The Secret Wiki - User contributions [en]

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2025-11-18T02:00:17Z

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Main Page

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Byron Preiss

2025-11-07T07:11:18Z

Peregrine:

Main Page

2025-10-25T05:05:41Z

Peregrine:

== ''This site is '''under construction'''. If you’re reading this notice, user registration is not currently active and all pages are works in progress. Please do not attempt edits at this time. Thanks.'' ==
Welcome to The Secret Wiki
[[File:The Secret book cover.jpg|thumb|Cover of the original 1982 edition of [[The Secret]].]]Here we compile and share information relevant to [[The Secret]], a [[The Secret (book)|book]] published in 1982 by [[Byron Preiss]], and the [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|treasure hunt]] contained within. If you’d like to contribute, please sign up for an account.

''The Secret'' presents puzzles consisting of [[verses]] and paintings. There are twelve of each, leading to twelve [[Generally Accepted Pairings|pairings]] corresponding to cities in North America. If solved, the puzzles lead the searcher to dig at a physical spot, where a unique [[casque]] can be found. Of the twelve casques, three have currently been [[Found Casques|located]]. There are also [[additional treasure hunts]], inspired by and in tribute to The Secret.

''Please note:'' '''''This is a resource for documented information.''''' It is not a soapbox for individual opinions; there are several online platforms for that. Any skewed, falsely-authoritative language (“the casque is almost certainly buried…”) will be removed, as will language conveying hostility, contempt, or lack of grounding in reality.

''The Secret'' was meant to be a source of enjoyment for everyone. Please approach this wiki in the same spirit.

Main Page

2025-10-25T04:40:21Z

Peregrine: Protected "Main Page" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

== ''This site is '''under construction'''. If you’re reading this notice, user registration is not currently active and all pages are works in progress. Please do not attempt edits at this time. Thanks.'' ==
Welcome to The Secret Wiki
[[File:The Secret book cover.jpg|thumb|Cover of the original 1982 edition of [[The Secret]].]]Here we compile and share information relevant to [[The Secret]], a [[The Secret (book)|book]] published in 1982 by [[Byron Preiss]], and the [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|treasure hunt]] contained within. If you’d like to contribute, please sign up for an account.

''The Secret'' presents puzzles consisting of [[verses]] and paintings. There are twelve of each, leading to twelve [[Generally Accepted Pairings|pairings]] corresponding to cities in North America. If solved, the puzzles lead the searcher to dig at a physical spot, where a unique [[casque]] can be found. Of the twelve casques, three have currently been [[Found Casques|located]]. There are also [[additional treasure hunts]], inspired by and in tribute to The Secret.

'''Please note:''' ''This is a resource for documented information.'' It is not a soapbox for individual opinions; there are several online platforms for that. Any skewed, falsely-authoritative language (“the casque is almost certainly buried…”) will be removed, as will language conveying hostility, contempt, or lack of grounding in reality.

''The Secret'' was meant to be a source of enjoyment for everyone. Please approach this wiki in the same spirit.

Main Page

2025-10-25T04:39:37Z

Peregrine: Undo revision 1251 by Peregrine (talk)

== ''This site is '''under construction'''. If you’re reading this notice, user registration is not currently active and all pages are works in progress. Please do not attempt edits at this time. Thanks.'' ==
Welcome to The Secret Wiki
[[File:The Secret book cover.jpg|thumb|Cover of the original 1982 edition of [[The Secret]].]]Here we compile and share information relevant to [[The Secret]], a [[The Secret (book)|book]] published in 1982 by [[Byron Preiss]], and the [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|treasure hunt]] contained within. If you’d like to contribute, please sign up for an account.

''The Secret'' presents puzzles consisting of [[verses]] and paintings. There are twelve of each, leading to twelve [[Generally Accepted Pairings|pairings]] corresponding to cities in North America. If solved, the puzzles lead the searcher to dig at a physical spot, where a unique [[casque]] can be found. Of the twelve casques, three have currently been [[Found Casques|located]]. There are also [[additional treasure hunts]], inspired by and in tribute to The Secret.

'''Please note:''' ''This is a resource for documented information.'' It is not a soapbox for individual opinions; there are several online platforms for that. Any skewed, falsely-authoritative language (“the casque is almost certainly buried…”) will be removed, as will language conveying hostility, contempt, or lack of grounding in reality.

''The Secret'' was meant to be a source of enjoyment for everyone. Please approach this wiki in the same spirit.

Main Page

2025-10-23T06:13:58Z

Peregrine: Replaced content with "== ''This wiki '''is sleeping'''. We’re working some things out behind the scenes. Please check in with us later."

== ''This wiki '''is sleeping'''. We’re working some things out behind the scenes. Please check in with us later.

John Jude Palencar

2025-10-18T05:30:37Z

Peregrine: Created page with " '''John Jude Palencar''' (born February 26, 1957) 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. ==Early life== Palencar was born in Fairview Park, Ohio. He developed an interest in the subject matter of horror and..."

'''John Jude Palencar''' (born February 26, 1957) 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.
==Early life==
Palencar was born in Fairview Park, Ohio. He developed an interest in the subject matter of horror and science fiction early in life; dressing up as an alien with a homemade custom latex masks and exhibiting a fascination in both scaring others and being scared himself. In the third grade, his family would move to Middleburg Heights, Ohio. He would win his first award in art in fifth grade with a three-colour block print for the Cleveland’s Plain Dealer newspaper calendar contest. He went on to attended Midpark High School. It was in high school that the artist came under the art training of Frederick C. Graff, who up until today is a established award winning artist, primarily in watercolor. After winning numerous art awards and selling a few paintings in high school, Palencar decided to pursue a career in art. He attended the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) on scholarship, receiving a BFA degree in 1980. During his college years he worked for the American Greetings Card Company and freelanced, establishing a list of regional and national clients in editorial, advertising and corporate art. As a senior at CCAD he won the top cash award at the Society of Illustrators Student Exhibition and was also presented with a scholarship to the Illustrators Workshop held in Paris, France.

==Illustration career==
While still in college at Columbus College of Art and Design, Palencar exhibited work at the Society of Illustrators and the work on display attracted the attention of [[Byron Preiss]]. The result would be an early and prominent assignment for the artist in 1982 with the commission to illustrate The Secret, a puzzle book produced by Byron Preiss and published by Bantam Books. The illustrations for the book depict the visual components of 12 puzzles, each of which lead the reader on a treasure hunt. Preiss had hidden ceramic boxes, each redeemable for a jewel, in twelve cities and to date only three of the puzzles have been solved and the jewels recovered.

Palencar's first introduction to illustrating for fantasy and speculative fiction came shortly after college when working for Time-Life Books on The Enchanted World Series. The young artist would contribute to many books in the series, including Legends of Valor(1984), Ghosts(1984) and Night Creatures (1985).

His work has since appeared on hundreds of book covers for just about every major publisher in the U.S., and in over thirty countries around the world. The artist has created cover art for such authors as H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula Le Guin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, P.D. James, Charles de Lint, R.L. Stine, Octavia Butler, David Brin and Stephen King. New York Times Best Selling author, Christopher Paolini, a fan of John's work, named the lead character's birthplace "Palancar Valley", after John in his NY Times Bestseller, Eragon for which John also painted the cover, as well as creating the type treatment that would be used for the remaining three books in the series. Stephen King owns three works by the artist from the Dark Tower series.

Palancar has also created editorial illustrations for Time Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, and Nat. Geo. Television as well as worked on entertainment projects for Lucas Arts, Paramount Pictures, and Vivendi Universal.

In 2004, Palencar became the Artist in Residence at the Cill Rialaig Arts Centre, in County Kerry Ireland.

In 2007, Underwood Books would publish Origins:The Art of John Jude Palencar, a 128 page tribute to the artists work up until that time with a foreword by Christopher Paolini

In 2008, Palencar was awarded the Spectrum Award for Grand Master, which is an annual award presented to an artist who has worked for at least twenty years at a consistently high level of quality and has left his or her mark on the field of contemporary science fiction, fantasy and horror artwork.

In 2012, Tor Books editor David Hartwell was passing by the Tor art department and noticed a painting by Palancar leaning against the wall, Hartwell asked art director Irene Gallo what the painting was for and was told that the work had no specific commission. Hartwell used the work to initiate The Palencar Project, in which five writers, L.E. Modesitt, Jr, Gene Wolf, Michael Swanwick, Gregory Benford and James Morrow all wrote short stories based on the painting. The same painting would later be used as the cover for The One-Eyed Man by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

The George R.R. Martin 2019 A Song of Ice and Fire wall calendar would be illustrated by Palencar.

==Working Process==
Initial ideas are sketched quickly, to provide an art director with a general idea of how a finished work might appear. Once an approval for an idea is in hand, the artist creates a detailed rendering in pencil with subtle shading on a plate finish board. The final Palencar paintings are executed in acrylic, but in a watercolor fashion, in which initial thin layers are laid down as a wash first. Multiple layers and subtle colors are then woven together and then the artists begins to introduce opaque and semi opaque washes. Working in this manner borrows technical approaches from oil, watercolor and egg tempera mediums.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2013/04/16/making-art-rag-and-bone/|title=Making the Art for ''Rag and Bone''|date=2013-04-16}}</ref>
==Personal life==
Palencar lives in Medina Township, Ohio with his wife Lee who is an art teacher at Highland High School in Medina. The couple have two boys, Ian and [[Kit Palencar|Kit]]. [[Kit Palencar|Kit]], also an artist teaches drawing and painting at the University of Akron. Palencar maintains a personal collection of skulls and articulated skeletons that serve as inspiration and reference for many paintings.
==Bibliography==
{{main|John Jude Palencar bibliography}}
==Exhibitions==
Palencar has exhibited in numerous group shows in galleries, colleges and universities throughout the United States.
===Solo===
*''Between World''s, Canton Museum of Art, 2019
*''Images of Ireland'', National Museum, Dublin<ref name="SOI">{{cite web | url=https://www.societyillustrators.org/john-jude-palencar|title=2010 Hamilton King Award Winner: John Jude Palencar|accessdate=2020-06-27}}</ref>
*University of the Arts, Richard C. von Hess Gallery, 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uarts.edu/about/richard-c-von-hess-illustration-gallery-exhibitors|title=Richard C. von Hess Gallery|accessdate=2020-08-25}}</ref>
===Group===
*La Mars Art Center, ''Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society'', 2020 <ref name="lamars">{{cite web|url=https://www.lemarssentinel.com/story/2815268.html|title=Watercolors come alive in international exhibit|date=2020-06-08|first=Beverly|last=Van Buskirk}}</ref>
*Society of Illustrators, ''Masters of The Fantastic'', 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.societyillustrators.org/exhibits/masters-fantastic|title=Masters of The Fantastic|accessdate=2020-08-25}}</ref>
*Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, U''nveiling Visions: The Alchemy of the Black Imagination'', curated by John Jennings and Reynaldo Anderson, 2015<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/09/29/art-futurism-black-imagination|title=Art, Futurism, and the Black Imagination|date=2015-09-29|first=Candice|last=Frederick}}</ref>
*Kosart Studios & Gallery, ''Maleficium: Dark Art Exhibition'', 2015 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://sketchforward.com/2015/11/20/maleficium-dark-art-exhibition-review/|title=Maleficium Dark Art Exhibition Review|accessdate=2020-08-25}}</ref>
*Butler Institute of American Art, 2013
*Allentown Art Museum, At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic,curated by Patrick and Jeannie Wilshire, 2012
*Nucleus Gallery, At the Mountains of Madness:A Tribute to the Writings of Lovecraft, 2010
==Awards==
*Gold Medal, American Water Color Society, for The ''Dark Line'', 2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanwatercolorsociety.org/a_awards.php?year=2020|title=2020 Awards|accessdate=2020-08-25}}</ref>
*Gold Medal (Institutional), Spectrum 27, 2020, for The Stranger: The Seve''nth Faith'' <ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectrumfantasticart.com/blog/category/spectrum-news/|title=Spectrum Fantastic Art News | accessdate=2020-08-25}}</ref>
*Silver Medal (Institutional), Spectrum 26, 2019, for ''The Nights Watch''<ref name="sfadb">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfadb.com/John_Jude_Palencar_Chronology|title=John Jude Palencar Chronology|accessdate=2020-08-25}}</ref>
*Hamilton King Award, Society of Illustrators, 2010, for cover of Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint
*Gold Medal, Society of Illustrators, 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://soicompetitions.org/?what=gallery&c=44&i=21587|title=Illustrators 52 Medal Winners|accessdate=2020-08-25}}</ref>
*Spectrum Grand Master Award, 2008
*Gold Medal (book), Spectrum Awards 1996, for ''Blood Debt''<ref name="sfadb" />
*Gold Medal (book), Spectrum Awards 1995, for ''Becoming Human''<ref name="sfadb" />
*Chesley Awards Winner 2006, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1995
==References==

