Riley Poole’s Book of Secrets

“Someone did something in history and had fun. Great. Wonderful.”

This is how National Treasure (2004) fan-favorite character Riley Poole feels about oft-repeated stories of the distant past: dismissive and uninspired. Poole clearly gravitates toward lesser-known tales from history—the kind typically missing from high school classrooms.

In this book, franchise expert Aubrey Paris explores historical mysteries capable of piquing the interest of Poole and his fellow enthusiasts of myths that could be true. Paris pairs well-publicized tales (Roanoke colony, Salem witches) with lesser-known events (Mecklenburg Declaration, Blair House) and surprising real-world topics plucked straight from the films’ scripts (Templar treasure, president’s book), offering the latest historical interpretations while examining myriad questions that inevitably remain. The resulting unofficial, unauthorized National Treasure history book will capture the imaginations of even the most skeptical students of the past—including Riley Poole himself—while inviting an enticing thought: How might Poole’s niche knowledge of the unexplained contribute to National Treasure’s future storylines?

Aubrey R. Paris, PhD, is the cofounder and cocreator of National Treasure Hunt, the podcast, book, and tour offering an interdisciplinary analysis of the National Treasure film franchise. Her cast and creative team interviews have broken National Treasure news that has been covered by global media outlets, and she has engaged live audiences at venues ranging from the US National Archives to the Library of Congress and more.