Everyone was new to these puzzles once upon a time, and for me it wasn’t that long ago. Here are a few resources that I found extremely helpful.
Overviews: The best way to come up to speed on these puzzles is the Secret Podcast hosted primarily by George Ward and the late John Michaels. The first twelve episodes do a great job of describing the basic details for each puzzle. The show is informative and entertaining, particularly when Michaels and Ward argue!
Image/Poem/City Matching: The website thesecret.pbworks.com, in a well organized fashion, presents and explains the generally accepted matchings between images, poems, and cities. I completely agree with these matchings and highly recommend reviewing the rationale for each.
Composite Images: There are high definition images available on the website 12treasures.com that are the digital combination of several versions of each image. Source images are taken from different language versions or book editions. The resulting images are strikingly detailed. Though you have to keep in mind that these images are digitally altered, I highly recommend you check them out.
Image Analyses: The website thesecret.pbworks.com analyzes each image using a grid method. Hidden symbols and other details are carefully documented. This is, of course, not the last word regarding what’s present in each image, but it is the first! This is a great resource to help you in analyzing an image. I’m particularly bad at finding symbols in cracks, so I found this detailed analysis very useful.
Poem Analyses: thesecret.pbworks.com also has interpretations of each poem. Obviously, they are not completely correct. However, they contain some valuable insights and are worth reviewing, keeping in mind that these are, like the book you’re now reading, the opinions of just one person.
Japanese Version Hint Translations: Full Translations of the hints contained in the Japanese version of Byron’s book can be found at 12treasures.com. I was very skeptical of these at first. Some seem like ramblings, some are vague, and some seem to make no sense at all. That being said, as I was able, over time, to successfully apply each to my interpretations, I now have complete confidence in them. As you review them, do bear in mind that these are translations from English to Japanese and back again!
Social Media: Social media is an excellent way to learn about the puzzles and get someone else’s opinion on your ideas. However, it is also not known for being a bastion of restraint and kindness. Be prepared for your ideas to be attacked, aggressively. Listen to what they have to say, but don’t take it personally. Always keep in mind that these “experts” haven’t figured out these puzzles either. Some of the best ideas I’ve ever read on social media came from “newbies” and were met with great ridicule. If you are concerned about harsh responses, you may want to individually message one or two users, giving you a preview of the kind of responses you might expect from the general community.
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