As a Myst fan, I have been interested in getting props from the various Myst Games since I played Riven all those years ago. The thing is, Cyan seems to be tight-lipped about them, but a few avid fans have been able to find out what real-world items these MYSTerious props are, including me. (In fact, in 2012, I popularized one!) Some, however, have still been out-of-reach for the majority of fans, because of poor archiving, no information of how they were built, or because they simply are custom items.

I’d like to focus on one in particular, the well-known D’ni Trap Book, but first, I want to highlight the props that already have been researched, found, and confirmed by the fans:

Fan Research:

Riven Descriptive Book:

This one is a bit easy. This is a vintage 1950s Webster’s Unified Dictionary and Encyclopedia:

PROP:

(Compare the spine in the above picture to the one found in this prop’s “Unmodified Item” section)

(Above photos by Vaaht, Mysterium 2006)

UNMODIFIED ITEM:

(Photos from eBay)

D’ni Goggles:

(Discovered by Mike Ando [a.k.a. riumplus], re-discovered and popularized in 2012 by me, T-Squared)

These are Cébé 500 Leather Goggles, aged with paint.

PROP:

(Original photo by callidus37: http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/callidus37/media/bWVkaWFJZDo4MTEwMjAyOQ==/?ref=)

(Original Photo by Calumon)

(Original Photo by GoldenWedge)

UNMODIFIED ITEM:

Myst Linking Book:

PROP/UNMODIFIED ITEM:

(Discovered, researched, and popularized by Mike Ando)

This is Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 54. (Thanks, @twitch-eaglehart!) Unfortunately, the book itself has seen better days, and can no longer be used in an official capacity. Thankfully, Mr. Ando did some research and found another copy, this time in better condition, but still in need of work, as can be shown in this presentation from Mysterium 2012:

The New Myst Book also contained something never done before with such a prop: it contains a full-fledged computer that can actually run all the original games up to Myst V, as well as act as a book with an actual linking panel within it.

In fact, the book was so well done that it was later deemed THE new official Myst Linking Book, and used in RealMyst Masterpiece Edition:

(Original image from: http://d.hatena.ne.jp/kijinsan/20141230/p1)

I haven’t had the time to find an actual copy of this book, although I have held a version of it a while back. In my case, though, I own a book, Peterson’s Magazine Vol. 39 (January-June 1861), that looks similar to the 200-year-old version in Myst V: End of Ages.

My Research:

False D’ni Linking Book (Black Trap Book):

I have been aching after this prop for a very long time. I’ve tried so hard to find this, but to no such luck. Every picture I’ve come across of this prop has either been of low quality, the book spine is too far away to read, at the wrong angle to even see the book title, or is too dark to properly equalize in photo-manipulation software.

The only things that I know about this prop are the obvious details, a black book with a golden circular crest in the center, with a mostly-golden-detailed spine with two other circular crests.

I’ve spoken with Mike Ando on multiple occasions, but even for him, the information is locked away, with the only lead being that it’s possibly a mathematics textbook. In trying to translate the text on the spine, I may have part of a title: “THE L________”

I know the title here is probably incorrect, but it’s the best I could do.

(So close, yet so far)

(4-13-2020 Update)

The title of the book is “Omar Khayyam, A Life”, written by Harold Lamb, published by Doubleday, Doran, & Company, Inc., in 1936. It is a semi-fictional biography of the eponymous Persian mathematician.

The book is surprisingly easy to find, as well as inexpensive! It was revealed by MystRiven, and confirmed by Cyan in a reddit post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/myst/comments/dcgz42/actual_prop_books/

We did it!!!

Real D’ni Linking Book (Red):

There’s very little in the way of leads here too, only that the original title seems to have been taken off with a solvent, as there are very faint lightened letters that can be seen on the cover to the top left and top right of the circular accent, as well as on the bottom-to-middle-right corner of the book:

I want to say this was a book published by “Methuen Publishing”, as it’s the closest in similarity to what I could translate: “THUMSNER” from the lightened letters on the top left, when I searched for the letter combination online. The other letters on the top right seem to be either “TaL”, “TeL”, “FoL”, “FaL”, or “FeL”.