==External links==

The Secret

2025-10-18T05:29:48Z

Peregrine:

'''The Secret''' refers to both a book created by [[Byron Preiss]] in 1982, and the treasure hunt contained within its pages. Please see [[The Secret (book)|T''he Secret'' (book)]], and [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|The Secret (treasure hunt]]).

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 Canadathat 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.

Preiss died in a car accident in 2005. His estate assumed the responsibility of honoring the terms of the treasure hunt. As of 2025, 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.

== Book ==
Clues for where the treasures were buried are provided in a book entitled ''[[The Secret (book)|The Secret]],'' produced by Byron Preiss and first published by Bantam in 1982. 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. A Japanese version was published in 1983, and the English version was re-issued in 2014. 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".
{| class="wikitable"
|+''The Secret'' book variants
!Year
!ISBN
!Language
!Format
!Publisher
|-
| rowspan="2" |1982
| rowspan="2" |ISBN <bdi>0-553-01408-0</bdi>
| rowspan="2" |English
|Paperback
| rowspan="2" |Bantam
|-
|Hardcover
|-
|1983
|0276-831122-7339
|Japanese
|Paperback
|Futami-shobo
|-
| rowspan="2" |2014
|ISBN <bdi>978-1-59687-444-2</bdi>
| rowspan="2" |English
|Hardcover
| rowspan="2" |ibooks.com
|-
|ISBN <bdi>978-1-59687-401-5</bdi>
|Paperback
|}

== Treasure boxes ==
As of 2024, three of the treasure boxes have been recovered. The first was found in Chicago, Illinois; the second in Cleveland, Ohio; and the most recent treasure box was found in Boston, Massachusetts. The remaining nine treasure boxes have not yet been recovered. 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.

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 by an excavator. Clues would no longer match in cases where the surrounding area has changed since the book was originally published. Similarly, boxes in like New Orleans (which faced mass destruction due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005) and New York City (which has undergone major renovations since the 1980s) have become extremely difficult to track.

Note: This table is the consensus from the majority of searchers.
{| class="wikitable"
!Image No.
!Verse No.
!Verse opening
!Status
!Location (solved, or likely)
!Ref.
|-
|1
|7
|''At stone wall's door''
|Unsolved
|San Francisco, California
|
|-
|2
|6
|''Of all the romance retold''
|Unsolved
|Charleston, South Carolina
|
|-
|3
|11
|''Pass two friends of octave''
|Unsolved
|Elizabethan Garden, Roanoke Island, North Carolina
|
|-
|4
|4
|''Beneath two countries''
|Solved (2004)
|Greek Garden, Cleveland, Ohio
|
|-
|5
|12
|''Where M and B are set in stone''
|Solved (1983)
|Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois
|
|-
|6
|9
|''The first chapter''
|Unsolved
|St. Augustine, Florida
|
|-
|8
|1
|''Fortress north''
|Unsolved
|Hermann Park, Houston, Texas
|
|-
|10
|8
|''View the three stories of Mitchell''
|Unsolved
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|
|-
|9
|5
|''Lane''
|Unsolved
|Montreal, Quebec, Canada
|
|-
|7
|2
|''At the place where jewels abound''
|Unsolved
|French Quarter/Lafayette, New Orleans, Louisiana
|
|-
|11
|3
|''If Thucydides is North of Xenophon''
|Solved (2019)
|Puopolo Field, Boston, Massachusetts
|
|-
|12
|10
|''In the shadow Of the grey giant''
|Unsolved
|Queens/Coney, New York, New York
|
|}

== See also ==

JoEllen Trilling

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Category:1953 births

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Byron Preiss

2025-10-18T05:21:51Z

Peregrine:

Main Page

2025-10-18T05:20:58Z

Peregrine:

== ''This site is '''under construction'''. If you’re reading this notice, user registration is not currently active and all pages are works in progress. Please do not attempt edits at this time. Thanks.'' ==
Welcome to The Secret Wiki
[[File:The Secret book cover.jpg|thumb|Cover of the original 1982 edition of [[The Secret]].]]Here we compile and share information relevant to [[The Secret]], a [[The Secret (book)|book]] published in 1982 by [[Byron Preiss]], and the [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|treasure hunt]] contained within. If you’d like to contribute, please sign up for an account.

''The Secret'' presents puzzles consisting of [[verses]] and paintings. There are twelve of each, leading to twelve [[Generally Accepted Pairings|pairings]] corresponding to cities in North America. If solved, the puzzles lead the searcher to dig at a physical spot, where a unique [[casque]] can be found. Of the twelve casques, three have currently been [[Found Casques|located]]. There are also [[additional treasure hunts]], inspired by and in tribute to The Secret.

'''Please note:''' ''This is a resource for documented information.'' It is not a soapbox for individual opinions; there are several online platforms for that. Any skewed, falsely-authoritative language (“the casque is almost certainly buried…”) will be removed, as will language conveying hostility, contempt, or lack of grounding in reality.

''The Secret'' was meant to be a source of enjoyment for everyone. Please approach this wiki in the same spirit.

User:Peregrine

2025-10-18T05:08:45Z

Peregrine: Created page with "thumb Hello. On the internet, no one knows I’m a bird."

[[File:Peregrine.jpg|thumb]]
Hello. On the internet, no one knows I’m a bird.

Byron Preiss

2025-10-18T05:06:25Z

Peregrine:

Byron Preiss

2025-10-18T04:58:32Z

Peregrine:

Byron Preiss

2025-10-18T04:57:43Z

Peregrine:

Byron Preiss

2025-10-18T04:54:10Z

Peregrine: Created page with "'''Byron Preiss''' (April 11, 1953 – July 9, 2005) 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 firs..."

'''Byron Preiss''' (April 11, 1953 – July 9, 2005) 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.

=== Early life and career ===
A native of Brooklyn, New York City, Byron Preiss graduated ''magna cum laude'' from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972, and earned a master's degree in communications from Stanford University.

In 1971, while Preiss was teaching at a Philadelphia elementary school, he conceived, and with Jim Steranko, produced an anti-drug comic book, ''The Block'', designed for low-level reading skills. Published by Steranko's company, Supergraphics, it was distributed to schools nationwide.

He founded Byron Preiss Visual Publications in 1974[''citation needed''] to publish original works, including ''Weird Heroes'' (1975). His 1976 ''Fiction Illustrated'' series of illustrated novels began with ''Schlomo Raven: Public Detective'', a Preiss collaboration with Tom Sutton; followed by ''Starfawn'', illustrated by Stephen Fabian; Steranko's ''Chandler: Red Tide''; and the 1977 ''Son of Sherlock Holmes'', illustrated by Ralph Reese. Other publications included a 1978 adaptation of Alfred Bester's ''The Stars My Destination'' as a two-volume graphic novel, illustrated by Howard Chaykin.

=== Publishing career ===
As a comics packager and book packager, he developed titles for such publishers as HarperCollins and Random House. One such project, created in conjunction with the Bank Street College of Education, resulted in a series of educational comic books adapting well-known genre authors: ''The Bank Street Book of Creepy Tales'', ''The Bank Street Book of Fantasy'', ''The Bank Street Book of Mystery'' and ''The Bank Street Book of Science Fiction''.

He published children's books by celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Jane Goodall, Jay Leno, LeAnn Rimesand Jerry Seinfeld, and worked closely with such established illustrators as Ralph Reese, William Stoutand Tom Sutton.[''citation needed'']

Preiss was co-author, with Michael Reaves, of the children's novel ''Dragonworld'' (Doubleday, 1979), with 80 illustrations by Joseph Zucker. ''Dragonworld'' was originally planned to be the fifth ''Fiction Illustrated'' title.[''citation needed'']

In 1982, Preiss published ''The Secret'', a puzzle book that combined 12 short verses and 12 elaborate fantasy paintings by [[John Jude Palencar]]. Readers were expected to pair each painting with a verse in a way that would provide clues to finding one of 12 plexiglass boxes buried in various parks around North America. Each box contained a ceramic box that contained a key that could be redeemed for a jewel worth $1,000. The book was inspired by the success of ''Masquerade'', written and illustrated by Kit Williams and published in England in August 1979, but ''The Secret'' never led to the same level of treasure hunting frenzy. One of the ceramic boxes was found in Chicago in 1983, one in Cleveland in 2004, and one in Boston in October 2019. The remaining nine boxes have yet to be found, and reportedly Preiss was the only one who knew where they were when he died.

He edited the recording of the audiobook ''The Words of Gandhi'', released by Caedmon in 1984 and narrated by Ben Kingsley, who won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording for the work.

=== Later life and death ===
Preiss was married to Sandi Mendelson, with whom he had daughters Karah and Blaire.

On July 9, 2005, he died in a traffic accident at East Hampton, New York, on Long Island: Preiss, turning left at an intersection onto Montauk Highway, was involved in a collision with a Hampton Jitney bus traveling at or around 30 mph (48,3 km/h). The airbag did not work. Preiss died almost instantly.

Both Byron Preiss Visual Publications and ibooks Inc. filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on February 22, 2006, after his death.

