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that it had been found. Their own theories had come to seem so convincing that no exterior evidence could refute them. These most determined of
Masqueraders may grudgingly have accepted that a hare of some sort was dug up at Ampthill, but they believed there would be another hare, or a better solution, awaiting them at their favourite spot. Kit would expect them to continue undismayed by the much publicised diversion at Ampthill and would be looking forward to the day when he would greet them as the real discoverers of the real puzzle of
277:. Williams announced publicly that his forthcoming book contained all clues necessary to identify the treasure's precise location in Britain to "within a few inches." At the time, the only additional clue he provided was that the hare was buried on public property that could be easily accessed. To ensure that readers from further afield had an equal chance of winning, Williams also announced that he would accept the first precisely correct answer sent to him by post.
372:
the left foot; the right eye through the longest digit on the right hand; and finally the right eye through the longest digit on the right foot. This is only done for eyes and digits that are visible in the painting. The letters indicated by these lines can be made to form words, either by treating them as anagrams or by applying the sequence of animals and digits suggested by the
361:
490:
The "...four men from twenty" refers to four fingers and toes out of twenty digits; "...the tallest and the fattest" relates to using the longest digits; "..the righteous follow the sinister" provides a clue to the decoding of the letter order (left (sinister) eyes through left finger and toe first,
371:
s puzzle is elaborate. The answer is hidden in the 15 painted illustrations. In each painting, a line must be drawn from each depicted creature's left eye through the longest digit on its left hand, and out to one of the letters in the page border. Then from the left eye through the longest digit on
509:
contest of being a fraud. "Ken Thomas" was revealed as a pseudonym of a man called Dugald
Thompson. Thompson's business partner, John Guard, was the boyfriend of Veronica Robertson, who had previously been a girlfriend of Kit Williams. Guard allegedly convinced Robertson to help him win the contest
346:
Tens of thousands of letters from
Masqueraders have convinced me that the human mind has an equal capacity for pattern-matching and self-deception. While some addicts were busy cooking the riddle, others were more single-mindedly continuing their own pursuit of the hare quite regardless of the news
248:
I wanted them to mean something. I recalled how, as a child, I had come across "treasure hunts" in which the puzzles were not exciting nor the treasure worth finding. So I decided to make a real treasure, of gold, bury it in the ground and paint real puzzles to lead people to it. The key was to be
167:
In March 1982 Williams received a letter and sketch from a man called Dugald
Thompson, which he acknowledged as the first correct solution to the puzzle, meaning that Thompson had won the contest. It was later found that Thompson had not solved the puzzle and had guessed the hare's location using
578:
claimed that this was the first time
Williams had talked about the scandal for 20 years. During the interview Williams expressed the desire to see the hare again. Hearing this, the granddaughter of its then current owner—an anonymous purchaser "based in the Far East"—arranged for Williams to be
486:
published an additional clue created by Kit
Williams to the puzzle. This drawing needed to be cut out, folded in half and then with a light shone through a message could be read in a mirror. The message read "To do my work, I appointed four men from twenty, the tallest and the fattest, and the
319:
In March 1982, Williams received a letter containing a sketch which he recognised as the first correct solution sent to him. Williams telephoned the sender, a man calling himself "Ken Thomas". Williams instructed him to dig for the hare. He realised that Thomas had not solved the puzzle in the
188:, to do "something no one has ever done before" with a picture book. Williams set out to create a book that readers would study carefully rather than flip through and then discard. The book's theme, a hunt for a valuable treasure, became his means to this end.
470:
Many additional hints and "confirmers" are scattered throughout the book. For example, in the painting depicting the Sun and the Moon dancing around the Earth, the hands of the two figures are clasped together, pointing at the date of the spring equinox.
36:
520:
alleged that while living with
Williams, Robertson had learned the approximate physical location of the hare, while remaining ignorant of the proper solution to the book's main puzzle. After supposedly finding out from Robertson that the hare was in
529:. After searching for some time with no success, they drew a crude sketch of the location, which Thompson then submitted to Williams under the name "Ken Thomas", and it was this that Williams acknowledged as the first correct answer.
536:
and I'm shocked by what has emerged. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to all those many people who were genuinely looking for it. Although I didn't know it, it was a skeleton in my cupboard and I'm relieved it has come out."
300:" was a popular site for searchers, and Williams paid the cost of a sign notifying searchers that the hare was not hidden nearby. Real-life locations reproduced in the paintings were searched by treasure hunters, including
364:"Isaac Newton" painting. Newton's eyes and digits, and those of the mouse in his sleeve, point to letters of the word "H-O-U-R". Newton's rings and puppets also give the sequence for digits and animals throughout the book.
332:. Barker and Rousseau seemed to have unearthed the prize themselves when digging at Ampthill, but had not noticed it inside its clay box; it appeared that Thomas had discovered it in the dirt piles they had left behind.
555:. The company and its game (which many believe to be unsolvable with only meaningless text and graphics), were unsuccessful, yielding no winner. When the company went into liquidation in 1988, the hare was sold at
168:
insider knowledge obtained from a former acquaintance of
Williams. The revelation caused a minor scandal. Two British physics teachers were later acknowledged to be the first to have correctly solved the puzzle.
