Masquerade by Kit Williams

[Fleegle]

Does anyone remember this amazing book from the late 1970s, about solving the "riddles" contained in the book (mostly pictorial, it turns out) to find a golden hare amulet, worth then £5,000, buried by the author somewhere in the UK?

It was solved years ago, in controversial circumstances, but I was doing a bit of googling today, and came across the full solution on this website..

Masquerade & The Mysteries of Kit Williams

Did anyone try it at the time, if so, how far did you get? The effort Kit Williams put into the project still astounds me. For me, it will always remain the most perfect, visually beautiful puzzle ever conceived.

Any comments?

Fleeg.

[johnep]

I believe was buried near where I used to live at Ampthill Beds.
johnep

[Fleegle]

Indeed John...

And the master riddle phrase is spelled out: "Catherine's long-finger over shadows earth buried yellow amulet midday points the hour in light-of-equinox look-you." The first letter from each word in that phrase spells "Close by Ampthill," a geographical confirmer and the heart of Kit's riddle.

Fleeg.

[Pharmanaut]

Remember a game for the Spectrum, where you had to find the "Golden Sundial of Pi".
Similar - someone won it.
The Authors bought it back.

[johnep]

I think someone else sought to do something similar (Cadburys golden egg?).
Spoilt when found by a metal detector.
johnep

[Fleegle]

Williams was clever..he encased the amulet in a thick clay casket (also made by himself). He knew metal detectors could not penetrate the clay. I would have disagreed, but he was right, as other treasure seekers admitted to not knowing the exact location, as they had not solved the full riddle, and trawled the whole area around Catherine of Aragon's cross at Ampthill with metal detectors. They found nothing, although that was where the treasure was buried.

By the way...does anyone out there have a copy of Masquerade they don't want, in decent condition? It's out of print now, and my own copy is long-lost. I'm obviously happy to pay the going rate, and would rather support a fellow pharmacist than Amazon! Another book , also out of print I'm looking for is a small paperback "Quest for the Golden Hare" by Bamber Gascoigne, of University Challenge fame.

Please PM me if you can help me out with either.

Fleeg.

[Paul Slade]

You can find the full story of Masquerade here.

This February 2010 essay tells the whole tale from start to finish, starting with Williams' original inspiration for the book in 1976 and ending with a surprising reunion between him and the hare 33 years later. Along the way, it picks apart the threads of the whole 'Ken Thomas' affair, drops in at Rod Argent's Masquerade musical, explains the puzzle's proper solution and meets the American Masquerade fan who sacrificed his sanity for the hare. I think it's a damn good read, but then I'm the guy who wrote it, so I would say that, wouldn't I?

[LeftArm]

I was dragged round the country by my parents looking for that thing in my youth.

A fantastic book.

[Fleegle]

You can find the full story of Masquerade here.

This February 2010 essay tells the whole tale from start to finish, starting with Williams' original inspiration for the book in 1976 and ending with a surprising reunion between him and the hare 33 years later. Along the way, it picks apart the threads of the whole 'Ken Thomas' affair, drops in at Rod Argent's Masquerade musical, explains the puzzle's proper solution and meets the American Masquerade fan who sacrificed his sanity for the hare. I think it's a damn good read, but then I'm the guy who wrote it, so I would say that, wouldn't I?

Paul...I have just read your 'Masquerade' essay. It's an enthralling tale, and I urge other forum members to read it too. You just couldn't make stuff like this up. The one remaining question I have is regarding Veronica, (or 'Ronnie'). I notice she never re-surfaced when the amulet was repatriated from abroad. I wonder what became of her, and what her side of the story really is....

Excellent website by the way.

Fleeg.