{{Short description|American writer, editor, and publisher}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox writer
|image = Byron_Preiss,_2000.jpg
|caption = Byron Preiss, photographed in 2000
|name = Byron C. Preiss
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|04|11}}
|birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], New York City, U.S.
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2005|07|09|1953|04|11}}
|death_place = [[East Hampton (town), New York|East Hampton]], New York, U.S.
|alma_mater = [[University of Pennsylvania]] [[Stanford University]]
|spouse = Sandi Mendelson
|occupation = Writer, editor, publisher
|genre = [[Fantasy]], illustrated novels, [[audiobook]]s, digital publishing
|notableworks = ''The Words of Gandhi'' ''Dragonworld'' ''The Secret: A Treasure Hunt''
|awards = [[Inkpot Award]] (1977)<ref>[https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award]</ref>
}}
'''Byron Preiss''' (April 11, 1953 – July 9, 2005)<ref name=ssdi>[http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/doc/news/11313537EAD82FB0 Byron Preiss] at the [[Social Security Death Index]] via Genealogybank.com. Retrieved on May 20, 2014. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140521033123/http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/doc/news/11313537EAD82FB0 Archived] from the original on May 20, 2014.</ref> 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 [[ebook]]s.<ref name=nytimes />

==Biography==

===Early life and career===
A native of [[Brooklyn]], New York City, Byron Preiss graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' from the [[University of Pennsylvania]] in 1972,<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/nyregion/11preiss.html|title=Byron Preiss, 52, Digital Publishing Pioneer, Dies|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 11, 2005|archive-date=June 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606095305/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/nyregion/11preiss.html?_r=2&ex=1278734400&en=6ac47e1e21e2470e&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and earned a master's degree in communications from [[Stanford University]].<ref name=nytimes />

In 1971, while Preiss was teaching at a [[Philadelphia]] elementary school, he conceived, and with [[Jim Steranko]], produced an anti-drug comic book, ''The Block'', designed for low-level reading skills. Published by Steranko's company, Supergraphics, it was distributed to schools nationwide.<ref>{{cite web|author-link=Jim Steranko|last=Steranko|first=Jim|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109022347/http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=003970|archive-date=January 9, 2006|title=Comics Loses One of its Major Visionaries: Byron Preiss|publisher=Comicon.com|date=July 10, 2005|url=http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic%3Bf%3D36%3Bt%3D003970|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} Additional , June 20, 2011.</ref>

He founded Byron Preiss Visual Publications in 1974{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}} to publish original works, including ''Weird Heroes'' (1975). His 1976 ''[[Fiction Illustrated]]'' series of [[illustrated fiction|illustrated novels]] began with ''Schlomo Raven: Public Detective'', a Preiss collaboration with [[Tom Sutton]]; followed by ''Starfawn'', illustrated by [[Stephen Fabian]]; Steranko's ''[[Chandler: Red Tide]]''; and the 1977 ''Son of Sherlock Holmes'', illustrated by [[Ralph Reese]]. Other publications included a 1978 adaptation of [[Alfred Bester (author)|Alfred Bester]]'s ''[[The Stars My Destination]]'' as a two-volume [[graphic novel]], illustrated by [[Howard Chaykin]].

===Publishing career===
As a [[comics packager]] and [[book packager]], he developed titles for such publishers as [[HarperCollins]] and [[Random House]]. One such project, created in conjunction with the [[Bank Street College of Education]], resulted in a series of educational comic books adapting well-known genre authors: ''The Bank Street Book of Creepy Tales'', ''The Bank Street Book of Fantasy'', ''The Bank Street Book of Mystery'' and ''The Bank Street Book of Science Fiction''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/index/k8.htm |title=Babylon Gardens to Battlestar Galactica: Armageddon |publisher=The Locus Index to Science Fiction: 1984–1998 |access-date=2014-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228124125/http://www.locusmag.com/index/k8.htm |archive-date=December 28, 2012 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref>

He published [[children's books]] by celebrities, including [[Billy Crystal]], [[Jane Goodall]], [[Jay Leno]], [[LeAnn Rimes]] and [[Jerry Seinfeld]], and worked closely with such established illustrators as Ralph Reese, [[William Stout]] and [[Tom Sutton]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}

Preiss was co-author, with [[Michael Reaves]], of the [[children's literature|children's novel]] ''Dragonworld'' ([[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]], 1979), with 80 illustrations by Joseph Zucker. ''Dragonworld'' was originally planned to be the fifth ''[[Fiction Illustrated]]'' title.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}

In 1982, Preiss published ''[[The Secret (treasure hunt)|The Secret]]'', a puzzle book that combined 12 short verses and 12 elaborate fantasy paintings by [[John Jude Palencar]]. Readers were expected to pair each painting with a verse in a way that would provide clues to finding one of 12 plexiglass boxes buried in various parks around North America. Each box contained a ceramic box that contained a key that could be redeemed for a jewel worth $1,000. The book was inspired by the success of [[Masquerade (book)|''Masquerade'']], written and illustrated by Kit Williams and published in England in August 1979, but ''The Secret'' never led to the same level of treasure hunting frenzy. One of the ceramic boxes was found in Chicago in 1983, one in Cleveland in 2004, and one in Boston in October 2019.<ref name="Globe">{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/10/25/hidden-treasure-family-quest-and-the-secret/RkYsVbk5DoSD6ReMCN9JJJ/story.html|title=Hidden treasure, a family's quest, and 'The Secret'|work=Boston Globe|first=Billy |last=Baker |date=October 25, 2019 |url-access=registration}}</ref> The remaining nine boxes have yet to be found,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://12treasures.com|title=The Secret|access-date=22 February 2019|publisher=12treasures.com}}</ref> and reportedly Preiss was the only one who knew where they were when he died.<ref name="Globe" />

He edited the recording of the [[audiobook]] ''The Words of Gandhi'', released by [[Caedmon Audio|Caedmon]] in 1984 and narrated by [[Ben Kingsley]],<ref>{{WorldCat|oclc=10629280|name=''The Words of Gandhi''}}</ref> who won a [[Grammy Award]] in the category of [[Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album|Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording]] for the work.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/27th-annual-grammy-awards-1984|title=1984 Grammy Winners: 27th Annual GRAMMY Awards|date=November 28, 2017 |access-date=2021-01-04}}</ref>

===Later life and death===
Preiss was married to Sandi Mendelson, with whom he had daughters Karah and Blaire.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.publishersweekly.com/PWdaily/CA624711.html | title = Preiss Was Influential Publishing Figure | work = Publishers Weekly | date= July 11, 2005 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060105045338/http://www.publishersweekly.com/PWdaily/CA624711.html | archive-date = January 5, 2006}}</ref>

On July 9, 2005, he died in a [[traffic accident]] at [[East Hampton (town), New York|East Hampton]], New York, on [[Long Island]]:<ref name=nytimes/> Preiss, turning left at an intersection onto [[Montauk Highway]], was involved in a collision with a [[Hampton Jitney]] bus traveling at or around 30 mph (48,3 km/h). The [[airbag]] did not work. Preiss died almost instantly.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.easthamptonstar.com/archive/man-killed-trying-turn-highway |title=Man Is Killed Trying to Turn Onto Highway |date=July 14, 2005 |first=Alex |last=McNear |work=[[The East Hampton Star]]}}</ref>

Both Byron Preiss Visual Publications and ibooks Inc. filed for [[Chapter 7 Bankruptcy]] on February 22, 2006, after his death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/8272.html |publisher=ICv2.com|date= February 24, 2006| title = ibooks & Byron Preiss Visual Publications File Chapter 7; Creditors Confab Set for Apr. 4|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110611053737/http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/8272.html| archive-date=June 11, 2011|url-status =live}}</ref>

==List of Byron Preiss publications==
''Published by Preiss, or packaged by Preiss for other publishers''

*''The Electric Company Joke Book'' (1973) {{ISBN|0-307-64824-9}}
*''The Silent e's from Outer Space'' (Western Pub., 1973; Goldencraft, 1974 {{ISBN|0-307-64821-4}})
*''One Year Affair'' (1976) {{ISBN|0-911104-86-0}}
*''[[Weird Heroes]]'' ([[Pyramid Books]], 1975–77)
::Vol. 1 ({{ISBN|0-515-03746-X}}) to Vol. 8 ({{ISBN|0-515-04257-9}}); collections of illustrated, pulp-inspired stories
*''[[Fiction Illustrated]] #1 – Schlomo Raven: Public Detective'' ([[Pyramid Books]], 1976; by Preiss and [[Tom Sutton]])
*''Fiction Illustrated #2 – Starfawn'' (Pyramid Books, 1976; by Preiss and Stephen Fabian)
*''Fiction Illustrated #3 – [[Chandler: Red Tide]]'' (Pyramid Books, 1976 {{ISBN|0-515-04241-2}}; Dark Horse, 2001 {{ISBN|1-56971-438-X}})
*''Fiction Illustrated #4 – Son of Sherlock Holmes'' (Pyramid Books, 1977; by Preiss and [[Ralph Reese]])
*''[[Empire (graphic novel)|Empire]]'' (Berkley Windhover and Byron Preiss Visual Publications, 1978) by [[Samuel R. Delany]], illustrated by [[Howard Chaykin]]. {{ISBN|0-425-03900-5}}
* ''[[More Than Human]]'' ([[HM Communications]] & [[Simon & Schuster]], 1979) – adaptation of the [[Theodore Sturgeon]] novel of the same name, by [[Doug Moench]] and [[Alex Niño]]
* ''The Illustrated [[Roger Zelazny]]'' (Ace Books, 1979), illustrated by [[Gray Morrow]] {{ISBN|978-0441365258}}
*''The Beach Boys'' (1979; revised ed. 1983 {{ISBN|0-312-07026-8}})
*''The Art of Leo and Diane Dillon'' (1981) {{ISBN|0-345-28449-6}}
*''The Dinosaurs'' (1981; revised 2000 as ''The New Dinosaurs'')
*''[[The_Secret_(treasure_hunt)|The Secret]]'' (1982) {{ISBN|0-553-01408-0}} – illustrated by [[John Jude Palencar]]
*''The First Crazy Word Book: Verbs'' (1982) {{ISBN|0-531-04500-5}}
*''The Little Blue Brontosaurus'' (1983) {{ISBN|0-89845-165-5}}
*''Not the Webster's Dictionary'' (1983) {{ISBN|0-671-47418-9}}
* ''[[Be an Interplanetary Spy]]'' ([[Bantam Books]], 1983–1985) — series of twelve interactive children's science fiction books, illustrated by [[Marc Hempel]], [[Mark Wheatley (comics)|Mark Wheatley]], [[Tom Sutton]], [[Alex Niño]], [[Dennis Francis (artist)|Dennis Francis]], and others
*''The Bat Family'' (1984) {{ISBN|0-89845-237-6}}
*''[[Time Machine (novel series)|Time Machine]]'' — series of twenty-five historical children's interactive books; illustrators include [[Jim Steranko]]
*''Nuts!'' (1985) {{ISBN|0-553-24725-5}}
*''The Planets'' (1985) {{ISBN|0-553-05109-1}}
*''The Universe'' (1987) {{ISBN|0-553-05227-6}}
*''[[Dragonsword (novel)|Dragonsword, 1st edition]]'' (1988) {{ISBN|1-55802-003-9}}
*''The Microverse'' (1989) {{ISBN|0-553-05705-7}}
*''First Contact: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence'' (1990) {{ISBN|0-7472-3508-2}}
*''Tales from the One-Eyed Crow: The Vulgmaster'' by Dennis L. McKiernan and Alex Nino (1991) {{ISBN|9780451450883}}
*''The Ultimate Dracula'' (1991) {{ISBN|0-7472-0552-3}}
*''The Ultimate Frankenstein'' (1991) {{ISBN|0-440-50352-3}}
*''The Ultimate Werewolf'' (1991 reissue {{ISBN|0-440-50354-X}})
*''The Ultimate Dinosaur: Past, Present, and Future'' (1992) {{ISBN|0-553-07676-0}}
*''The Vampire State Building'' (1992) {{ISBN|0-553-15998-4}}
*''The Ultimate Zombie'' (1993) {{ISBN|0-440-50534-8}}
*''The Ultimate Witch'' (1993) {{ISBN|0-440-50531-3}}
*''The Ultimate Dragon'' (1995) {{ISBN|0-440-50630-1}}
*''The Ultimate Alien'' (1995) {{ISBN|0-440-50631-X}}
*''The Best Children's Books in the World'' (1996) {{ISBN|0-8109-1246-5}}
* ''[[Nine Princes in Amber#Adaptations|Nine Princes in Amber]]'', originally by [[Roger Zelazny]], adapted by [[Terry Bisson]] and drawn by Lou Harrison, Bryn Barnard, and Tom Roberts (3 issues, 1996, DC Comics)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comics.org/series/5523/|title=Roger Zelazny's Amber: Nine Princes in Amber (1996 series)|work=Grand Comics Database|access-date=May 6, 2025}}</ref>
* ''[[The Guns of Avalon#Adaptations|The Guns of Avalon]]'', originally by Roger Zelazny, adapted by Terry Bisson and drawn by Christopher Schenck and [[Andrew Pepoy]] (3 issues, 1996, DC Comics)<ref>{{cite web|title=Roger Zelazny's Amber: The Guns of Avalon (1996 series)|url=https://www.comics.org/series/5524/|access-date=May 6, 2025|work=Grand Comics Database}}</ref>
*''The Rhino History of Rock 'n' Roll: The '70s'' (1997) {{ISBN|0-671-01175-8}}
*''Are We Alone in the Cosmos? The Search for Alien Contact in the New Millennium'' (1999) {{ISBN|0-671-03892-3}}
*''The New Dinosaurs'' (2000) {{ISBN|0-7434-0724-5}}
*''The Roadkill of Middle Earth'' (2001) by John Carnell, illustrated by Tom Sutton, cover by Steve Fastner and Rich Larson. {{ISBN|0-7434-3467-6}}
*''Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection'' (2001) by Richard Hatch and Stan Timmons; ibooks. {{ISBN|0-7434-1326-1}}
*''Dying Inside'' (2002) {{ISBN|0-7434-3508-7}}
*''The Ultimate Dragon'' (2003) {{ISBN|0-7434-5868-0}}
*''The Best Bizarre But True Stories Ever!'' (2003) {{ISBN|978-0-7434-4557-3}}
*''Exploring'' The Matrix'': Visions of the Cyber Present'' (2004) {{ISBN|0-312-31359-4}}
*''Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe'' (2005) {{ISBN|1-59687-847-9}}
*''Year's Best Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga'' (2005) {{ISBN|0-312-34326-4}}

