The Secret (treasure hunt)

Last updated
Cover of 1982 book The Secret The Secret treasure book cover.jpg
Cover of 1982 book The Secret

The Secret is a treasure hunt created by Byron Preiss. The hunt involves a search for twelve treasure boxes, the clues to which were provided in a book written by Preiss in 1982, also called The Secret. These boxes were buried at secret locations in cities across the United States and Canada that symbolically represent events and peoples that played significant roles in North American history. Anyone who uncovered one of the treasure boxes was entitled to exchange it with Preiss for a precious gem; after Preiss died in 2005, his estate assumed the responsibility of honoring the terms of the treasure hunt. As of 2024, only three of the twelve boxes have been found. Preiss kept no record of the treasure boxes' exact locations before his death, leaving it a possibility that the remaining boxes may never be recovered.

Contents

Book

Clues for where the treasures were buried are provided in a puzzle book named The Secret produced by Byron Preiss and first published by Bantam in 1982. [1] The book was authored by Sean Kelly and Ted Mann and illustrated by John Jude Palencar, John Pierard, and Overton Loyd; JoEllen Trilling, Ben Asen, and Alex Jay also contributed to the book. [2] A Japanese version was published in 1983, and the English version was re-issued in 2014. [1] The book contains 12 images and 12 verses; an image must be linked to a verse, with the information they contain used to locate a buried "treasure casque". [3]

The Secret book variants
YearISBNLanguageFormatPublisher
1982 ISBN   0-553-01408-0 EnglishPaperback Bantam
Hardcover [1]
19830276-831122-7339JapanesePaperbackFutami-shobo
2014 ISBN   978-1-59687-444-2 EnglishHardcoveribooks.com
ISBN   978-1-59687-401-5 Paperback

Treasure boxes

As of 2024, three of the treasure boxes have been recovered. [4] [5] The first was found in Chicago, Illinois; the second in Cleveland, Ohio; and the most recent treasure box was found in Boston, Massachusetts. [5] The remaining nine treasure boxes have not yet been recovered. [4] The Boston treasure box's recovery was filmed for Discovery Channel's television show Expedition Unknown and aired on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, a recovery which only occurred due to the puzzle being featured in two previous episodes of the series. [6] [7] [8]

Over time, some of the cached casques may have been destroyed, or been built over, as was happening with the Boston casque, which was buried in Langone Park, in Boston’s North End which was undergoing renovation, resulting in the casque being dug up in an excavator. Clues would no longer match in cases where the surrounding area has changed since the book was originally published. [8]

Note: This table is the consensus from the majority of searchers.

Image No. [9] Verse No. [9] Verse openingStatusLocation (solved, or likely)Ref.
17At stone wall's doorUnsolved San Francisco, California [10] [11]
26Of all the romance retoldUnsolved Charleston, South Carolina [12]
311Pass two friends of octaveUnsolvedElizabethan Garden, Roanoke Island, North Carolina [13]
44Beneath two countriesSolved (2004)Greek Garden, Cleveland, Ohio [14] [15]
512Where M and B are set in stoneSolved (1983) Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois [16] [17]
69The first chapterUnsolved St. Augustine, Florida
81Fortress northUnsolved Hermann Park, Houston, Texas [18] [19]
108View the three stories of MitchellUnsolved Milwaukee, Wisconsin [20]
95LaneUnsolved Montreal
72At the place where jewels aboundUnsolved French Quarter/Lafayette, New Orleans, Louisiana
113If Thucydides is North of Xenophon Solved (2019)Puopolo Field, Boston, Massachusetts [5] [21]
1210In the shadow Of the grey giantUnsolved Queens/Coney, New York, New York [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>National Treasure</i> (film) 2004 film by Jon Turteltaub

National Treasure is a 2004 American action-adventure heist film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was written by Jim Kouf and the Wibberleys, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Jon Turteltaub. It is the first film in the National Treasure franchise and stars Nicolas Cage in the lead role, Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Justin Bartha and Christopher Plummer. In the film, Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian, along with computer expert Riley Poole and archivist Abigail Chase, search for a massive lost Freemason treasure, which includes a map hidden on the back of the United States Declaration of Independence.

<i>Masquerade</i> (book) British pictorial storybook

Masquerade is a picture book, written and illustrated by Kit Williams and published in August 1979, that sparked a treasure hunt by including concealed clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare that had been created and hidden somewhere in Britain by Williams. The book became the inspiration for a genre of books known today as armchair treasure hunts.

