Armchair Treasure Hunts: From Masquerade to the Forrest Fenn Fallout

Can a book change your life - or cost it? In this episode of Pain In The Arts, we explore the obsessive world of armchair treasure hunt books. It started with Kit Williams’s Masquerade, an illustrated book that hid a real gold hare in England and sparked a public frenzy. We trace the line from that creative invitation to the chaos that followed: Byron Preiss's twelve buried casks, France's golden owl, and the infamous Forrest Fenn chest - a million-dollar cache in the Rockies that drew 350,000 searchers and cost five lives. Discover what happens when art becomes a real-world obsession, plus a look into personal creative quests, from airport runway lamps to a Tarago campervan fit-out.Pain In The Arts is a weekly podcast about the reality of creative life — hosted by Breallyn and Lyndon Wesley.If you enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do is share it with one person who'd love it.Subscribe and listen:On your favourite podcast app or visit paininthearts.lifeSupport the show on Patreon:patreon.com/painintheartslifeFind us online:paininthearts.lifeInstagram: @painintheartsTheme music by Lyndon WesleyProduced on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung Peoples of the Eastern Kulin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.