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General => The Shed => Topic started by: Twoflower on June 15, 2011, 20:41:49

Title: puzzle book
Post by: Twoflower on June 15, 2011, 20:41:49

  I found a beautiful book by a man called Kit Williams, but it has no name. Can anyone help me with the puzzle?
          Twoflower
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: Lishka on June 16, 2011, 00:46:42
Hello! The book is 'Masquerade' and if you Google Wikipedia you'll be able to read about the book, the puzzle - and the eventual scandal!

The illustrations are really beautiful, aren't they?

Lishka
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: Twoflower on June 16, 2011, 14:54:45
 
   No it's not that one it's the other book. Looked on amazon and it's just called the book with no name. If it helps it has bees on the front and it's all about the change of the seasons,and the bee hive. The name was surpose to have been unveil on wogan but i didn't see it/watch it in 1985.
          Twoflower
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: Lishka on June 16, 2011, 15:05:19
Ahhh, I didn't know about that one, but a quick Google of Kit Williams and I've found the answer to the name of the book AND how the name was arrived at.

I heart Google, me.

Go have a look but if you've not come across it by tonight I'll copy and paste the answer to you.

Cheers!
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: Bugloss2009 on June 16, 2011, 15:12:09
it seems to be easier to work out the name of the book than it was for Masquerade, which was impossible, so maybe have a go. The only thing i can remember for Masquerade was that since Kit Williams had some sort of squint, a lot of the clues were near the edges of the page  :D
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: lisaparkin on June 16, 2011, 15:16:23
We have this book!!!! :D
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: Lishka on June 16, 2011, 15:17:30
Quote from: Bugloss2009 on June 16, 2011, 15:12:09
The only thing i can remember for Masquerade was that since Kit Williams had some sort of squint, a lot of the clues were near the edges of the page  :D

Well, I didn't know that!  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: Mimi on June 16, 2011, 15:25:48
As you can see here
http://www.bunnyears.net/kitwilliams/kitphotobee.jpg
I loved the idea of this book at the time but never knew what happened with the jewelled hare.  How sad it was a swizz.
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: antipodes on June 16, 2011, 16:15:14
If I read Wikipedia right, it was not really a fraud, but someone defrauded Kit Williams by cheating. Apparently the hare was dug up and later sold at auction.
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: GeeGee on June 16, 2011, 18:19:51
Wow! Just read this thread and then checked out the story on wikki. I actually remember buying the book for my daughter in the very early eighties.

Slightly remember the scandal now my memory has been jogged. What a story though, just shows what people will do for treasure!  :o

I feel like going into our library (a converted space under the stairs - nothing grand but the children loved going in their and having their own little hidey place to curl up with a book) and trying to dig it out to have another look. Only problem is that there are so many books in there that it would take me an age and furthermore, it might not be in there but in the one of their bedrooms where all their favourite books ended up for bedtime perusal. Or it could even be packed away in the loft when the bedrooms were redecorated and upgraded for their growing age!  ;D

Me thinks in this case I could have my own treasure hunt just to find the book!  ;D
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: argripton on June 17, 2011, 09:23:25
The book you have is the untitled "Bee book" by Kit Williams, and the point of the publication was to decypher the title from the contents.
The original treasure hunt by the same author was Masquerade, published in 1979 - and I doubt whether anybody spent more time trying to solve the puzzle than me (obsessed?). In my opinion there was a problem with the original placement of the golden hare treasure - I believe it was mistakenly buried on private land (an understandable mistake if you knew the location). I wrote to the author telling him of my beliefs and, hey presto, within two weeks the amulet was "found" by an ex-relative. Was I surprised? Not really. Annoyed? Oh yes.
This was followed by a small paperback "answer book" - it was a smaller version of the original and gave an alternative method of solving the conundrum. To say it was "vague" would be an understatement.
However, this was then followed by the "Bee book" - which, in my opinion, was a continuation of the original treasure hunt and reading between the lines, hinted at a new location for the treasure (in the same area but on public land). Of course, I may be wrong - but I doubt it.
Title: Re: puzzle book
Post by: Twoflower on June 17, 2011, 19:33:55

   Ok thanks i've got it, didn't notice the whale but had seen the rest. Is the other book as beautifully painted?