A Treasure's Trove: A Fairy Tale About Real Treasure for Parents and Children of All Ages is an illustrated children's book written by Michael Stadther and published in 2004 by Treasure Trove Inc, which he incorporated to do so. The "real treasure" was found by deciphering clues in the book that led to fourteen tokens that could be turned in for unique jewels, each representing an insect or character from the book, or a cash prize representing one third of the jewel's value. Initially, it was reported that there were twelve jewels, however, it subsequently emerged that there were fourteen prizes. In 2005, it was reported that film rights for A Treasure's Trove had been acquired by Cruise/Wagner Productions, however, apart from a reported trailer being in development in the New York Times, there has been no further news.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scavenger hunt</span> Game in which participants compete to gather specific items or complete tasks in a given order

A scavenger hunt is a game in which the organizers prepare a list defining specific items, which the participants seek to gather or complete all items on the list, usually without purchasing them. Usually participants work in small teams, although the rules may allow individuals to participate. The goal is to be the first to complete the list or to complete the most items on that list. In variations of the game, players take photographs of listed items or be challenged to complete the tasks on the list in the most creative manner. A treasure hunt is another name for the game, but it may involve following a series of clues to find objects or a single prize in a particular order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Renner</span> American journalist

James Renner is an American author, investigative journalist, producer, and director. He worked as a reporter for Cleveland Scene and was editor of the alternative newspaper The Cleveland Independent. He is known for his work in the thriller, science fiction, and true crime genres. In 2019, Renner founded The Porchlight Project, a nonprofit dedicated to offering support for the families of the missing and murdered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treasure: In Search of the Golden Horse</span>

Treasure: In Search of the Golden Horse is a treasure hunting puzzle published in 1984 by the Intravision production company. It was conceived as a story-based contest by filmmaker Sheldon Renan similar in concept to that of Kit Williams' book Masquerade. The puzzle was presented in two formats, one in an elaborate book illustrated by Jean-Francois Podevin and published by Warner Books, and the other a direct-to-video motion picture filmed by Renan and starring Doryan Dean with Elisha Cook, Jr. in a supporting role. Voice-over narration was provided by actor Richard Lynch with music by composer Jesse Frederick. The film was first aired on cable television and subsequently sold on VHS, Betamax, Capacitance Electronic Disc, and Laserdisc formats by Vestron Video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Preiss</span> American writer, editor, and publisher

Byron Preiss was an American writer, editor, and publisher. He founded and served as president of Byron Preiss Visual Publications, and later of ibooks Inc. Many of his projects were in the forms of graphic novels, comics, illustrated books, and children's books. Beyond traditional printed books, Preiss frequently embraced emerging technologies, and was recognized as a pioneer in digital publishing and as among the first to publish in such formats as CD-ROM books and ebooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Jude Palencar</span> American artist

John Jude Palencar is an American illustrator and fine artist, who specializes in works of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. In 2010, he was given the Hamilton King Award. His highly detailed work is described as containing a rich language of symbols and archetypes, which are left open to interpretation by the viewer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Rollins</span> American veterinarian and novelist (born 1961)

James Paul Czajkowski, better known by his pen name of James Rollins, is an American veterinarian and writer of action-adventure/thriller, mystery, and techno-thriller novels who gave up his veterinary practice in Sacramento, California to be a full-time author. Rollins' experiences and expertise as an amateur spelunker and a certified scuba diver have provided content for some of his novels, which are often set in underground or underwater locations. Under the pen name James Clemens, he has also published fantasy novels, such as Wit'ch Fire, Wit'ch Storm, Wit'ch War, Wit'ch Gate, Wit'ch Star, Shadowfall (2005), and Hinterland (2006).

A secret is information kept hidden.

Treasure Hunters is a reality television series on NBC (US) and Global (Canada) in which ten teams of three solve puzzles and complete challenges in hopes of solving the ultimate puzzle and winning the grand prize. Teams travel across the United States and Europe in search of seven "artifacts" which when assembled will "lead to the key. Find the key, and find the treasure." The challenges and puzzles are spliced with American history, and the ultimate goal is to find a hidden treasure, leading the show to be compared on various occasions to the film National Treasure. The value of the treasure in the series was revealed on the season finale to be $3,000,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treasure map</span> Map to find treasure

A treasure map is a map that marks the location of buried treasure, a lost mine, a valuable secret or a hidden locale. More common in fiction than in reality, "pirate treasure maps" are often depicted in works of fiction as hand drawn and containing arcane clues for the characters to follow. Regardless of the term's literary use, anything that meets the broad definition of a "map" that describes the location of a "treasure" could appropriately be called a "treasure map."

<i>Detective Conan: Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure</i> 2007 Japanese film

Detective Conan: Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure is a Japanese animated feature film released on April 21, 2007. It is the 11th film in the Case Closed series. This film brought in 2.53 billion yen.

<i>The 39 Clues</i> Novel series by various authors

The 39 Clues is a series of adventure novels written by a collaboration of authors, including Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Roland Smith, David Baldacci, Jeff Hirsch, Natalie Standiford, C. Alexander London, Sarwat Chadda and Jenny Goebel. It consists of five series, The Clue Hunt, Cahills vs. Vespers, Unstoppable, Doublecross, and Superspecial. They chronicle the adventures of two siblings, Amy and Dan Cahill, who discover that their family has been, and still is, the most influential family in history.

<i>National Treasure</i> (franchise) Film franchise

The National Treasure franchise consists of American historical fiction action-adventures, including two released theatrical films, a prequel book series, and a television series set 20 years after the films. Future installments, notably a third film, have been under consideration for many years. The plot of the films and books centers around the Gates family – treasure hunters who search for and preserve lost valuables from the history of the United States of America – while the TV series references this background and features some common characters.