292:
The book sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide, many in the United
Kingdom, but some also in Australia, South Africa, West Germany, Japan (where the book was called 仮面舞踏会
296:, meaning a masquerade ball or masked ball), France and the United States. Searchers often dug up public and private property, acting on hunches. One location in England named "
320:
intended manner, and it seemed that he had made a lucky guess. Soon after Thomas was formally awarded the prize, Williams received a correct solution to the puzzle, sent by
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280:
A modified version of the book appeared in
Italian, with a treasure buried in Italy. The book was reinvented and translated by Joan Arnold and Lilli Denon with the name
491:
then the righteous (right) ones). The clue featured a self portrait of Kit Williams surrounded by fourteen animals, the first letter of each making "Merry Christmas".
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237:. The casket was inscribed with the legend "I am the keeper of the jewel of Masquerade, which lies waiting safe inside me for you or eternity".
204:(depicted as a man). On reaching the Sun, Jack finds that he has lost the treasure, and the reader is challenged to discover its location.
545:
Dugald Thompson founded a software company called Haresoft, and offered the jewel as a prize to a new contest which took the form of a
447:
of these words and phrases reads "CLOSEBYAMPTHILL". Properly interpreted, the message tells the reader that the treasure is buried in
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563:, in December 1988. The hare sold for £31,900 to an anonymous buyer. Williams himself went there to bid, but dropped out at £6,000.
338:, having been asked by Williams to witness the burial of the hare and to document the contest from beginning to end, wrote the book
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painting (pictured). Following this method reveals fifteen words or short phrases, which together form a nineteen-word message:
640:
574:, broadcast 14 July 2009, told the story of the creation and solution of the puzzle. Williams was interviewed and presenter
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Hoyle, Ben (21 August 2009). "Final chapter in tale of the golden hare and its creator—who would rather be a tortoise".
20:
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575:
711:'s 2002 presentation "The Secret of Psalm 46" in regarding to game design, easter eggs, and conspiracy theory.
608:. It spawned a succession of books and games from other publishers seeking to emulate its success, including
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644:(Manya, 1993), which is still unsolved. Kit Williams himself also created a second treasure-hunt book,
351:. Optimistic expeditions were still setting out, with shovels and maps, throughout the summer of 1982.
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The treasure's whereabouts remained unknown for over 20 years, until it came to light in 2009. The
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hype, is still unsolved. Many later hunts make use of technologies that were unavailable when
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Barker, Mike (1983). "Appendix: The Perfect Solution". In Gascoigne, Bamber (ed.).
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1126:"Brian Moriarty | Lectures & Presentations | the Secret of Psalm 46"
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1067:"'British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age' at the V&A, London"
1016:"Entertainment | Arts & Culture | Artist reunited with golden hare"
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use of physical media for the main puzzles, but provide additional clues online.
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by Williams. The book became the inspiration for a genre of books known today as
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reunited briefly with his work. This was featured in a television documentary,
931:"Golden hare should be put on display, says treasure hunt author Kit Williams"
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Checkland, Sarah Jane (6 December 1988). "Masquerade Hare fetches £31,900".
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This article is about the 1979 treasure hunt book. For other uses, see
659:(Level-10, 1981), a computer game developed during the height of the
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became the forerunner of an entire genre of cryptic puzzles known as
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contains fifteen detailed paintings that illustrate the story of a
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and he promised to donate any profits to the animal rights cause.
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by including concealed clues to the location of a jewelled golden
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Similar hunts have continued being published in various formats.
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745:"Masquerade: How a real-life treasure hunt obsessed a nation"
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Masquerade: The Complete Book with the Answer Explained
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Reacting to the revelations, Williams said: "This tarnishes
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Davies, Ross (31 July 1981). "Reckless hunt the necklace".
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in the shape of a hare. He sealed the hare inside a small
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If I was to spend two years on the sixteen paintings for
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Masquerade: The Complete Book with the Answer Explained
1088:
Fehr-Snyder, Kerry (10 April 1996). Johnson, Pam (ed.).
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named Jack Hare, who seeks to carry a treasure from the
1039:"Unearthed again – golden hare that obsessed a nation"
773:"Masquerade: a treasure hunt that ended in a scandal"
594:, London, as part of its "British Design 1948–2012"
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and to foil attempts to locate the treasure using a
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1090:"Scottsdale software chief bets a million on game"
207:Along with creating the book, Williams crafted 18-
694:West by Sea: A Treasure Hunt That Spans the Globe
269:On 7 August 1979, Williams and celebrity witness
1098:. Vol. 106, no. 332 (Final ed.).
156:that had been created and hidden somewhere in
144:is a picture book, written and illustrated by
707:The book is one of the subjects presented in
148:and published in August 1979, that sparked a
8:
667:was published, such as the web-based homage
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505:printed a story accusing the winner of the
455:, near the park's cross-shaped monument to
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261:, casting a shadow like the pointer of a
176:In the 1970s, Williams was challenged by
1212:Page-by-page explanation of the solution
819:Gascoigne, Bamber (1983). "Chapter 10".