(4-13-2020 Update)

The title of the book is “Ferment in the Far East, An Historical Interpretation”, written by Mary A. Nourse, published by The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., in 1949. It is an account of the history and development of Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan.

This one is easy to find on the internet, but not to buy… The mystery letters I attempted to figure out were actually “FERMENT” (which I thought was “THUMSNER”), and “Fa E” (From “FAr East”). It was revealed by Cyan in a reddit post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/myst/comments/dcgz42/actual_prop_books/

Gehn’s Pipe:

Pipe with main Bowl Cap off (unable to paste photo directly into post):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/moietyjean/3789106987

I’ve been able to find some very good pictures of this prop, and it seems to be made out of clay or some moldable material, then painted.

Despite that, making a prop with the correct materials should not be hard, if one has the proper skillset and tools.

Here are the materials I was able to find, with some help from Altrad on the official Cyan Discord (Proper measurements to come later):

Main Body: Dark Cedar, Long rectangular log bought from Lowe’s lumber section, $22

Copper Accents: Buy various thicknesses from metallurgical vendor. Expect to pay about $60-$80 for the thickness of copper at the base of the cone stem

Copper Main Bowl Cap: Bought “Nibco”-brand copper pipe endcap from Lowe’s plumbing section, $1.50

Copper Pipe Stem: Thin Copper pipe bought from Lowe’s plumbing section, about $4

Mouthpiece: Originally thought to be lighter wood. Seems to be ivory, but is unacceptable due to ethical, legal, and financial problems. (Thanks for the info, Altrad!) Probable replacement is either sealed cow bone or deer antler.

Escutcheon Pins: These look like small nails (to affix metal plating to different places, like vintage doorknob plating to doors) that one can buy on the internet, or if one wants to be cheaper (but less accurate), one can buy brass versions, that are used for linoleum, at Lowe’s/Home Depot and modify to fit lengthwise into the wood, about $1.50.

Gehn’s Uniform:

This one I am working on. It’s very difficult to source some of the materials, partly because one of them is so darned expensive.

However, thanks to some resourceful fans (Rivenchan and Ainia, THANK YOU SO MUCH!), and some of my own additional research, a nice replica can be made.

(Original picture from eBay auction of behind-the scenes photos of Riven’s live-action filming)

**Coat Material: **WOOL. That’s all it is; Off-White Felted Wool (Don’t get the kind that is teased so much that it loses the weave texture). I got mine from a brand called “Marcus Brothers”, which uses a slightly more orange-colored yellow, due to budget concerns.

Gold Trim: This is easy to find. BE SURE TO GET THE GOLD METAL-WIRE VERSION.

Golden Leaves: This was previously not easy to find cheaply. The originals come from vintage Naval Admiral caps (The white kind, which also use the same gold trim mentioned before.). I would have suggested going with iron-on versions, BUT someone from Reddit has found bullion appliqués:( https://www.mjtrim.com/3-3-4-scrambled-eggs-bullion-applique) that are more accurate to the costume! (Thanks, PristineObject!)

(Original image by Ainia)

Buttons: These are actually a combination of two different objects: A Russian Naval Cockade Badge turned upside down, (be sure it is not oblong or ellipsoid in basic shape, and it has both a red star on top [to be removed] and an anchor charm in the center), and vintage gold/brass dragon-and-shield-motif buttons: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/322711129524136644 There is one thing I have never been able to figure out, though… How did the Seattle Opera design a button/clasp that perfectly closes down the center of the coat? I’m still having problems trying to design that.

(Original Image by Ainia)

Boots: Unfortunately, these are very difficult to find. I don’t even think they are originally white. I had to buy some superhero boots with zippers on the sides.

** **(Original Image by Ainia)

Gloves: I’ve tried to find proper gloves that match those worn by John Keston as Gehn, but I never was able to find them.