<i>The Clock Without a Face</i> Book by Mac Barnett and Eli Horowitz

The Clock Without a Face is puzzle book by Eli Horowitz and Mac Barnett with illustrations by Scott Teplin. It was published in 2010 by McSweeney's. The plot of the book revolves around the theft of 12 jeweled numbers from the face of the Emerald Khroniker, a cursed clock, with clues to the thief's identity and the whereabouts of the numbers included throughout the text and in accompanying pictures. The identity of the thieves is revealed on the last page, but the location of the treasure is not. The authors hid 12 actual emerald-studded numbers in locations around the United States, and readers are encouraged to search for them using the clues in the book.

<i>On the Trail of the Golden Owl</i> 1993 armchair treasure hunt book by Max Valentin

On The Trail Of The Golden Owl is a French armchair treasure hunt book created by communications expert Régis Hauser under the pseudonym "Max Valentin" and illustrated by artist Michel Becker. The book was first published in 1993. It provides clues to the location of a buried statuette of an owl, created by Becker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fenn treasure</span> Modern treasure in the United States, discovered in 2020

The Fenn Treasure was a cache of gold and jewels that Forrest Fenn, an art dealer and author from Santa Fe, New Mexico, hid in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. It was found approximately a decade later in 2020 in Wyoming by an anonymous treasure hunter later revealed to be former journalist and medical student Jack Stuef. In attempting to honor what he perceives to be Fenn's wishes after his death in September 2020, he has refused to reveal the location of the treasure. An auction of items from the treasure chest in December 2022 resulted in $1.3 million in sales.

Several video games based upon Blue's Clues, a children's educational television series by Nickelodeon, have been released, educational video games and web browser games based on the show. Most of the PC CD ROM-format titles were developed and published by Humongous Entertainment.

The Cipher Hunt was an alternate reality game and international scavenger hunt created by storyboard artist and voice actor Alex Hirsch based on his animated series Gravity Falls. The goal was to find the real-life statue of the series' antagonist Bill Cipher, which was briefly glimpsed at the end of the series finale. The hunt involved retrieving and decoding clues hidden in various locations worldwide.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Book Variants". 12treasures.com. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  2. "The History Behind 'The Secret'" . Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  3. The Secret (1982), pp. 7–8
  4. 1 2 "Shhh! The Secret Podcast". 12treasures.com. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Baker, Billy (October 25, 2019). "Hidden treasure, a family's quest, and 'The Secret'" . The Boston Globe . Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  6. "EPIC SEASON FINALE OF DISCOVERY CHANNEL'S 'EXPEDITION UNKNOWN' STARRING JOSH GATES UNCOVERS FAMED HIDDEN TREASURE". discovery.com (Press release). October 28, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  7. "Expedition Unknown: 'The Secret' Treasure Found in Boston". Discovery Com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  8. 1 2 "The Secret Solved". Expedition: Unknown. 2019.
  9. 1 2 "The Secret (a treasure hunt)" . Retrieved November 9, 2019 via pbworks.com.
  10. Walker, Wilson (March 4, 2019). "Treasure Hunters May Be Closing In On Prize In Golden Gate Park". KPIX-TV . Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  11. Parks, Shoshi (September 20, 2019). "S.F. Marks the Spot for Buried Treasure". Atlas Obscura . Retrieved November 10, 2019. A fantasy author's 37-year-old cache may soon be unearthed in one of the city's 220 parks. But which one?
  12. Behre, Robert (April 22, 2019). "Discovery Channel team to dig up Charleston's White Point Garden in search of buried key". The Post and Courier . San Francisco, California . Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  13. Kile, Jenny (June 9, 2019). "In Search of the Roanoke Island Casque of The Secret Armchair Treasure Hunt: Six Questions with Dustin and Deidra White". Mysterious Writings. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  14. Firschein, Merry (July 18, 2004). "Treasure hunter strikes pay dirt". The Record . Bergen County, New Jersey. p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  15. Firschein, Merry (July 18, 2004). "Treasure: A 22-year quest ends in a park in Cleveland". The Record . Bergen County, New Jersey. p. 12. Retrieved November 9, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  16. Swartz, Tracy (January 17, 2018). "Travel Channel show revisits '80s treasure find in Grant Park". Chicago Tribune . pp. 1–3. Retrieved November 10, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  17. "The Secret of Byron Preiss: How they found the Chicago key" . Retrieved November 9, 2019 via YouTube.
  18. Brasted, Chelsea (April 9, 2019). "There's a secret treasure in New Orleans. We may have found it". The Times-Picayune . Retrieved November 11, 2019 via nola.com.
  19. Truong, Thanh (May 18, 2018). "The Secret: There's a treasure buried in New Orleans". WWL-TV . Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  20. "Milwaukee Solve" . Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  21. Conti, Matt (October 30, 2019). "Treasure Hunt Leads to North End Baseball Field". North End Waterfront. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  22. Kile, Jenny (April 18, 2019). "Six Questions with James Renner: In Search for the New York City Casque of The Secret (A Treasure Hunt)". Mysterious Writings. Retrieved November 11, 2019.

Further reading