==''Dragonworld''==
''Dragonworld'', the illustrated children's novel by Byron Preiss and [[Michael Reaves]], was published in several editions from 1979 to 2005:
* [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] hardcover, 1979
* [[Random House|Bantam / Dell]] [[mass market paperback|paperback]], (1979) {{ISBN|0-553-01077-8}}
* Spectra paperback (July 1983) {{ISBN|0-553-25857-5}}
* [[Random House|Bantam / Dell]] paperback (Aug. 1983) {{ISBN|0-553-23426-9}}
* ibooks, Inc. paperback (2000) {{ISBN|0-671-03907-5}}
* ibooks, Inc. [[ebook]] ([[Microsoft Reader]]; 2001)
* ibooks, Inc. paperback (2002) {{ISBN|0-7434-5253-4}}
* ibooks, Inc. paperback (2005) {{ISBN|1-59687-233-0}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite magazine|last=Williams|first=Paul|title=The Strange Case of Byron Preiss Visual Publications|magazine=[[Journal of American Studies]]|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-american-studies/article/strange-case-of-byron-preiss-visual-publications/C998EAB81C667CF51B841C6A0775B79A|volume=55|issue=1 |date=February 2021|pages=102–129}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.05/eword.html?pg=12 | magazine = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | date= November 1993 | title=The Way of Comics | first=Mark | last=Frauenfelder | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140520221258/http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/1.05/eword.html?pg=12 | archive-date=May 20, 2014 | url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Zeitchik |first=Steven |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050718/40390-byron-preiss--he-saw-books-where-other-people-didn-t-.html |title=Byron Preiss: 'He Saw Books Where Other People Didn't' |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |volume=252 |issue=29 |date=July 15, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001071028/http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050718/40390-byron-preiss--he-saw-books-where-other-people-didn-t-.html |archive-date=October 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}
*[http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/byron-preiss/ Fantastic Fiction: Byron Preiss]
*{{isfdb name|id=Byron_Preiss|name=Byron Preiss}}
*[http://comics.lib.msu.edu/rri/prri/prehisto.htm "Preiss, Byron"] at the [[Michigan State University Libraries]] Special Collections Division: Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection, "Prehistoric Adventure Comics" to "Pre-Raphaelites"
* {{LCAuth|n80067292|Byron Preiss|40|}} (previous page of browse report as 'Preiss, Byron' without ', 1953–2005')

{{Inkpot Award 1970s}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preiss, Byron}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:American publishers (people)]]
[[Category:Book packagers]]
[[Category:Inkpot Award winners]]
[[Category:American speculative fiction editors]]
[[Category:Road incident deaths in New York (state)]]
[[Category:American science fiction editors]]
[[Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni]]

Main Page

2025-10-13T17:15:47Z

Peregrine:

Welcome to The Secret Wiki
[[File:The Secret book cover.jpg|thumb|Cover of the original 1982 edition of [[The Secret]].]]Here we compile and share information relevant to [[The Secret]], a [[The Secret (book)|book]] published in 1982 by [[Byron Preiss]], and the [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|treasure hunt]] contained within. If you’d like to contribute, please sign up for an account.

''The Secret'' presents puzzles consisting of [[verses]] and paintings. There are twelve of each, leading to twelve [[Generally Accepted Pairings|pairings]] corresponding to cities in North America. If solved, the puzzles lead the searcher to dig at a physical spot, where a unique [[casque]] can be found. Of the twelve casques, three have currently been [[Found Casques|located]]. There are also [[additional treasure hunts]], inspired by and in tribute to The Secret.

'''Please note:''' ''This is a resource for documented information.'' It is not a soapbox for individual opinions; there are several online platforms for that. Any skewed, falsely-authoritative language (“the casque is almost certainly buried…”) will be removed, as will language conveying hostility, contempt, or lack of grounding in reality.

''The Secret'' was meant to be a source of enjoyment for everyone. Please approach this wiki in the same spirit.

Main Page

2025-10-13T17:14:45Z

Peregrine:

Welcome to The Secret Wiki
[[File:The Secret book cover.jpg|thumb]]Cover of the original 1982 edition of [[The Secret]].]]
Here we compile and share information relevant to [[The Secret]], a [[The Secret (book)|book]] published in 1982 by [[Byron Preiss]], and the [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|treasure hunt]] contained within. If you’d like to contribute, please sign up for an account.

''The Secret'' presents puzzles consisting of [[verses]] and paintings. There are twelve of each, leading to twelve [[Generally Accepted Pairings|pairings]] corresponding to cities in North America. If solved, the puzzles lead the searcher to dig at a physical spot, where a unique [[casque]] can be found. Of the twelve casques, three have currently been [[Found Casques|located]]. There are also [[additional treasure hunts]], inspired by and in tribute to The Secret.

'''Please note:''' ''This is a resource for documented information.'' It is not a soapbox for individual opinions; there are several online platforms for that. Any skewed, falsely-authoritative language (“the casque is almost certainly buried…”) will be removed, as will language conveying hostility, contempt, or lack of grounding in reality.

''The Secret'' was meant to be a source of enjoyment for everyone. Please approach this wiki in the same spirit.

File:The Secret book cover.jpg

2025-10-13T17:13:42Z

Peregrine:

The Secret-A Treasure Hunt--book cover

The Secret Wiki:About

2025-10-13T05:02:47Z

Peregrine: Created page with "This wiki began on October 10, 2025. The admins are Burnstyle and Peregrine, with the latter doing most of the heavy lifting at present. You are welcome to create your own account and begin contributing: however, if you already have a “hunt name” within the Secret community, we encourage you to use that identity here as well. In this search, certainty is a rare commodity. Unless you have personally recovered a casque, please refrain from using..."

This wiki began on October 10, 2025. The admins are Burnstyle and [[user:Peregrine | Peregrine]], with the latter doing most of the heavy lifting at present. You are welcome to create your own account and begin contributing: however, if you already have a “hunt name” within the Secret community, we encourage you to use that identity here as well.

In this search, certainty is a rare commodity. Unless you have personally recovered a casque, please refrain from using language that implies you are correct at the expense of other people being wrong.

We’re still working out how users can contribute individual proposed solutions. Until we can standardize this, please refrain from doing so. Thanks.

The Secret (treasure hunt)

2025-10-13T04:07:18Z

Peregrine: Created page with "{{Short description|Book treasure hunt started by Byron Priess}} Cover of 1982 book ''The Secret'' T''his entry concerns the treasure hunt. For the book itself, please see The Secret (book).'' The '''treasure hunt''' contained within the book ''The Secret'' offers a quest for twelve treasure boxes, or casques, buried at secret locations in cities across the United States and Canada. The hunt itself consists o..."

{{Short description|Book treasure hunt started by Byron Priess}}
[[File:The_Secret_treasure_book_cover.jpg|thumb|right|Cover of 1982 book ''The Secret'']]
T''his entry concerns the treasure hunt. For the book itself, please see [[The Secret (book)]].''

The '''treasure hunt''' contained within the book ''The Secret'' offers a quest for twelve treasure boxes, or casques, buried at secret locations in cities across the United States and Canada.