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625:Treasure: In Search of the Golden Horse
847:. TheFoolsErrand.com. 11 December 1988
342:. He summarised his experiences thus:
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273:secretly buried the hare's casket at
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976:"BBC Radio 4 - The Grand Masquerade"
638:(Warner Books, 1998) and the French
909:. Jonathan Cape. pp. 205–224.
14:
1217:Additional details of the scandal
1065:Michael, Apphia (28 March 2012).
1014:Douglas, Torin (20 August 2009).
229:, both to protect the prize from
1037:John Plunkett (20 August 2009).
612:(Hodder & Stoughton, 1982),
487:righteous follow the sinister."
1172:, London: Jonathan Cape, 1982
590:The hare was on display at the
1190:, London: Jonathan Cape, 1983
1154:, London: Jonathan Cape, 1979
697:(Expeditionaire, 2016) follow
641:On the Trail of the Golden Owl
559:on behalf of the liquidators,
326:William Hulme's Grammar School
1:
771:Matt Warman (13 April 2011).
743:Mark Shields (6 April 2019).
581:The Man Behind the Masquerade
200:(depicted as a woman) to the
978:. Bbc.co.uk. 24 October 2009
40:Front cover of first edition
1132:. Upton, MA. Archived from
895:Coordinates of buried hare.
685:messaging. Others, such as
622:(William Maclellan, 1982),
16:British pictorial storybook
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18:
1188:Quest for the Golden Hare
907:Quest for the Golden Hare
821:Quest for the Golden Hare
340:Quest for the Golden Hare
240:Kit Williams later said:
33:
632:(Pavilion Books, 1992),
482:On 21 December 1980 the
324:teachers Mike Barker of
215:and jewels into a large
606:armchair treasure hunts
512:animal rights activists
510:because they were both
282:Il tesoro di Masquerade
162:armchair treasure hunts
939:. London. 17 July 2009
883:52.034546°N 0.507536°W
630:The Key to the Kingdom
618:(Bantam Books, 1982),
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78:Armchair treasure hunt
805:. London. p. 19.
628:(Intravision, 1984),
499:On 11 December 1988,
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328:and John Rousseau of
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1095:The Arizona Republic
1003:. London. p. 4.
964:. London. p. 5.
888:52.034546; -0.507536
587:on 2 December 2009.
572:The Grand Masquerade
1145:Select bibliography
1130:Ludix Entertainment
936:The Daily Telegraph
879: /
671:, the CD-ROM based
647:The Bee on the Comb
610:The Piper of Dreams
457:Catherine of Aragon
251:Catherine of Aragon
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1186:Bamber Gascoigne,
1102:. pp. E1–E2.
635:The Merlin Mystery
366:
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845:"Masquerade Scam"
823:. Jonathan Cape.
583:, which aired on
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298:Haresfield Beacon
284:(Emme Edizioni).
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1110:– via
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1071:. Retrieved
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1048:. Retrieved
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1022:22 November
982:22 November
886: /
568:BBC Radio 4
387:ONG FINGER
383:ATHERINE'S
369:Masquerade'
87:August 1979
56:Illustrator
29:Masquerade
1232:1979 books
1226:Categories
1152:Masquerade
1018:. BBC_News
871:52°02′04″N
715:References
699:Masquerade
665:Masquerade
661:Masquerade
656:Alkemstone
615:The Secret
602:Masquerade
570:programme
552:Hareraiser
534:Masquerade
507:Masquerade
349:Masquerade
310:Tewkesbury
306:Derbyshire
246:Masquerade
190:Masquerade
182:publishing
141:Masquerade
21:Masquerade
1108:0892-8711
1000:The Times
961:The Times
874:0°30′27″W
802:The Times
669:Menagerie
598:in 2012.
92:Publisher
84:Published
1050:10 April
851:22 March
784:10 April
756:10 April
650:(1984).
585:BBC Four
523:Ampthill
445:acrostic
356:Solution
255:Ampthill
217:filigree
66:Language
1073:4 April
495:Scandal
439:OOK YOU
395:HADOWS
322:physics
263:sundial
259:Bedford
257:, near
224:ceramic
220:pendant
158:Britain
69:English
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702:'s
677:, and
541:Legacy
419:OINTS
415:IDDAY
411:MULET
407:ELLOW
403:URIED
288:Search
227:casket
211:(75%)
46:Author
943:1 May
461:March
399:ARTH
209:carat
184:firm
108:Pages
74:Genre
1194:ISBN
1176:ISBN
1158:ISBN
1104:ISSN
1075:2012
1052:2019
1024:2012
984:2012
945:2019
911:ISBN
853:2016
825:ISBN
786:2019
758:2019
691:and
478:clue
443:The
427:OUR
391:VER
308:and
231:soil
213:gold
198:Moon
194:hare
172:Book
154:hare
117:ISBN
750:BBC
683:SMS
463:or
451:in
423:HE
304:in
202:Sun
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