Concealing something in a book
Encyclopedia
There are many real and fictitious occurrences of concealing objects in a book. Items can be concealed in book
s in a number of ways. Small items such as a photograph or a note can be hidden in between the pages of the book. Thicker items can be hidden by removing the interior portion of some or all of the pages, creating a book safe
or hollowed-out book. Book safes are easy for their owners to recognise, but they do not stand out to a thief or other intruder.
Another type of concealment is the hiding of messages in the text or on a book's pages by printing in code – a form of steganography
. For example, letters could be underlined on sequential pages, with the letters spelling out a message or code. There are a number of actual and fictional examples of items or messages having been concealed in a book.
Illicit chemicals may be smuggled by soaking individual pages with them.
Books are used as a concealment device
in part because they are readily available and inconspicuous in many settings.
Many book safes are home-made, and are created by brushing a combination of white paper glue and water over a book's edges. This process seals the pages into a solid block. The inside is then cut out using a sharp knife, dremel
or razor blade. Book safes are often lined inside with felt or another soft material, to muffle the sound of objects moving inside the book.
. Invisible ink
may be used to write words and sentences in the book, or by underlining certain words or letters a message can be crafted.
The author of a book may write codes by carefully choosing the wording. There have been many claims of a bible code
in which God secretly placed hidden messages in the Torah and that they can be deciphered by the skill of man by the manipulation of the text. The 1997 book The Bible Code
by Michael Drosnin
is one of the most famous examples. On the other hand, it has been claimed that you can find "hidden messages" in any book using this method.
. There are a number of cases from films and television series where an item is hidden in the Bible
.
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s in a number of ways. Small items such as a photograph or a note can be hidden in between the pages of the book. Thicker items can be hidden by removing the interior portion of some or all of the pages, creating a book safe
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
or hollowed-out book. Book safes are easy for their owners to recognise, but they do not stand out to a thief or other intruder.
Another type of concealment is the hiding of messages in the text or on a book's pages by printing in code – a form of steganography
Steganography
Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message, a form of security through obscurity...
. For example, letters could be underlined on sequential pages, with the letters spelling out a message or code. There are a number of actual and fictional examples of items or messages having been concealed in a book.
Illicit chemicals may be smuggled by soaking individual pages with them.
Books are used as a concealment device
Concealment device
Concealment devices or diversion safes are used to hide things for the purpose of secrecy or security. They are made from an ordinary household object such as a book, a soda can, a candle, a can, or something as small as a coin...
in part because they are readily available and inconspicuous in many settings.
Book safes
Book safes provide cheap and easily accessible method of hiding small valuables or contraband. Some retailers sell hollowed-out books for valuables, as a way of concealing these items from a burglar. These hollowed-out books can also be used to hide illegal or contraband items. The most elaborate examples features a compartment requiring a key or combination within, offering an additional layer of security. Sometimes these items are real books that have been cut, but they may instead be made from other materials, such as plastic or metal.Many book safes are home-made, and are created by brushing a combination of white paper glue and water over a book's edges. This process seals the pages into a solid block. The inside is then cut out using a sharp knife, dremel
Dremel
Dremel is a brand of power tools known primarily for their rotary tools. The tools were originally developed by Albert J. Dremel, who founded the Dremel Company in 1932 in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1993, the company was purchased by Robert Bosch GmbH, and today it is a division of the Robert Bosch Tool...
or razor blade. Book safes are often lined inside with felt or another soft material, to muffle the sound of objects moving inside the book.
Steganography and hidden messages
Messages can be hidden within a book using steganographic techniquesSteganography
Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message, a form of security through obscurity...
. Invisible ink
Invisible ink
Invisible ink, also known as security ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and which later on can be made visible by some means. Invisible ink is one form of steganography, and it has been used in espionage...
may be used to write words and sentences in the book, or by underlining certain words or letters a message can be crafted.
