From: 7/6/00 10:36 AM Subject: RE: The rec.puzzles FAQ going backward regarding Manson's MazeTo: "John Bailey" Excellent. I will put that in the next release of the archive. Thanks and keep me informed of any progress. -----Original Message----- From: John Bailey [mailto:jmb184@frontiernet.net] Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2000 9:35 PM To: Chris Cole Subject: Re: The rec.puzzles FAQ going backward regarding Manson's Maze Per your request. Let me know if you need more or want to suggest changes. John Chris Cole wrote: > I'd like you, if you're willing, to compose a more complete > solution that Scott Purdy's, incorporating all of the > things you mention on your Web page: Chris McManus' > deduced shortest path, the recently discovered Holt > documents, and the Woodrow Wilson quote. I'll put > you solution, giving credit to you of course, in the > archive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- What is the solution to _Maze_ by Christopher Manson? In room 29, a door to room 17 is hidden upside-down to look like a table. Notice that the two leftmost candlesticks are not connected to the stand. In addition, the two candles for those sticks are casting shadows back toward the fool, away from the lit candle on the stand. This is also hinted at in the first room by the two banners on the ground, nearest the entryway. They contain the words "Go" & "17." Using this door it is clear that there is a 16-step path through the Maze: 1 26 30 42 4 29 17 45 23 8 12 39 4 15 37 20 1. There may be a shorter path: 1 26 36 45 19 31 21 1 Several of the rooms have unnumbered exits, but the destinations of these exits can all be deduced. For example, Room 36 has four exits, of which only two are numbered (7 and 16). But four rooms (7, 16, 26, and 45) have exits marked 36. Therefore the two unmarked exits in room 36 must lead to rooms 26 and 45. By similar logic, the unmarked exit in room 21 must lead to room 1. The year after the book was initially published, VENTURA ASSOCIATES, INC. a fulfillment house retained by the publisher provided the following additional clues to those who wrote to them requesting a solution. (quoting) Each of the additional clues below applies to one word of the riddle to be found in room #45 of MAZE: 1.) I'll tip my hat if the two of you can solve this. 2.)You can get into these two shoes only if you don't go anywhere. 3.)You will find two names on the table, and they go together like doughnut and hole. 4.) You must choose between two pictures. 5.) There are no two ways you can read this sign. 6.)You can see that another two pictures demonstrate their own kind of symmetry. (end quote) The various components of room 45, put together properly produce the following question: "What house will all live in?" W + hat = What shoe + U (horseshoe shaped) = House Will (iam shake spear) awl = All elvi = Live eye + N (sideways Z) = In On the table, there are a row of up ended logs and a poster with a shaking spear and a ideographic sun. These can be interpreted as * wood row Will's son* or Woodrow Wilson. A quote attributed to President Wilson is: "Without God, the world would be a maze without a clue" Beginning at the first room of the path, a hint can be phrased: "Like Atlas, you bear it upon your shoulders." 1: Like is written backwards on the banner hanging near the entryway. 26: salt + A = Atlas 30: From text, "Why 'O' & 'U'?" = You 42: A Bear is the main feature of this room. 4: The holes and pegs are a form of intelligence test, abbr. I.T. alternately, the torches are I's and the gavel is a T 29: up + on = Upon 17: Why + Oh + You + Are = Your skip room 45 23: Taken from the text is the word "shoulder" to which we add the S from room 8. This is not entirely satisfying, because the next rooms do a good job of providing most of the letters, but not in quite the right combinations. i.e. S U D R (ELL spells) L house, hero, heroes S S The acceptable answers were "The World, Earth, or Globe." Sco4tt "Fool" Purdy wrote the earlier version of this answer and thanked Andrew C. Plotkin for the information provided by the publisher and Narciso Jaramillo for his assistance in determining the reasons for several statements. Chris McManus proposed the 8 room path through the Maze. John Bailey located the Woodrow Wilson quote. Web pages at http://www.frontiernet.net/~jmb184/maze/ contain additional contributions speculating on the identity of the guide or host through the Maze and additional observations as to hints and clues found in the rooms. original FAQ entry: Scott "Fool" Purdy update: July 5, 2000 John Bailey jmb184@frontiernet.net