I blogged back in March about a book for armchair treasure hunters called Secrets of the Alchemist Dar by Michael Stadther. The book is a follow-up to Stadther’s A Treasure Trove that contained clues to find coins hidden in US state parks redeemable for $1 million of jewels. The new book will lead treasure hunters to $2 million worth of jewels. (We’re told anyone in the world can participate, but it’s unclear what, exactly, that means.)
Secrets of the Alchemist Dar will be released Sept. 26th, but Amazon.com is sponsoring a preliminary treasure hunt to promote the book. Starting today, Amazon.com will be placing 1 clue per week for 9 weeks on its web site. Solving each clue will unlock a piece of a 9-piece puzzle. The first person to solve the puzzle will win a ring worth 10,000. To enter the contest, visit the page for Secrets of the Alchemist Dar. From there, you will find a link to the puzzle and a list of sites where you can find the clues.
So far, it seems like the clues might be really lame. The first can be found on the Amazon.com Jewelry and Watches page and asks you to identify: Number of mouse-clicks to complete 1-click purchase for 1-click eligible items. (You’ll get no help from me on that one.) It remains to be seen if any future clues or the final puzzle pose any real mental challenge.
Tags: amazon,puzzles,treasure-hunt