(Original Image by Ainia)

Belt: This is a custom-made prop that seems to be made out of clay and painted. However, I went further and made my own version out of real solid-cast brass. The border of the belt itself can be made out of 3.2 mmm brass snake-chain: https://www.etsy.com/listing/217821640/2mm-24mm-32mm-42mm-18-40-stainless-steel?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=4mm%20snake%20chain&ref=sr_gallery-1-44 (I UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT BRASS. THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE FOR THE SHAPE.)

Releeshahn Descriptive Book (found Nov. 23, 2018):

I have made a new discovery! While searching online for a leather hardcover journal to make an in-character autobiography of my adventures in the Myst games, I came across these through Google images:

Original Guess:

http://www.blueskypapers.com/leather-hardcover-journals.html

New Version, more accurate to the physical prop, and less expensive:

Graphic Image 11″ Hardcover Manuscript

https://www.graphicimage.com/11_Hardcover_Manuscript_Goatskin_p/mbx-goa.htm

The embossed design around the outside, plus the overall proportions of the book lead me to believe this is either THE same type of book, or a very close approximation! (Mostly the former rather than the latter.)

The only things changed on the book prop are the security lock frame, the distressed designs on the leather on the physical prop, the embossed lettering on the cover, and the gold embellishments added to said embossing. Other than that, it’s pretty much a perfect match!

IN-GAME OBJECT:

PROP (Presumably a scan of the prop, for in-game use):

PROP (From Game Footage):

ORIGINAL SPECULATION:

This was originally what I had guessed as the kind of book used as the Releeshahn Prop, but the pages did not have gilded edges, and the pages were lined instead of blank.

(Original image from Blue Sky Papers, used under “fair use”: http://www.blueskypapers.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/l/mlx_tr1-2_1.jpg)

NEW THEORY:

This one is much more accurate to the prop. It has blank pages and includes gilded edges.

(Original image from Graphic Image, used under fair use: https://www.graphicimage.com/v/vspfiles/photos/MBX-GOA-2.jpg)

(4-17-2020 Update:) Something I forgot to mention is that the copyright date on the inside of the book is marked “©1997 Graphic Image”, so this is well before the game was released, and thus has no problem fitting into the production timeframe.

J’nanin Linking Book (4-17-2020 Update, found Oct. 28th, 2019):

This is a prop that was a little bit more difficult to find, as the original prop has a pretty generic design. However, there was only one match for the design of the book.



Best Guess:

Epica 6x9″ Thick Variant Journal

https://epica.com/products/classic-leather-journal-with-unlined-pages?variant=28881676097

Why do I say “Best Guess”? Because the design of the book does not exactly match that of the book within the game. It has dark endpages, and the digital version is missing hubs (the bumps on the spine of the book)

However, there WAS a physical version of the book made, even though we don’t exactly see it within the game:

(Original image from “My Ramblings”, used under fair use: http://www.angelfire.com/art/rambling/day2a.htm)

In 2001, Myst fan “Gandalf” visited the now-defunct Presto Studios, as part of a trip to Southern California, and got a few photos of the props used in the production of Myst III: Exile.

I created a reddit post in 2019 about my discovery, but I would like to also leave a copy of my reasoning here for why this is the absolute best guess, even if it might not be THE original brand, without more information:

What leads me to believe this is the same design is:

the color (The J'nanin book is darker than you might think, based on Gandalf’s pictures)

the spine (The spacing of the hubs/raised bumps on the spine)

and the hinge fold between the cover and spine. (The cover has a sharp distinct border.)

On the other hand, unlike the Releeshahn book prop, what may make this difficult to prove as being the original brand is that Myst III was released in 2001, and Epica Journals claims that their business started in the same year. (Unless, by pure chance, one may account that the J’nanin book was designed beforehand, these journals that fit the design were found while the final touches were being performed on the game, that it was one of the final game objects to be CG-modeled, and that the FMV recording and rendering was the final portion to be completed before the game went gold.)

So, this is the research culled so far over the years. I have been looking and looking for years. If anyone has any better photos of the other props, I’d like to add them to a future post.



Oh, and Happy Anniversary, Myst! Congratulations, Cyan, on a memorable 25 years with Myst! It’s been real fun! You have inspired so much of my artistic endeavors that I pursue in this day and age!