels, and cash. 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. Although legrand gets frustrated and angry with jupitar on the hunt for treasure, it is understood that they maintain a peaceful, quasifriendship. The announcement marked the beginning of a new hunt for the hare. Mysterious golden hare still casting its spell 30 years on.
Masquerade by kit williams 1979 treasurehunting puzzle book. Treasure hunt is both a nailbiting thriller and a comingofage story, filled with lescroarts trademark san francisco. Arguably the defining book of the genre of armchair treasure hunts. A dimwitted and southerntongued freed slave, jupitar provides comic relief with his thick accent and tendency to disappoint his master. Fandom may earn an affiliate commission on sales made from links on this page. Treasure hunt is an adventure designed for zerolevel characters. Mar 25, 2015 in 1979, this book sparked a national craze for armchair treasure hunting. 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. The treasure hunt was very interesting but from my perspective the book could have a little more for the treasure hunter to do.
In paperback, the book that touched off the treasure hunt of the centurywith a full explanation of the masquerade riddle. The golden hare independent bookshop edinburgh located in stockbridge, offers. It told the story of how the moon, having fallen in love with the sun, enlisted the help of jack hare to take her a bejewelled treasure, and how on his journey jack lost the treasure. Treasure hunters is a childrens adventure novel written by james patterson with chris grabenstein and mark shulman. Among these socalled armchair treasure hunts, treasure in search of the golden horse tisotgh was unique in having the wellproduced video to accompany the book. The tortoise and the hare a little golden book margo lundell, john nez on. 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. Bbc culture looks at a childrens book that went viral long before 140 character treasure hunts.
Noesis readers may be familiar with the spate of treasure hunt books that have been published in recent years, i believe the seminal work in this fad was the beautifully illustrated childrens bookcumtreasure map masquerade, by kit williams. There are many characters in this book too many for me to list and discuss in the space allowed. Bugs bunnys treasure hunt a golden story book, book 10 warner bros. Golden hare should be put on display, says treasure hunt.
The previous year, author and publisher byron preiss had traveled to 12 locations in the continental u. Masquerade, a story book and puzzle by kit williams, masquerades paintings also by kit williams had clues to the location of a golden hare, buried treasure hidden somewhere in britain. The precise spot could be found by finding the tip of the shadow cast by. Jan 01, 1983 while the titular golden hare, crafted by williams, has long since been found, masquerade still remains a combination childrens story and art book, featuring anagrams, magic squares, and it is, of course, the companion to kit williams phenomenal masquerade, the puzzle book treasure hunt that captivated britain and the preinternet world from. A crazy person whos always having a tea party, with the march hare. Jack hare is tasked to deliver a love token a jewelled golden hare from the moon to the sun, but loses it. 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. Masquerades central character was jack hare, whod unfortunately lost a precious. The location of the treasure is narrowed down to mount desert island in maine, and it must be found before thanksgiving day, 2020, when the hunt ends. 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.
It appeared on channel 4 between 28 december 1982 and 18 may 1989 and was revived by bbc two between 16 december 2002 and 2 august 2003. A good reference for masquerade is bamber gascoignes book, the quest for the golden hare, which is a very readable account of the whole hunt, solution, and various intrigues. Jul 21, 2017 an armchair treasure hunt is one that you can solve at home and then go out and find the prize, says jenny kile, an amateur treasure hunter and creator of the armchair treasure hunting site. Mike barker and john rousseau had arrived at the correct solution to williamss puzzle but they were beaten to the treasure by ken. Sep 22, 2015 what made the book so innovative, and ultimately so popular, was that it wasnt just a book. James renner is on a quest to discover the others, and he invites you to join the hunt. Treasure island is packed with vivid characters, but its long john silver who. Many a treasure hunter would thus conclude that the hare must be. Masquerade promised a jewelencrusted golden hare to the first person to unravel the riddle that williams cleverly hid in his art. 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. The golden apple tale armchair treasure hunt mysterious. Til the 1970s childrens book masquerade held a reallife treasure hunt for a golden rabbit that ended when somebody cheated to find it. Masquerade was the inspiration for perplex city, and we did a lot of research on how it ran.
Golden hare should be put on display, says treasure hunt author kit williams the golden hare that kit williams buried in a park 30 years ago should be put on public display, the author of the. Its set in san francisco at a flailing detective agency. These books are all examples of armchair treasure hunts books that provide clues to a mystery. The book chronicles the life of the kidd sibings, who find themselves in the biggest treasure hunt of their lives after their parents disappear. Hauservalentin died in 2009, and the solutions are now held by his lawyer. A series of events is being staged to mark the 40th anniversary of the publishing sensation that was. Book articles that will need to be rewritten or improved.
In search of the golden horse inspired by masquerade, in 1984, intravision and filmmaker sheldon renan created a puzzle that was both published in a book and directtovideo movie. The book also contains a number of confirming clues. Like a good whodunnit, a treasurehunt story can be the ultimate. David livesey local physician and district magistrate. Til the 1970s childrens book masquerade held a real. Quest4treasure is a community created for treasure hunters and puzzlers. The quest to find 12 hidden treasures from a 1982 treasure. Mar 26, 20 if youre like me and grew up reading robert louis stevenson and watching muppet treasure island on repeat, the idea of going on a reallife treasure hunt is pretty alluring. Oct 21, 2014 bbc culture looks at a childrens book that went viral long before 140character treasure hunts. In december of 1988, a month of bombshell revelations about masquerade, the golden hare, and ken thomas, kit williamss treasure resurfaced for auction at sothebys.
The world of an armchair treasure hunter atlas obscura. Frances 25year treasure hunt for a golden owl bbc news. He finds a lamp with a magic genie inside and tries to capture the love of a princess by becoming a prince, and fights against an evil sorcerer. Scoobydoo and the pirate treasure scoobydoo by golden.
The crazy story of a real life treasure hunt nerdwriter1. Masquerade is the quintessential armchair treasure hunt book. Armchair treasure hunting began in 1979 when kit williams wrote a book called masquerade. The hareshaped golden amulet he buried three decades ago by kit williams.