The hunt itself consists of six elements:

== Paintings ==
''(Main article: [[Paintings]])''

== Verses ==
''(Main article: [[Verses]])''

== Pairings ==
''(Main article: [[Generally Accepted Pairings]])''

== Casques ==
''(Main article: [[Casque]])''

== Keys ==
''(Main article: [[Key]])''

== Jewels ==
''(Main article: [[Jewel]])''

==External links==
* [https://12treasures.com 12treasures.com]
* [https://www.kitpalencar.com/home The Secret: The Hunt for the 13th Casque]
* [https://12treasures.com/anniversary-hunt/ The Secret: 40th Anniversary Hunt]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secret}}

Byron

2025-10-13T02:38:35Z

Peregrine:

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox writer
|image = Byron_Preiss,_2000.jpg
|caption = Byron Preiss, photographed in 2000
|name = Byron C. Preiss
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|04|11}}
|birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], New York City, U.S.
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2005|07|09|1953|04|11}}
|death_place = [[East Hampton (town), New York|East Hampton]], New York, U.S.
|alma_mater = [[University of Pennsylvania]] [[Stanford University]]
|spouse = Sandi Mendelson
|occupation = Writer, editor, publisher
|genre = [[Fantasy]], illustrated novels, [[audiobook]]s, digital publishing
|notableworks = ''The Words of Gandhi'' ''Dragonworld'' ''The Secret: A Treasure Hunt''
|awards = [[Inkpot Award]] (1977)<ref>[https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award]</ref>
}}
'''Byron Preiss''' (April 11, 1953 – July 9, 2005)<ref name="ssdi">[http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/doc/news/11313537EAD82FB0 Byron Preiss] at the [[Social Security Death Index]] via Genealogybank.com. Retrieved on May 20, 2014. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140521033123/http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/doc/news/11313537EAD82FB0 Archived] from the original on May 20, 2014.</ref> 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 [[ebook]]s.<ref name=nytimes />

==Biography==

===Early life and career===
A native of [[Brooklyn]], New York City, Byron Preiss graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' from the [[University of Pennsylvania]] in 1972,<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/nyregion/11preiss.html|title=Byron Preiss, 52, Digital Publishing Pioneer, Dies|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 11, 2005|archive-date=June 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606095305/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/nyregion/11preiss.html?_r=2&ex=1278734400&en=6ac47e1e21e2470e&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and earned a master's degree in communications from [[Stanford University]].<ref name=nytimes />

In 1971, while Preiss was teaching at a [[Philadelphia]] elementary school, he conceived, and with [[Jim Steranko]], produced an anti-drug comic book, ''The Block'', designed for low-level reading skills. Published by Steranko's company, Supergraphics, it was distributed to schools nationwide.<ref>{{cite web|author-link=Jim Steranko|last=Steranko|first=Jim|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109022347/http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=003970|archive-date=January 9, 2006|title=Comics Loses One of its Major Visionaries: Byron Preiss|publisher=Comicon.com|date=July 10, 2005|url=http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic%3Bf%3D36%3Bt%3D003970|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} Additional , June 20, 2011.</ref>

He founded Byron Preiss Visual Publications in 1974{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}} to publish original works, including ''Weird Heroes'' (1975). His 1976 ''[[Fiction Illustrated]]'' series of [[illustrated fiction|illustrated novels]] began with ''Schlomo Raven: Public Detective'', a Preiss collaboration with [[Tom Sutton]]; followed by ''Starfawn'', illustrated by [[Stephen Fabian]]; Steranko's ''[[Chandler: Red Tide]]''; and the 1977 ''Son of Sherlock Holmes'', illustrated by [[Ralph Reese]]. Other publications included a 1978 adaptation of [[Alfred Bester (author)|Alfred Bester]]'s ''[[The Stars My Destination]]'' as a two-volume [[graphic novel]], illustrated by [[Howard Chaykin]].

===Publishing career===
As a [[comics packager]] and [[book packager]], he developed titles for such publishers as [[HarperCollins]] and [[Random House]]. One such project, created in conjunction with the [[Bank Street College of Education]], resulted in a series of educational comic books adapting well-known genre authors: ''The Bank Street Book of Creepy Tales'', ''The Bank Street Book of Fantasy'', ''The Bank Street Book of Mystery'' and ''The Bank Street Book of Science Fiction''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/index/k8.htm |title=Babylon Gardens to Battlestar Galactica: Armageddon |publisher=The Locus Index to Science Fiction: 1984–1998 |access-date=2014-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228124125/http://www.locusmag.com/index/k8.htm |archive-date=December 28, 2012 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref>

He published [[children's books]] by celebrities, including [[Billy Crystal]], [[Jane Goodall]], [[Jay Leno]], [[LeAnn Rimes]] and [[Jerry Seinfeld]], and worked closely with such established illustrators as Ralph Reese, [[William Stout]] and [[Tom Sutton]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}

Preiss was co-author, with [[Michael Reaves]], of the [[children's literature|children's novel]] ''Dragonworld'' ([[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]], 1979), with 80 illustrations by Joseph Zucker. ''Dragonworld'' was originally planned to be the fifth ''[[Fiction Illustrated]]'' title.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}

In 1982, Preiss published ''[[The Secret (treasure hunt)|The Secret]]'', a puzzle book that combined 12 short verses and 12 elaborate fantasy paintings by [[John Jude Palencar]]. Readers were expected to pair each painting with a verse in a way that would provide clues to finding one of 12 plexiglass boxes buried in various parks around North America. Each box contained a ceramic box that contained a key that could be redeemed for a jewel worth $1,000. The book was inspired by the success of [[Masquerade (book)|''Masquerade'']], written and illustrated by Kit Williams and published in England in August 1979, but ''The Secret'' never led to the same level of treasure hunting frenzy. One of the ceramic boxes was found in Chicago in 1983, one in Cleveland in 2004, and one in Boston in October 2019.<ref name="Globe">{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/10/25/hidden-treasure-family-quest-and-the-secret/RkYsVbk5DoSD6ReMCN9JJJ/story.html|title=Hidden treasure, a family's quest, and 'The Secret'|work=Boston Globe|first=Billy |last=Baker |date=October 25, 2019 |url-access=registration}}</ref> The remaining nine boxes have yet to be found,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://12treasures.com|title=The Secret|access-date=22 February 2019|publisher=12treasures.com}}</ref> and reportedly Preiss was the only one who knew where they were when he died.<ref name="Globe" />

He edited the recording of the [[audiobook]] ''The Words of Gandhi'', released by [[Caedmon Audio|Caedmon]] in 1984 and narrated by [[Ben Kingsley]],<ref>{{WorldCat|oclc=10629280|name=''The Words of Gandhi''}}</ref> who won a [[Grammy Award]] in the category of [[Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album|Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording]] for the work.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/27th-annual-grammy-awards-1984|title=1984 Grammy Winners: 27th Annual GRAMMY Awards|date=November 28, 2017 |access-date=2021-01-04}}</ref>

===Later life and death===
Preiss was married to Sandi Mendelson, with whom he had daughters Karah and Blaire.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.publishersweekly.com/PWdaily/CA624711.html | title = Preiss Was Influential Publishing Figure | work = Publishers Weekly | date= July 11, 2005 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060105045338/http://www.publishersweekly.com/PWdaily/CA624711.html | archive-date = January 5, 2006}}</ref>

On July 9, 2005, he died in a [[traffic accident]] at [[East Hampton (town), New York|East Hampton]], New York, on [[Long Island]]:<ref name=nytimes/> Preiss, turning left at an intersection onto [[Montauk Highway]], was involved in a collision with a [[Hampton Jitney]] bus traveling at or around 30 mph (48,3 km/h). The [[airbag]] did not work. Preiss died almost instantly.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.easthamptonstar.com/archive/man-killed-trying-turn-highway |title=Man Is Killed Trying to Turn Onto Highway |date=July 14, 2005 |first=Alex |last=McNear |work=[[The East Hampton Star]]}}</ref>

Both Byron Preiss Visual Publications and ibooks Inc. filed for [[Chapter 7 Bankruptcy]] on February 22, 2006, after his death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/8272.html |publisher=ICv2.com|date= February 24, 2006| title = ibooks & Byron Preiss Visual Publications File Chapter 7; Creditors Confab Set for Apr. 4|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110611053737/http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/8272.html| archive-date=June 11, 2011|url-status =live}}</ref>

==List of Byron Preiss publications==
''Published by Preiss, or packaged by Preiss for other publishers''

