The Golden Apple Tale was self-published in 1982 by “Cam Kaskgn” via “Fantasy Press”. Fantasy Press might be an appropriate name for a publishing company that may have never existed. That’s the first sign that this little gem is going to be interesting. The book is out of print, but you can find a black & white PDF copy here.
The clues (or mis-directions?) begin on the cover. The author’s name is “Cam Kaskgn”. The name appears to be a pseudonym. Much has been discussed about Jef Raskin being the true author. He was the 31st employee at Apple and the Mac (Cam spelled backwards!) was his brainchild. AND the number of letters works out. You can google him yourself for more details. The prize and the story are all tied to apples, so it might make sense. It’s all very curious, but perhaps only a rabbit hole that distracts from solving the main puzzle.
Though a relatively small book, it’s packed with clues, hints, codes, puzzles, anagrams, computations, plays on words and I’m sure some other things I’ve missed. It’s also packed with mis-spellings and apostrophe abuse. I’m not sure if those are clues or just errors. Of course it was 1982 so the typewriter probably didn’t have spell/grammar check.
This hunt remained relatively obscure until about 2000. The following decades saw a resurgence in treasure hunting and puzzle solving, fueled by the internet and online treasure hunting communities. The Golden Apple Tale is one of those legendary treasures that people get hooked on, set aside for a while and come back to time and time again.
It's been 40 years since it was first published. While I've spent a number of years, on and off, working on the Golden Apple Tale, I've recently been spending more time as a treasure hider. You can find me locally as the Grand Rapids Riddler. In honor of this local legendary hunt, I'm releasing a Golden Apple Tale 40th Anniversary Tribute treasure hunt. The story line continues with a new generation and a new prize. You'll see some of the familiar names and places and some familiar themes. Perhaps this new hunt can be solved and end the curse. Will you be the one to find the Golden Apple case?