The author of a book may write codes by carefully choosing the wording. There have been many claims of a bible code
Bible code
The Bible code , also known as the Torah code, is a purported set of secret messages encoded within the text Hebrew Bible and describing prophesies and other guidance regarding the future. This hidden code has been described as a method by which specific letters from the text can be selected to...
in which God secretly placed hidden messages in the Torah and that they can be deciphered by the skill of man by the manipulation of the text. The 1997 book The Bible Code
The Bible Code (book)
The Bible Code is a best-selling book by Michael Drosnin, first published in 1997. A sequel, The Bible Code II, was published in 2002 and also reached best-seller status....
by Michael Drosnin
Michael Drosnin
Michael Drosnin is an American journalist and author, best known for his writings on the Bible code.Drosnin was born in New York City. He worked as a journalist for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal...
is one of the most famous examples. On the other hand, it has been claimed that you can find "hidden messages" in any book using this method.
Choice of book
In fictional uses of book safes, the title or subject of the book can be symbolic or related to the nature of the object, e.g. hidden money in a copy of The Wealth of NationsThe Wealth of Nations
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, generally referred to by its shortened title The Wealth of Nations, is the magnum opus of the Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith...
. There are a number of cases from films and television series where an item is hidden in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
Objects
- Recording artist Ugly Husbands released a full-length cassette in a limited edition of 50, each in a different book-safe, on Roll Over Rover Records.
- Hollowed-out books have been used to smuggle items into prisons, such as tools to aid a prison escapePrison escapeA prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
or contrabandContrabandThe word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
such as drugs or weapons. - Small bombs can be hidden inside books, with a trigger that operates when book is opened. In 1980, United AirlinesUnited AirlinesUnited Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
president Percy Wood was injured by the explosion of a pipe bombPipe bombA pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
hidden inside a book that he received in the mail. - A man in Redding, CaliforniaRedding, CaliforniaRedding is a city in far-Northern California. It is the county seat of Shasta County, California, USA. With a population of 89,861, according to the 2010 Census...
was arrested after taking photographs of a young girl with a camera hidden inside a book. - In 2005, antiques thieves attempted to use a hollowed-out book to take a precious lead weight out of Israel.
- Guards at the Washington County Jail in Fayetteville, ArkansasFayetteville, ArkansasFayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
seized a book that had been marked with what appeared to be stains from a leaking yellow felt pen, but tested positive for methamphetamineMethamphetamineMethamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
Television
- In the series Prison BreakPrison BreakPrison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
, the main character, Michael ScofieldMichael ScofieldMichael J. Scofield is the main protagonist in the American television series Prison Break. He is portrayed by Wentworth Miller. The character first appeared in the series pilot as a man who stages a bank robbery in order to get sent into the prison where his older brother, Lincoln Burrows , is...
, hides a screw in a Bible, which he uses to break out of prison. - In the 2005 episode of the television series LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
"What Kate DidWhat Kate Did"What Kate Did" is the 34th episode of Lost. It is the ninth episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Paul Edwards, and written by Steven Maeda and Craig Wright. It first aired on November 30, 2005 on ABC. The character of Kate Austen is featured in the episode's...
", one of the characters finds some filmPhotographic filmPhotographic film is a sheet of plastic coated with an emulsion containing light-sensitive silver halide salts with variable crystal sizes that determine the sensitivity, contrast and resolution of the film...
in a Bible. - An episodeCo-Dependent's Day"Co-Dependent's Day" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season. The episode aired on March 21, 2004.-Plot:Homer, Bart, and Lisa see the newest Cosmic Wars film, The Gathering Shadow, and the movie turns out to be less than what they expected. At home, Marge suggests that Bart and...
of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
features a Bible hollowed out to hold alcohol. - In the HouseHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
episode "Finding Judas", the title character conceals a bottle of VicodinVicodinHydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
in a textbook on lupusLupus erythematosusLupus erythematosus is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity . Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs...