*''The Electric Company Joke Book'' (1973) {{ISBN|0-307-64824-9}}
*''The Silent e's from Outer Space'' (Western Pub., 1973; Goldencraft, 1974 {{ISBN|0-307-64821-4}})
*''One Year Affair'' (1976) {{ISBN|0-911104-86-0}}
*''[[Weird Heroes]]'' ([[Pyramid Books]], 1975–77)
::Vol. 1 ({{ISBN|0-515-03746-X}}) to Vol. 8 ({{ISBN|0-515-04257-9}}); collections of illustrated, pulp-inspired stories
*''[[Fiction Illustrated]] #1 – Schlomo Raven: Public Detective'' ([[Pyramid Books]], 1976; by Preiss and [[Tom Sutton]])
*''Fiction Illustrated #2 – Starfawn'' (Pyramid Books, 1976; by Preiss and Stephen Fabian)
*''Fiction Illustrated #3 – [[Chandler: Red Tide]]'' (Pyramid Books, 1976 {{ISBN|0-515-04241-2}}; Dark Horse, 2001 {{ISBN|1-56971-438-X}})
*''Fiction Illustrated #4 – Son of Sherlock Holmes'' (Pyramid Books, 1977; by Preiss and [[Ralph Reese]])
*''[[Empire (graphic novel)|Empire]]'' (Berkley Windhover and Byron Preiss Visual Publications, 1978) by [[Samuel R. Delany]], illustrated by [[Howard Chaykin]]. {{ISBN|0-425-03900-5}}
* ''[[More Than Human]]'' ([[HM Communications]] & [[Simon & Schuster]], 1979) – adaptation of the [[Theodore Sturgeon]] novel of the same name, by [[Doug Moench]] and [[Alex Niño]]
* ''The Illustrated [[Roger Zelazny]]'' (Ace Books, 1979), illustrated by [[Gray Morrow]] {{ISBN|978-0441365258}}
*''The Beach Boys'' (1979; revised ed. 1983 {{ISBN|0-312-07026-8}})
*''The Art of Leo and Diane Dillon'' (1981) {{ISBN|0-345-28449-6}}
*''The Dinosaurs'' (1981; revised 2000 as ''The New Dinosaurs'')
*''[[The_Secret_(treasure_hunt)|The Secret]]'' (1982) {{ISBN|0-553-01408-0}} – illustrated by [[John Jude Palencar]]
*''The First Crazy Word Book: Verbs'' (1982) {{ISBN|0-531-04500-5}}
*''The Little Blue Brontosaurus'' (1983) {{ISBN|0-89845-165-5}}
*''Not the Webster's Dictionary'' (1983) {{ISBN|0-671-47418-9}}
* ''[[Be an Interplanetary Spy]]'' ([[Bantam Books]], 1983–1985) — series of twelve interactive children's science fiction books, illustrated by [[Marc Hempel]], [[Mark Wheatley (comics)|Mark Wheatley]], [[Tom Sutton]], [[Alex Niño]], [[Dennis Francis (artist)|Dennis Francis]], and others
*''The Bat Family'' (1984) {{ISBN|0-89845-237-6}}
*''[[Time Machine (novel series)|Time Machine]]'' — series of twenty-five historical children's interactive books; illustrators include [[Jim Steranko]]
*''Nuts!'' (1985) {{ISBN|0-553-24725-5}}
*''The Planets'' (1985) {{ISBN|0-553-05109-1}}
*''The Universe'' (1987) {{ISBN|0-553-05227-6}}
*''[[Dragonsword (novel)|Dragonsword, 1st edition]]'' (1988) {{ISBN|1-55802-003-9}}
*''The Microverse'' (1989) {{ISBN|0-553-05705-7}}
*''First Contact: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence'' (1990) {{ISBN|0-7472-3508-2}}
*''Tales from the One-Eyed Crow: The Vulgmaster'' by Dennis L. McKiernan and Alex Nino (1991) {{ISBN|9780451450883}}
*''The Ultimate Dracula'' (1991) {{ISBN|0-7472-0552-3}}
*''The Ultimate Frankenstein'' (1991) {{ISBN|0-440-50352-3}}
*''The Ultimate Werewolf'' (1991 reissue {{ISBN|0-440-50354-X}})
*''The Ultimate Dinosaur: Past, Present, and Future'' (1992) {{ISBN|0-553-07676-0}}
*''The Vampire State Building'' (1992) {{ISBN|0-553-15998-4}}
*''The Ultimate Zombie'' (1993) {{ISBN|0-440-50534-8}}
*''The Ultimate Witch'' (1993) {{ISBN|0-440-50531-3}}
*''The Ultimate Dragon'' (1995) {{ISBN|0-440-50630-1}}
*''The Ultimate Alien'' (1995) {{ISBN|0-440-50631-X}}
*''The Best Children's Books in the World'' (1996) {{ISBN|0-8109-1246-5}}
* ''[[Nine Princes in Amber#Adaptations|Nine Princes in Amber]]'', originally by [[Roger Zelazny]], adapted by [[Terry Bisson]] and drawn by Lou Harrison, Bryn Barnard, and Tom Roberts (3 issues, 1996, DC Comics)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comics.org/series/5523/|title=Roger Zelazny's Amber: Nine Princes in Amber (1996 series)|work=Grand Comics Database|access-date=May 6, 2025}}</ref>
* ''[[The Guns of Avalon#Adaptations|The Guns of Avalon]]'', originally by Roger Zelazny, adapted by Terry Bisson and drawn by Christopher Schenck and [[Andrew Pepoy]] (3 issues, 1996, DC Comics)<ref>{{cite web|title=Roger Zelazny's Amber: The Guns of Avalon (1996 series)|url=https://www.comics.org/series/5524/|access-date=May 6, 2025|work=Grand Comics Database}}</ref>
*''The Rhino History of Rock 'n' Roll: The '70s'' (1997) {{ISBN|0-671-01175-8}}
*''Are We Alone in the Cosmos? The Search for Alien Contact in the New Millennium'' (1999) {{ISBN|0-671-03892-3}}
*''The New Dinosaurs'' (2000) {{ISBN|0-7434-0724-5}}
*''The Roadkill of Middle Earth'' (2001) by John Carnell, illustrated by Tom Sutton, cover by Steve Fastner and Rich Larson. {{ISBN|0-7434-3467-6}}
*''Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection'' (2001) by Richard Hatch and Stan Timmons; ibooks. {{ISBN|0-7434-1326-1}}
*''Dying Inside'' (2002) {{ISBN|0-7434-3508-7}}
*''The Ultimate Dragon'' (2003) {{ISBN|0-7434-5868-0}}
*''The Best Bizarre But True Stories Ever!'' (2003) {{ISBN|978-0-7434-4557-3}}
*''Exploring'' The Matrix'': Visions of the Cyber Present'' (2004) {{ISBN|0-312-31359-4}}
*''Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe'' (2005) {{ISBN|1-59687-847-9}}
*''Year's Best Graphic Novels, Comics & Manga'' (2005) {{ISBN|0-312-34326-4}}

==''Dragonworld''==
''Dragonworld'', the illustrated children's novel by Byron Preiss and [[Michael Reaves]], was published in several editions from 1979 to 2005:
* [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] hardcover, 1979
* [[Random House|Bantam / Dell]] [[mass market paperback|paperback]], (1979) {{ISBN|0-553-01077-8}}
* Spectra paperback (July 1983) {{ISBN|0-553-25857-5}}
* [[Random House|Bantam / Dell]] paperback (Aug. 1983) {{ISBN|0-553-23426-9}}
* ibooks, Inc. paperback (2000) {{ISBN|0-671-03907-5}}
* ibooks, Inc. [[ebook]] ([[Microsoft Reader]]; 2001)
* ibooks, Inc. paperback (2002) {{ISBN|0-7434-5253-4}}
* ibooks, Inc. paperback (2005) {{ISBN|1-59687-233-0}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite magazine|last=Williams|first=Paul|title=The Strange Case of Byron Preiss Visual Publications|magazine=[[Journal of American Studies]]|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-american-studies/article/strange-case-of-byron-preiss-visual-publications/C998EAB81C667CF51B841C6A0775B79A|volume=55|issue=1 |date=February 2021|pages=102–129}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.05/eword.html?pg=12 | magazine = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | date= November 1993 | title=The Way of Comics | first=Mark | last=Frauenfelder | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140520221258/http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/1.05/eword.html?pg=12 | archive-date=May 20, 2014 | url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Zeitchik |first=Steven |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050718/40390-byron-preiss--he-saw-books-where-other-people-didn-t-.html |title=Byron Preiss: 'He Saw Books Where Other People Didn't' |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |volume=252 |issue=29 |date=July 15, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001071028/http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050718/40390-byron-preiss--he-saw-books-where-other-people-didn-t-.html |archive-date=October 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}
*[http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/byron-preiss/ Fantastic Fiction: Byron Preiss]
*{{isfdb name|id=Byron_Preiss|name=Byron Preiss}}
*[http://comics.lib.msu.edu/rri/prri/prehisto.htm "Preiss, Byron"] at the [[Michigan State University Libraries]] Special Collections Division: Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection, "Prehistoric Adventure Comics" to "Pre-Raphaelites"
* {{LCAuth|n80067292|Byron Preiss|40|}} (previous page of browse report as 'Preiss, Byron' without ', 1953–2005')

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preiss, Byron}}

Casque

2025-10-13T00:28:48Z

Peregrine:

Each of the twelve puzzles in The Secret are intended to lead the seeker to the location of what [[Byron Preiss]] called a '''casque''', an unfired clay box designed by [[JoEllen Trilling]] and containing a clay [[key]]. Preiss’ use of “casque” is somewhat unusual, as the term is usually used to refer to a metal helmet of the sort worn by conquistadors.

Although produced from a single mold, each casque is uniquely decorated, in three fashions.

* The inside lid displays a specific time reading on a clock face,
* a single figure on the exterior is colored,
* and each key contained therein is painted a different color.

These customizations make it possible for genuine casques to be differentiated from [[hoaxes]], as the decoration choices made for each casque remain confidential.

As protection against the elements while underground, each casque was buried in a durable clear acrylic box.

At present, three of the casques have been [[Found Casques|recovered]].

Over time, some of the buried casques may have been destroyed or sealed over by later construction. Similarly, boxes in areas like New Orleans (which faced Hurricane Katrina in 2005) and Roanoake (which has undergone considerable shore erosion) may be lost to nature.[[File:Side view of casque.jpg|thumb|The Chicago casque, in its original clear acrylic container. ]]

Verse 12

2025-10-12T23:58:13Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''Where M and B are set in stone'' ''And to Congress, R is known'' ''L sits and left'' ''Beyond his shoulder'' ''Is the Fair Folks’'' ''Treasure holder'' ''The end of ten by thirteen Is your clue'' ''Fence and fixture'' ''Central too'' ''For finding jewel casque'' ''Seek the sounds'' ''Of rumble'' ''Brush and music'' ''Hush.''"

''Where M and B are set in stone''

''And to Congress, R is known''

''L sits and left''

''Beyond his shoulder''

''Is the Fair Folks’''

''Treasure holder''

''The end of ten by thirteen Is your clue''

''Fence and fixture''

''Central too''

''For finding jewel casque''

''Seek the sounds''

''Of rumble''

''Brush and music''

''Hush.''

Verse 11

2025-10-12T23:57:30Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''Pass two friends of octave'' ''In December'' ''Ride the man of oz'' ''To the land near the window'' ''There’s a road that leads to'' ''Dark forest'' ''Where white is in color'' ''With two maps'' ''After circle and square'' ''In July and August'' ''A path beckons'' ''To mica and driftwood'' ''Under that'' ''Which may be last touched'' ''Or first seen standing'' ''Look north at the wing'' ''And dig'' ''To achieve'' ''By dauntless and inconquerable''..."

''Pass two friends of octave''

''In December''

''Ride the man of oz''

''To the land near the window''

''There’s a road that leads to''

''Dark forest''

''Where white is in color''

''With two maps''

''After circle and square''

''In July and August''

''A path beckons''

''To mica and driftwood''

''Under that''

''Which may be last touched''

''Or first seen standing''

''Look north at the wing''

''And dig''

''To achieve''

''By dauntless and inconquerable''

''Determination''

''Your goal.''

Verse 10

2025-10-12T23:56:39Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''In the shadow'' ''Of the grey giant'' ''Find the arm that'' ''Extends over the slender path'' ''In summer'' ''You’ll often hear a whirring sound'' ''Cars abound'' ''Although the sign'' ''Nearby'' ''Speaks of Indies native'' ''The natives still speak'' ''Of him of Hard word in 3 Vols.'' ''Take twice as many east steps as the hour'' ''Or more'' ''From the middle of one branch'' ''Of the v'' ''Look down'' ''And see simple roots'' ''In rhapsodic mans so..."

''In the shadow''

''Of the grey giant''

''Find the arm that''

''Extends over the slender path''

''In summer''

''You’ll often hear a whirring sound''

''Cars abound''

''Although the sign''

''Nearby''

''Speaks of Indies native''

''The natives still speak''

''Of him of Hard word in 3 Vols.''

''Take twice as many east steps as the hour''

''Or more''

''From the middle of one branch''

''Of the v''

''Look down''

''And see simple roots''

''In rhapsodic mans soil''

''Or gaze north''

''Toward the isle of B.''

Verse 9

2025-10-12T23:55:37Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''The first chapter'' ''Written in water'' ''Near men'' ''With wind rose'' ''Behind bending branches'' ''And a green picket fence'' ''At the base of a tall tree'' ''You can still hear the honking'' ''Shell, limestone, silver, salt'' ''Stars move by day'' ''Sails pass by night'' ''Even in darkness'' ''Like moonlight in teardrops'' ''Over the tall grass'' ''Years pass, rain falls.''"

''The first chapter''

''Written in water''

''Near men''

''With wind rose''

''Behind bending branches''

''And a green picket fence''

''At the base of a tall tree''

''You can still hear the honking''

''Shell, limestone, silver, salt''

''Stars move by day''

''Sails pass by night''

''Even in darkness''

''Like moonlight in teardrops''

''Over the tall grass''

''Years pass, rain falls.''

