Secret Hiding Places 101: Because None Of Us Are Really Over Harriet the Spy

RACHEL’S TEAM PICK:

Have you ever wanted to do that thing where you carve out the inside of a book to use as a secret hiding place? Have you ever tried carving out the inside of a book with maybe a dull boxcutter and then gotten yelled at for it by your mom? Are you not sorry? There is a book for you.

It’s called The Construction of Secret Hiding Places, it’s a free PDF download, and it is more legit than you could ever imagine. Even the troublemaking eleven-year-old you probably didn’t think of using empty (and turned off!) electrical sockets, false drawer bottoms, and hiding stuff INSIDE DOORS. I KNOW RIGHT. Your girlfriend will never find her Christmas presents early again! Or, alternatively, you could hide a huge stash of lollipops and never run out again! Or maybe you have money or care about things other than presents, toys and candy — that’s cool, you’re allowed to hide that too. Whatever. Here’s a freebie! Maybe if you can figure out how to cut a tin can without buckling and disfiguring the metal (I can’t), then you can get started right now.

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Rachel

Originally from Boston, MA, Rachel now lives in the Midwest. Topics dear to her heart include bisexuality, The X-Files and tacos. Her favorite Ciara video is probably "Ride," but if you're only going to watch one, she recommends "Like A Boy." You can follow her on twitter and instagram.

Rachel has written 1141 articles for us.

14 Comments

  1. Careful with the box cutters on the book stash projects! My friend (coincidentally named Rachel) gave herself a nasty cut an bled all over her fancy gilt-edged book. I hear the secret is a dremel tool – used carefully so the book doesn’t get to hot and catch fire. I have yet to try this out, but the possibility of stuff catching fire is always appealing. It’s sort of surprising I haven’t burned down the house yet.

  3. I remember trying to make something similar out of a pringles tin, haha.

    Nonetheless, this is pretty amazing.

  4. wow i wish my 11 year old self would have thought to right a book with all my hiding spots i used and thought of id have made a bundle :) this is great thanks

  5. God I love the internet. I made one of those hollowed out books when I was a kid and I hid all of my birthday money in it. Of course, I didn’t realize that you actual have to take checks to the bank in order for them to turn into real money, you can’t just keep them for years and years inside of a hollowed out book. On reflection, I think it was probably my first step on the road to libertarianism.

  8. It’s really nice to know I’m not the only one who was obsessed with becoming Harriet the Spy as a kid. I definitely tried to make a carved out book hiding place with a box cutter, but I got bored and gave up. I think it’s still in a bookshelf in my parents house somewhere..

  9. I hid stuff all over. I tried to do one of those books, but didn’t have the patience, it turns out. I used old stuffed animals with their guts ripped out

  12. Oh, if only I had seen this before I left all my stuff with my family and had to throw out my vibrator.

    Still… never again, now!

  13. awesome!
    and yes I totally did the carved out boook thing. it workedev but not too well.
    love this!

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