. - In an episode of King of the HillKing of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, Dale GribbleDale GribbleDale Alvin Gribble is a fictional character in the animated series King of the Hill. and is voiced by Johnny Hardwick . He is an exterminator, bounty hunter, smoker, gun fanatic, and paranoid believer of almost all conspiracy theories and urban legends...
buys a book for the purpose of hiding a firearmFirearmA firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
in it.
Film
- Red Grant, one of the villains in the 1963 James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film From Russia with LoveFrom Russia with Love (film)From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
has a gun hidden in a copy of War and PeaceWar and PeaceWar and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature...
. - A nail trimmer is concealed in a Bible by inmate Frank Morris in the 1979 film Escape from AlcatrazEscape from Alcatraz (film)Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American thriller film, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood. It dramatizes possibly the only successful escape attempt from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. The film co-stars Fred Ward, and also features Patrick McGoohan as the...
. - In the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
mini-series Smiley's People, George SmileyGeorge SmileyGeorge Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is an intelligence officer working for MI6 , the British overseas intelligence agency...
hides a negative photograph of Kirov and Leipzig in an antique edition on loan from a friend upon Oliver Lacon's intrusion into his study. When Lacon's interest in the book becomes untenable, Smiley remarks that the edition is worth half the national budget and could he leave it alone—thus preserving the cover for the interleaved exposure. - In the 1993 DisneyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
film The Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers (1993 film)The Three Musketeers is a 1993 film from Walt Disney Pictures and Caravan Pictures, directed by Stephen Herek from a screenplay by David Loughery and starring Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Platt, Tim Curry and Rebecca De Mornay....
, Aramis pulls a pistol from a hollowed out bible to save d'Artagnan from the executioners' axe. - In the 1994 film The Shawshank RedemptionThe Shawshank RedemptionThe Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
, one of the characters hide a rock hammer inside a Bible. The first page to be cut into bears the title "Exodus". The line "Salvation lies within" is also repeated more than once. - In the 1997 Disney film Jungle 2 JungleJungle 2 JungleJungle 2 Jungle is a 1997 comedy feature film starring Tim Allen, Martin Short and Sam Huntington. It is an American remake of the 1994 French film Un indien dans la ville . Jungle 2 Jungles plot follows the original film fairly closely...
, an item is hidden in the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. - In the 1997 film The GameThe Game (film)The Game is a 1997 neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, and produced by Polygram. It tells the story of an investment banker who is given a mysterious gift: participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his life...
, Michael Douglas takes out a gun from a hollowed-out To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature...
book. - Lara CroftLara CroftLara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
finds a hidden note from her father bound behind a book jacket in the movie Lara Croft: Tomb RaiderLara Croft: Tomb RaiderLara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 adventure thriller film adapted from the Tomb Raider video game series. Directed by Simon West and starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, it was released in U.S. theaters on June 15, 2001. The film was a commercial success...
. - In the 1999 film The MatrixThe MatrixThe Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, the central character NeoNeo (The Matrix)Thomas A. Anderson is a fictional character and the main protagonist in The Matrix franchise, as well as having a cameo in The Animatrix short film, Kid's Story. He was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Trilogy and The Animatrix. Andrew Bowen provided Neo's voice in The Matrix: Path of Neo...
hides several computer disks in a copy of Jean BaudrillardJean BaudrillardJean Baudrillard was a French sociologist, philosopher, cultural theorist, political commentator, and photographer. His work is frequently associated with postmodernism and post-structuralism.-Life:...
's Simulacra and SimulationSimulacra and SimulationSimulacra and Simulation is a philosophical treatise by Jean Baudrillard seeking to interrogate the relationship among reality, symbols, and society.-Overview:...
. - In the 1999 short filmShort subjectA short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
Me and the Big GuyMe and the Big GuyMe and the Big Guy is a 1999 short film that satirizes Nineteen Eighty-Four by way of lampooning the fact that Big Brother is watching everyone, even those he'd rather not.-Plot:...