Verse 8

2025-10-12T23:54:52Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''View the three stories of Mitchell'' ''As you walk the beating of the world'' ''At a distance in time'' ''From three who lived there'' ''At a distance in space'' ''From woman, with harpsichord'' ''Silently playing'' ''Step on nature'' ''Cast in copper'' ''Ascend the 92 steps'' ''After climbing the grand 200'' ''Pass the compass and reach'' ''The foot of the culvert'' ''Below the bridge'' ''Walk 100 paces'' ''Southeast over rock and soil'' ''To the first..."

''View the three stories of Mitchell''

''As you walk the beating of the world''

''At a distance in time''

''From three who lived there''

''At a distance in space''

''From woman, with harpsichord''

''Silently playing''

''Step on nature''

''Cast in copper''

''Ascend the 92 steps''

''After climbing the grand 200''

''Pass the compass and reach''

''The foot of the culvert''

''Below the bridge''

''Walk 100 paces''

''Southeast over rock and soil''

''To the first young birch''

''Pass three, staying west''

''You’ll see a letter from the country''

''Of wonderstone’s hearth''

''On a proud, tall fifth''

''At its southern foot''

''The treasure waits.''

Verse 7

2025-10-12T23:54:00Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''At stone wall’s door'' ''The air smells sweet'' ''Not far away'' ''High posts are three'' ''Education and Justice'' ''For all to see'' ''Sounds from the sky'' ''Near ace is high'' ''Running north, but first across'' ''In jewel’s direction'' ''Is an object'' ''Of Twain’s attention'' ''Giant pole'' ''Giant step'' ''To the place'' ''The casque is kept.''"

''At stone wall’s door''

''The air smells sweet''

''Not far away''

''High posts are three''

''Education and Justice''

''For all to see''

''Sounds from the sky''

''Near ace is high''

''Running north, but first across''

''In jewel’s direction''

''Is an object''

''Of Twain’s attention''

''Giant pole''

''Giant step''

''To the place''

''The casque is kept.''

Verse 6

2025-10-12T23:53:23Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''Of all the romance retold'' ''Men of tales and tunes'' ''Cruel and bold'' ''Seen here'' ''By eyes of old'' ''Stand and listen to the birds'' ''Hear the cool, clear song of water'' ''Harken to the words:'' ''Freedom at the birth of a century'' ''Or May 1913'' ''Edwin and Edwina named after him'' ''Or on the eighth a scene'' ''Where law defended'' ''Between two arms extended'' ''Below the bar that binds'' ''Beside the long palm’s shadow'' ''Embedded in..."

''Of all the romance retold''

''Men of tales and tunes''

''Cruel and bold''

''Seen here''

''By eyes of old''

''Stand and listen to the birds''

''Hear the cool, clear song of water''

''Harken to the words:''

''Freedom at the birth of a century''

''Or May 1913''

''Edwin and Edwina named after him''

''Or on the eighth a scene''

''Where law defended''

''Between two arms extended''

''Below the bar that binds''

''Beside the long palm’s shadow''

''Embedded in the sand''

''Waits the Fair remuneration''

''White house close at hand.''

Verse 5

2025-10-12T23:52:16Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''Lane'' ''Two twenty two'' ''You’ll see an arc of lights'' ''Weight and roots extended'' ''Together saved the site'' ''Of granite walls'' ''Wind swept halls'' ''Citadel in the night'' ''A wingless bird ascended'' ''Born of ancient dreams of flight'' ''Beneath the only standing member'' ''Of a forest'' ''To the south'' ''White stone closest'' ''At twelve paces'' ''From the west side'' ''Get permission'' ''To dig out.''"

''Lane''

''Two twenty two''

''You’ll see an arc of lights''

''Weight and roots extended''

''Together saved the site''

''Of granite walls''

''Wind swept halls''

''Citadel in the night''

''A wingless bird ascended''

''Born of ancient dreams of flight''

''Beneath the only standing member''

''Of a forest''

''To the south''

''White stone closest''

''At twelve paces''

''From the west side''

''Get permission''

''To dig out.''

Verse 4

2025-10-12T23:51:36Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''Beneath two countries'' ''As the road curves'' ''In a rectangular plot'' ''Beneath the tenth stone'' ''From right to left'' ''Beneath the ninth row from the top'' ''Of the wall including small bricks'' ''Seven steps up you can hop'' ''From the bottom level'' ''Socrates, Pindar, Apelles'' ''Free speech, couplet, birch'' ''To find casques destination'' ''Seek the columns'' ''For the search.''"

''Beneath two countries''

''As the road curves''

''In a rectangular plot''

''Beneath the tenth stone''

''From right to left''

''Beneath the ninth row from the top''

''Of the wall including small bricks''

''Seven steps up you can hop''

''From the bottom level''

''Socrates, Pindar, Apelles''

''Free speech, couplet, birch''

''To find casques destination''

''Seek the columns''

''For the search.''

Verse 3

2025-10-12T23:50:54Z

Peregrine:

''If Thucydides is''

''North of Xenophon''

''Take five steps''

''In the area of his direction''

''A green tower of lights''

''In the middle section''

''Near those''

''Who pass the coliseum''

''With metal walls''

''Face the water''

''Your back to the stairs''

''Feel at home''

''All the letters''

''Are here to see''

''Eighteenth day''

''Twelfth hour''

''Lit by lamplight''

''In truth, be free.''

Verses

2025-10-12T23:49:31Z

Peregrine:

These are the texts of the twelve verses incorporated into The Secret. They are not numbered in the text, but are generally numbered according to their order of appearance.

=== [[Verse 1]] ===

=== [[Verse 2]] ===

=== [[Verse 3]] ===

=== [[Verse 4]] ===

=== [[Verse 5]] ===

=== [[Verse 6]] ===

=== [[Verse 7]] ===

=== [[Verse 8]] ===

=== [[Verse 9]] ===

=== [[Verse 10]] ===

=== [[Verse 11]] ===

=== [[Verse 12]] ===

Verse 2

2025-10-12T23:45:54Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''At the place where jewels abound'' ''Fifteen rows down to the ground'' ''In the middle of twenty-one'' ''From end to end'' ''Only three stand watch'' ''As the sound of friends'' ''Fills the afternoon hours'' ''Here is a sovereign people'' ''Who build palaces to shelter'' ''Their heads for a night!'' ''Gnomes admire'' ''Fays delight'' ''The namesakes meeting'' ''Near this site.''"

''At the place where jewels abound''

''Fifteen rows down to the ground''

''In the middle of twenty-one''

''From end to end''

''Only three stand watch''

''As the sound of friends''

''Fills the afternoon hours''

''Here is a sovereign people''

''Who build palaces to shelter''

''Their heads for a night!''

''Gnomes admire''

''Fays delight''

''The namesakes meeting''

''Near this site.''

Verse 1

2025-10-12T23:44:55Z

Peregrine: Created page with "''Fortress north'' ''Cold as glass'' ''Friendship south'' ''Take your task'' ''To the number'' ''Nine eight two'' ''Through the wood'' ''No lion fears'' ''In the sky the water veers'' ''Small of scale'' ''Step across'' ''Perspective should not be lost'' ''In the center of four alike'' ''Small, split,'' ''Three winged and slight'' ''What we take to be'' ''Our strongest tower of delight'' ''Falls gently'' ''In December night'' ''Looking back from treasur..."

''Fortress north''

''Cold as glass''

''Friendship south''

''Take your task''

''To the number''

''Nine eight two''

''Through the wood''

''No lion fears''

''In the sky the water veers''

''Small of scale''

''Step across''

''Perspective should not be lost''

''In the center of four alike''

''Small, split,''

''Three winged and slight''

''What we take to be''

''Our strongest tower of delight''

''Falls gently''

''In December night''

''Looking back from treasure ground''

''There’s the spout!''

''A whistle sounds.''

Paintings

2025-10-12T23:07:25Z

Peregrine:

The twelve paintings in the central section of ''The Secret'' are not given titles in the text, but are generally referred to by the names of the cities with which they are popularly identified. The designations are not official, and in fact have changed over the years. The San Francisco painting, for instance, was often thought to represent New Orleans, until the artwork was seen to contain what appear to be longitude and latitude coordinates in the figure’s hair.

see also: Generally Accepted Cities, and [[Generally Accepted Pairings]]. The website you are on (12Treasures.com) has tools allowing verses and images to paired in any fashion the user chooses.

=== Painting 1 ===

=== Painting 2 ===

=== Painting 3 ===

=== Painting 4 ===

=== Painting 5 ===

=== Painting 6 ===

=== Painting 7 ===

=== Painting 8 ===

=== Painting 9 ===

=== Painting 10 ===

=== Painting 11 ===

=== Painting 12 ===

Additional treasure hunts

2025-10-12T20:17:44Z

Peregrine:

== The Anniversary Hunt ==

== The Tribute Hunt (2019) ==
[[File:Tribute painting.png|thumb|Tribute Hunt painting, by Kit Palencar]]

The Secret (book)

2025-10-12T20:10:30Z

Peregrine:

''The Secret'' is a book produced by [[Byron Preiss]] and first published by Bantam in 1982. A professional book packager and architect of the work, Preiss commissioned freelancers to carry out his vision. The text is attributed to [[Sean Kelly]] and Ted Mann. Illustrations are by [[John Jude Palencar]], [[John Pierard]], and [[Overton Loyd]]; [[JoEllen Trilling]], [[Ben Asen]], and Alex Jay also contributed to the book.

The original publication (sold in both the United States and Canada) was a quality trade paperback, with a glossy full-color insert of the key images in the book: a series of enigmatic paintings. This edition saw two printings.

A limited number of hardcover editions were sold, likely intended for library use. These consist of the original paperback, with the cover removed and re-affixed to a more durable binding.

A Japanese version was published in 1983 (in two packaging variants), and the English version was re-issued in 2014 as a print-on-demand edition.

A digitized version of Preiss’ original manuscript can also be found on [https://12Treasures.com 12Treasures.com].

{| class="wikitable"
|+''The Secret'' book variants
!Year
!ISBN
!Language
!Format
!Publisher
|-
| rowspan="2" |1982
| rowspan="2" |ISBN <bdi>0-553-01408-0</bdi>
| rowspan="2" |English
|Paperback
| rowspan="2" |Bantam
|-
|Hardcover
|-
|1983
|0276-831122-7339
|Japanese
|Paperback
|Futami-shobo
|-
| rowspan="2" |2014
|ISBN <bdi>978-1-59687-444-2</bdi>
| rowspan="2" |English
|Hardcover
| rowspan="2" |ibooks.com
|-
|ISBN <bdi>978-1-59687-401-5</bdi>
|Paperback
|}

Main Page

2025-10-12T18:54:16Z

Peregrine: Protected "Main Page" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite)) [cascading]

Welcome to The Secret Wiki
[[File:The Secret treasure book cover.jpg|thumb|Cover of the original 1982 edition of [[The Secret]].]]
Here we compile and share information relevant to [[The Secret]], a [[The Secret (book)|book]] published in 1982 by [[Byron Preiss]], and the [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|treasure hunt]] contained within. If you’d like to contribute, please sign up for an account.

