Dubious Documents: A Puzzle (Wordplay, Ephemera, Interactive Mystery)

I'm a big fan of Nick Bantock's work and I love puzzles and hunts so I was super excited to get this one. The premise is really interesting so I immediately sat down to dig in.... and I solved the puzzle in about 30 minutes. As another review mentioned, the clues give you everything and some clues are solvable without even looking at the document. Some are visibly obvious even without the clue too. A couple are more interesting in that the require putting together multiple parts of the document to decode the word, but most are very straight forward. All that aside, I find this one the least visually interesting of his books. When (quickly) solving the document, I wasn't pulled in to the piece like I usually am by his work. Like I said, I am a big fan.... but these don't have the visual intrigue and complete and nuanced composition that for me defines his art. It feels like a half-baked execution and lacks the depth, intrigue, and beauty of his other work. I'm still a huge fan and love looking at all of the other books of his in my collection, so I'm chalking this one up to (I'm imagining) an agent or publisher with a deadline resulting in a rushed and not fully explored concept and end product. I hope he revisits the idea and takes it to the level of visual and conceptual depth that is so amazing. If you're looking to try some of his books, the Griffin & Sabine series is popular because it's amazing, and Urgent 2nd Class is a fascinating exploration into his process and methods.

I ordered this book because I love reading mysteries and solving puzzles. In addition, I enjoy paper crafts, so the beautiful images caught my eye. Ignore the reviewers who are "humble bragging" about how the puzzles are too easy and how quickly they solved them. Sure, the puzzles aren't super difficult, but they're fun and entertaining, and the contents are visually pleasant to peruse, so just enjoy them.

Bantock rides into our minds and hearts again! A tactile, soul-reverberating collection of images from the master himself. Should we speak to the puzzle? No, as it is ephemeral as his artworks. The combination of which is almost too much for one’s simple pleasure of opening someone else’s mail then needing to solve a puzzle for the forwarding address. I can’t speak more highly of him or his work

I stumbled upon this fabulous multi-faceted artistic puzzle and ordered immediately. I've been perusing it for one hour and am ordering multiple copies for my art, art journal and ephemera obsessed friends. Hopefully we can each study and compare notes in solving the puzzles. Even though I've only teased out a couple of partial clues and haven't examined everything I'm begging for another one please Mr. Bantock. I'm also ordering another copy just to tear apart and use in art journals and collages because it's an economical source of multiple gorgeous ephemera papers. If you are artistic (or not) and love puzzles, this is a fabulous and unique teaser. One minor gripe - the spine stitching is just for looks and the real binding was not glued properly so the back cover is not attached.

I am a fan of Nick Bantok's Griffin and Sabine Series and though this puzzle doesn't have a storyline, I loved pulling the documents out of the envelopes and solving the puzzle. I will definitely be giving copies of this out as gifts...

When I first opened it I was amazed at how beautiful everything was. I really liked the layout. I actually put it away because it looked really hard. A few months later I was hanging out with my mom and we were bored (cable was out because of weather) so I pulled this out. Man, once we got started- we were up with our eyes burning working on it. We are not great puzzlers, but this has us both hooked. I want another one.... looking through amazon now trying to find another that is similar.

I love this! I love Nick Bantock and when I found this book after coming across his series Griffin and Sabine in Goodwill, I was hung up by his style of writing and how he integrated the different text pieces to be so interactive. Lovey gift for young adults, and if your kids are into it then 🤘🏼I bought it for self lol, don’t do that. Share the love of reading 😹 I’m just stingy.

Fun puzzles. If you are a deep deliver, this wont be as satisfying, but if you're a beginner or want some light puzzles that look nice then this is a great book!

I'm really in two minds about this book (if indeed it can be called a book). It's absolutely gorgeous to look at with amazing artwork. BUT, I found myself barely looking at the images at all. I was hoping to be pouring over the details to find tiny obscure clues hidden away. However, in reality it took me longer to get the sheets out of their respective envelopes than in did to solve the puzzles contained within (in fact, some you don't even need to take out!).All 16 puzzles solved in around 20 minutes (which would have been quicker if I wasn't being so delicate with the book). It will now sit on a shelf with probably not even a second glance - a pity!All in all, far too easy for the price.

Five stars for the ephemera, one star for the puzzle element which was ridiculously easy. The papers are lovely and can be saved as a keepsake or for crafts if you are so inclined. It's a bit pricey as a puzzle, however.

Unusual puzzle book. Great for puzzle lovers.

Pretty book, with interesting construction as you would expect from Nick Bantock. I was disappointed by how easy the puzzles were to solve though, I would have expected to have to spend more than 90 minutes with the book, and I am someone who is completely new to puzzles like this.Buy it because it is pretty and a nice addition to your Bantock library, not because it is going to give you hours of puzzle solving fun.

La presentación es fantástica, y es una pena que no hayan libros como este en español (al menos yo no los conozco) porque me encantaría regalarlo a algunas amigas.Cada reto te lleva a un documento que tiene escondidas pistas, alfanuméricas y pictóricas, y te obliga a utilizar pensamiento lateral para resolver el jeroglífico.La impresión y la presentación son deliciosas. Espero pronto el siguiente!