How close did I come to solving it? Not nearly as close as I would have liked--as an American, I have very little knowledge of England's geography (mandatory to solving the puzzle, despite the previous disclaimers). I did have part of the solution correct; I knew the letters that bordered each painting spelled out locations, but the method was not as simple as the author pretended. Needless to say, I feel much better now that I know this.
That having been said, let me conclude by stating that the story of Jack Hare's journey is enjoyable, the paintings are absolutely exquisite and the mystery is still intriguing, whether the jewel is still in the ground or not. I recommend it to anyone who loves puzzles--just be prepared to work hard at the solution; it's not easy!
One of my favorites.GREAT! The illustrations are great, plus it is very fun to try to solve all of the riddles. I had no idea that the jewl was found until i got the book, and my family and I never figured out the answer, but I did find all of the rabbits. The origanal book is very good, and if you have one, you should hold on to it, so in 40 years you can go to the Antiques Road Show, and get lots of money!!!