''The Secret'' presents puzzles consisting of [[verses]] and paintings. There are twelve of each, leading to twelve [[Generally Accepted Pairings|pairings]] corresponding to cities in North America. If solved, the puzzles lead the searcher to dig at a physical spot, where a unique [[casque]] can be found. Of the twelve casques, three have currently been [[Found Casques|located]]. There are also [[additional treasure hunts]], inspired by and in tribute to The Secret.

'''Please note:''' ''This is a resource for documented information.'' It is not a soapbox for individual opinions; there are several online platforms for that. Any skewed, falsely-authoritative language (“the casque is almost certainly buried…”) will be removed, as will language conveying hostility, contempt, or lack of grounding in reality.

''The Secret'' was meant to be a source of enjoyment for everyone. Please approach this wiki in the same spirit.

Generally Accepted Pairings

2025-10-12T17:13:28Z

Peregrine:

A '''''pairing''''' is a logical matching of one of the twelve full-color [[paintings]] in ''The Secret'' with one of the twelve cryptic [[verses]]. As the [[The Secret (book)|book]] itself instructs (p. 7-8), “The key to each requires the proper combination of one treasure painting with one treasure verse. You need only decipher the clues in any pair to learn the location of a treasure [[casque]].”

The following constitute generally accepted pairings of images and verses. While the ones that resulted in found casques are by definition correct, the remainder are current reflections of broad consensus.

{| class="wikitable"
!Image No.
!Verse No.
!Verse opening
!Status
!Location (solved, or likely)
!Ref.
|-
|1
|7
|''At stone wall's door''
|Unsolved
|San Francisco, California
|
|-
|2
|6
|''Of all the romance retold''
|Unsolved
|Charleston, South Carolina
|
|-
|3
|11
|''Pass two friends of octave''
|Unsolved
|Elizabethan Garden, Roanoke Island, North Carolina
|
|-
|4
|4
|''Beneath two countries''
|Solved (2004)
|Greek Garden, Cleveland, Ohio
|
|-
|5
|12
|''Where M and B are set in stone''
|Solved (1983)
|Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois
|
|-
|6
|9
|''The first chapter''
|Unsolved
|St. Augustine, Florida
|
|-
|8
|1
|''Fortress north''
|Unsolved
|Hermann Park, Houston, Texas
|
|-
|10
|8
|''View the three stories of Mitchell''
|Unsolved
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|
|-
|9
|5
|''Lane''
|Unsolved
|Montreal, Quebec, Canada
|
|-
|7
|2
|''At the place where jewels abound''
|Unsolved
|French Quarter/Lafayette, New Orleans, Louisiana
|
|-
|11
|3
|''If Thucydides is North of Xenophon''
|Solved (2019)
|Puopolo Field, Boston, Massachusetts
|
|-
|12
|10
|''In the shadow Of the grey giant''
|Unsolved
|Queens/Coney, New York, New York
|
|}

Key

2025-10-12T16:12:39Z

Peregrine:

[[File:Casque key (broken).jpg|thumb]]
Each of the twelve [[Casque|casques]] contains a ceramic '''''key''''', designed (like the casques themselves) by [[JoEllen Trilling]]. As stated by the terms of the treasure hunt, each of these keys can be redeemed in exchange for the prize of a precious or semi-precious [[jewel]]. The jewels, which vary from puzzle to puzzle, are also featured in the treasure hunt paintings.

Like the casques, the keys are made of unfired clay, and identical in design while painted with a unique, distinctive color.

The Secret

2025-10-12T15:48:16Z

Peregrine:

'''The Secret''' refers to both a book created by [[Byron Preiss]] in 1982, and the treasure hunt contained within its pages. Please see [[The Secret (book)|T''he Secret'' (book)]], and [[The Secret (treasure hunt)|The Secret (treasure hunt]]).

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 Canadathat 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.

Preiss died in a car accident in 2005. His estate assumed the responsibility of honoring the terms of the treasure hunt. As of 2025, 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.

== 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. 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. A Japanese version was published in 1983, and the English version was re-issued in 2014. 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".
{| class="wikitable"
|+''The Secret'' book variants
!Year
!ISBN
!Language
!Format
!Publisher
|-
| rowspan="2" |1982
| rowspan="2" |ISBN <bdi>0-553-01408-0</bdi>
| rowspan="2" |English
|Paperback
| rowspan="2" |Bantam
|-
|Hardcover
|-
|1983
|0276-831122-7339
|Japanese
|Paperback
|Futami-shobo
|-
| rowspan="2" |2014
|ISBN <bdi>978-1-59687-444-2</bdi>
| rowspan="2" |English
|Hardcover
| rowspan="2" |ibooks.com
|-
|ISBN <bdi>978-1-59687-401-5</bdi>
|Paperback
|}

== Treasure boxes ==
As of 2024, three of the treasure boxes have been recovered. The first was found in Chicago, Illinois; the second in Cleveland, Ohio; and the most recent treasure box was found in Boston, Massachusetts. The remaining nine treasure boxes have not yet been recovered. 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.

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 by an excavator. Clues would no longer match in cases where the surrounding area has changed since the book was originally published. Similarly, boxes in like New Orleans (which faced mass destruction due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005) and New York City (which has undergone major renovations since the 1980s) have become extremely difficult to track.

Note: This table is the consensus from the majority of searchers.
{| class="wikitable"
!Image No.
!Verse No.
!Verse opening
!Status
!Location (solved, or likely)
!Ref.
|-
|1
|7
|''At stone wall's door''
|Unsolved
|San Francisco, California
|
|-
|2
|6
|''Of all the romance retold''
|Unsolved
|Charleston, South Carolina
|
|-
|3
|11
|''Pass two friends of octave''
|Unsolved
|Elizabethan Garden, Roanoke Island, North Carolina
|
|-
|4
|4
|''Beneath two countries''
|Solved (2004)
|Greek Garden, Cleveland, Ohio
|
|-
|5
|12
|''Where M and B are set in stone''
|Solved (1983)
|Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois
|
|-
|6
|9
|''The first chapter''
|Unsolved
|St. Augustine, Florida
|
|-
|8
|1
|''Fortress north''
|Unsolved
|Hermann Park, Houston, Texas
|
|-
|10
|8
|''View the three stories of Mitchell''
|Unsolved
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|
|-
|9
|5
|''Lane''
|Unsolved
|Montreal, Quebec, Canada
|
|-
|7
|2
|''At the place where jewels abound''
|Unsolved
|French Quarter/Lafayette, New Orleans, Louisiana
|
|-
|11
|3
|''If Thucydides is North of Xenophon''
|Solved (2019)
|Puopolo Field, Boston, Massachusetts
|
|-
|12
|10
|''In the shadow Of the grey giant''
|Unsolved
|Queens/Coney, New York, New York
|
|}

== See also ==

Found Casques

2025-10-11T17:58:19Z

Peregrine: Created page with "At present, three of the twelve casques have been located. In chronological order of discovery, they are: '''Chicago''' ''(1983)'' '''Cleveland''' ''(2004)'' '''Boston''' ''(2019)''"

At present, three of the twelve casques have been located. In chronological order of discovery, they are:

'''Chicago''' ''(1983)''

'''Cleveland''' ''(2004)''

'''Boston''' ''(2019)''

Sean Kelly

2025-10-11T17:07:58Z

Peregrine: Created page with "Sean was born on a farm in Cushing, Quebec, on July 22, 1940. After graduating from Loyola College he worked as a radio actor, advertising copywriter, schoolteacher and on a quiz show. In 1967, he co-wrote ''Expo Inside Out'', a bestselling but highly unofficial guide to the Montreal World's Fair. In 1972, he migrated to New York City to co-write the infamous off-Broadway mock rock musical ''Lemmings.'' He received the Drama Desk Award for his lyrics. He worked at ''Na..."

Sean was born on a farm in Cushing, Quebec, on July 22, 1940. After graduating from Loyola College he worked as a radio actor, advertising copywriter, schoolteacher and on a quiz show.

In 1967, he co-wrote ''Expo Inside Out'', a bestselling but highly unofficial guide to the Montreal World's Fair. In 1972, he migrated to New York City to co-write the infamous off-Broadway mock rock musical ''Lemmings.'' He received the Drama Desk Award for his lyrics.

He worked at ''National Lampoon'' from 1971 until 1978, becoming an editor and later co-editor-in-chief in 1975.While at the ''National Lampoon'', he co-wrote with Michel Choquette the satirical comic strip ''Son-O-God'',about "a WASP superhero who fights Catholicism", illustrated by Neal Adams.

In 1977, Kelly was a founding editor of the "adult fantasy magazine" ''Heavy Metal'' (which was published by National Lampoon), lasting as editor until August 1979. Kelly returned to ''National Lampoon'' as a senior editor in 1981 and until 1984 he guided its staff.

As a freelancer, he was eclectic; published in ''Harper's Bazaar'', Benetton's''Colors'', ''Interview'', ''Irish America'', the ''Old Farmer's Almanac'', ''Playboy'', ''Spy'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''The Quarterly of Joyce Studies''. He reviewed many children's books for ''The New York Times''.

Overton Loyd

2025-10-11T16:52:28Z

Peregrine: Created page with "'''Overton Loyd''' (born April 20, 1954) is an American artist. Loyd created the cover art for the Parliament album ''Motor Booty Affair'' and several other records.His style of art varies often from work to work, and can range from loose sketches and paintings to fully fleshed out pieces. He is a friend of George Clinton of Parliament, and most of the subjects for his art are either Clinton or Parliament."

'''Overton Loyd''' (born April 20, 1954) is an American artist. Loyd created the cover art for the Parliament album ''Motor Booty Affair'' and several other records.His style of art varies often from work to work, and can range from loose sketches and paintings to fully fleshed out pieces. He is a friend of George Clinton of Parliament, and most of the subjects for his art are either Clinton or Parliament.

Ben Asen

2025-10-11T16:49:53Z

Peregrine: Created page with "https://www.benasen.com/about-ben-asen-photographer/ ARTIST’S STATEMENT People often ask me why I photograph. Visually, photography is how I’m able to express myself. Watching old black-and-white movies as a kid greatly influenced what subjects I photograph and how I shoot them. I’ve always enjoyed film noir movies, where the lighting and the use of shadow were so important in making urban scenes beautiful and indelible. Ultimately, my work is about seeing—trul..."

https://www.benasen.com/about-ben-asen-photographer/

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

People often ask me why I photograph. Visually, photography is how I’m able to express myself. Watching old black-and-white movies as a kid greatly influenced what subjects I photograph and how I shoot them. I’ve always enjoyed film noir movies, where the lighting and the use of shadow were so important in making urban scenes beautiful and indelible.
Ultimately, my work is about seeing—truly seeing—the beauty in the ordinary and the extraordinary in the everyday. I like to think of my photographs as windows, offering a glimpse into a world where light and shadow dance, and where each moment holds the potential for discovery and a cinematic moment.
I love photographing cityscapes and urban views anywhere, but my beloved New York City is my primary focus. The energy, architecture, and diversity of the city continually inspire me to explore its many layers through my lens.