Finding The Treasure

The tale begins over three-hundred years ago, when the Fair People—the goblins, fairies, dragons, and other fabled and fantastic creatures of a dozen lands—fled the Old World for the New, seeking haven from the ways of Man. With them came their precious jewels: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls... But then the Fair People vanished, taking with them their twelve fabulous treasures. And they remained hidden until now... Across North America, these twelve treasures, over ten-thousand dollars in precious jewels, are buried. The key to finding each can be found within the twelve full color paintings and verses of The Secret. Yet The Secret is much more than that. At long last, you can learn not only the whereabouts of the Fair People's treasure, but also the modern forms and hiding places of their descendants: the Toll Trolls, Maitre D'eamons, Elf Alphas, Tupperwerewolves, Freudian Sylphs, Culture Vultures, West Ghosts and other delightful creatures in the world around us. The Secret is a field guide to them all. Many "armchair treasure hunt" books have been published over the years, most notably Masquerade (1979) by British artist Kit Williams. Masquerade promised a jewel-encrusted golden hare to the first person to unravel the riddle that Williams cleverly hid in his art. In 1982, while everyone in Britain was still madly digging up hedgerows and pastures in search of the golden hare, The Secret: A Treasure Hunt was published in America. The previous year, author and publisher Byron Preiss had traveled to 12 locations in the continental U.S. (and possibly Canada) to secretly bury a dozen ceramic casques. Each casque contained a small key that could be redeemed for one of 12 jewels Preiss kept in a safe deposit box in New York. The key to finding the casques was to match one of 12 paintings to one of 12 poetic verses, solve the resulting riddle, and start digging. Since 1982, only two of the 12 casques have been recovered. The first was located in Grant Park, Chicago, in 1984 by a group of students. The second was unearthed in 2004 in Cleveland by two members of the Quest4Treasure forum. Preiss was killed in an auto accident in the summer of 2005, but the hunt for his casques continues.

Clever poems tell the story of one inquisitive child's quest to start just the right collection to share at school. While everyone else is excited about presenting their treasures, one creative elementary schooler is stressed about her class's show-and-tell assignment. How is she supposed to share her collection if she doesn't collect anything? Polling her parents, visiting with Granny and Grandpa, and searching for the secret behind her siblings' obsession with baseball cards, she discovers she does, in fact, have something to share: a collection of stories and poems!

"Sandra Schneiders' brilliant and perceptive analysis projects a new model of religious life. Deeply exciting and genuinely consoling ....." [from back cover]

Join pastor’s wife, mother of four, and entrepreneur, Angel Williams, on a journey of faith, frugality, and family, as she finds treasure in the most unexpected places. We live in a society where it’s not uncommon to buy something one week and throw it away the next. We constantly throw out serviceable and even valuable items without a second thought. But to Angel Williams that’s an opportunity. Angel started dumpster diving out of curiosity when a woman at church mentioned it to her, but it quickly turned into a sizeable side-business to help support her growing, blended family. She learned quickly that dumpster diving is far from a last resort for those in unfortunate circumstances. It can be a fun and profitable family activity! In Finding Your Treasure, Angel shares how dumpster diving fits into her family’s Christian mission, how she started her business, and the moral case for reusing and recycling what your neighbors throw away. With a focus on faith and community, Angel opens up about her own journey, from starting to dive to growing her own YouTube following. Angel shares her most amazing finds, including $1,000 cash, designer handbags, and even toys and furniture for her family. She’ll take you through where you can find the best places to dive, how to pick which items to sell or donate, how to put safety first, and where you can find your own local community of fellow divers.

W.C. Jameson shows you where to look and how to find valuable artifacts, precious metals, lost jewels, and hidden caches in a neighborhood park, your attic, at the beach or in open country. Practical tips will get you started, help you protect your claim on any found treasure and authenticate the value of coins, jewels and other objects.

This intensly Personal, hope-filled story reveals one woman's faith and love for God's Word and her struggle to discover her place within the community of God's people. She speaks honestly of her family life, the different ministries she has been involved in, and shares some "homiletic reflections." An inspiring biography.

Join an exciting treasure hunt around the Big Blue House. Bear invites kids along with all his friends on a mysterious lift-the-flap rainy day adventure. Full-color illustrations & photos.