, Citizen 43275-B hides a diary, pen, and pair of glasses in a Re-Education Manual. - In the 2004 film Harold & Kumar Go to White CastleHarold & Kumar Go to White CastleHarold & Kumar Go to White Castle is a 2004 American stoner film and the first installment in the Harold & Kumar series...
, Kumar hides his stash of marijuana in his medical book. - In the 2006 film V for VendettaV for Vendetta (film)V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
, Bishop Anthony James Lilliman hides a gun in a copy of the Bible. - In the 2007 film The InvisibleThe Invisible (film)The Invisible is a 2007 American supernatural thriller teen film starring Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Chris Marquette, Marcia Gay Harden, and Callum Keith Rennie...
, the protagonist hides money he has earned selling essays in a hollowed-out copy of Catch 22.
Fiction writing
- Explorers on the MoonExplorers on the MoonExplorers on the Moon, published in 1954, is the seventeenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. Its original French title is On a marché sur la Lune...
, one of The Adventures of TintinThe Adventures of TintinThe Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
, features a book hollowed out to hold alcohol. - In Robert LudlumRobert LudlumRobert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...
's posthumously published book The Janson DirectiveThe Janson DirectiveThe Janson Directive is a novel by Robert Ludlum. The posthumous novel was published in 2002, a year after Ludlum's death.-Plot:Paul Janson is an ex-Navy SEAL and former member of a U.S. government covert agency called Consular Operations. He is haunted by his memories of the Vietnam War and his...
, Paul Janson's old mentor Angus Fielding, don of Trinity CollegeTrinity College, CambridgeTrinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, pulls a .22 Webley PistolPistolWhen distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
out of the 1759 edition of Samuel JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
's A Dictionary of the English LanguageA Dictionary of the English LanguagePublished on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, sometimes published as Johnson's Dictionary, is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language....
A-G (the A standing for ammunition and the G for guns). - In the novel Interstellar PigInterstellar PigInterstellar Pig, published in 1984 by Bantam Books, is a science fiction novel for young adults written by William Sleator. It was listed as an ALA Notable Book, a SLJ Best Book of the Year, and a Junior Literary Guild Selection.-Plot introduction:...
, Barney hides the Piggy in a hollowed-out high-school yearbook. - In the novel John Dies at the EndJohn Dies at the EndJohn Dies at the End is a comedic horror novel written by Jason Pargin that was first published online as a webserial beginning in 2001, then as an edited manuscript in 2004 and printed paperback in 2007 via Permuted Press. An estimated 70,000 people read the free online versions before they were...
, David keeps a gun in a hollowed-out copy of the Qur'anQur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
.
Games
- In the 2001 adventure gameAdventure gameAn adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Final Cut, the player must cut open a book with a knife to discover a key. http://www.loadedinc.com/review.php?temp_view=review.php&game=Alfred%20Hitchcock%5C's%20The%20Final%20Cut&id=76. - In the horror game Resident EvilResident Evil (video game)Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, it was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo...
, players can obtain a book with a medal hidden inside. - In the video game Hitman: Blood MoneyHitman: Blood MoneyHitman: Blood Money is a stealth game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive. It is the fourth entry in the Hitman game series....
, the player can conceal a bomb in a hollow bible. - In the Nintendo DS game Another Code, a key is found inside a hollow book.
- In the PC and NES game ShadowgateShadowgateShadowgate is a 1987 "point-and-click" adventure video game originally for the Apple Macintosh and is the most popular in the MacVenture series. It was also ported to the Atari ST home computer and was also released in 1989 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, where it garnered mild success. The...
, a key is found in a hollowed out book. The player must learn to open the book without removing it, because by moving the book, a switch is set off that drops the player into a pit.
Related concepts
- Often in popular fiction, a switch to open a secret passageSecret passageSecret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel. Such passageways are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow occupants to enter or exit buildings without being seen...
is disguised as a book on a bookshelf.
External links
- "Kosovo journalist gunned down" at BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 11 September 2000, showing a picture of a gun hidden inside a book - "How To Make a Secret Hollow Book", 14 December 2006