SNARK!

@snark.games

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With permission from the game creator, I (@goetzkluge.bsky.social) want to revive the legacy card game 'SNARK!' (https://snrk.de/the-snark-rules/) on virtual desktops on occasion of the Snark's 150th anniversary More Snark: @snarkhunt.bsky.social

Katherine Wakely-Mulroney: "The Man Who Loved Children: Lewis Carroll Studies’ Evidence Problem", Journal of the History of Sexuality, University of Texas Press, Vol. 30, № 3, pp. 335-362, 2021-09 https://www.academia.edu/67147027/The_Man_Who_Loved_Children_Lewis_Carroll_Studies_Evidence_Problem
A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said, Is what we chiefly need: Pepper and vinegar besides Are very good indeed — Now if you're ready, Oysters dear, We can begin to feed.' But not on us!' the Oysters cried, Turning a little blue. After such kindness, that would be A dismal thing to do!' The night is fine,' the Walrus said. Do you admire the view? Source: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43914/the-walrus-and-the-carpenter-56d222cbc80a9
Bell in Bodley's Belfry, Tom Quad, Oxford Christ Church College
In 1872, the Christ Church College Cathedral belfry showed damages which made it necessary to rehouse its bells elsewhere. Driven by Dean Henry George Liddel, the New Belfry project started in 1872. The new bell tower was to be placed at the top right corner of Tom Quad, above the staircase to the dining hall. Alas, money run out and a very simple big wooden cube served as the new temporary belfry. It was so simple that C.L. Dodgson associated it with, among other shapes, a new design pattern for bonnet-boxes and bathing-machines. Later that economy belfry shyly went into hiding behind the walls we can see today (right image, built from 1876 to 1879). But it’s still there. Source: https://snrk.de/page_the-new-belfry/ See also: https://snrk.de/the-new-belfry/
※ Right: Bonomi Edward Warren: Sportsman and dog on a wooded path (1868, watercolor) ※ Center: Magic lantern slide by William Robert Hill: Alice in Wonderland (1876) ※ Left: Bonomi Edward Warren: Woodland Scene in Summer with Children on a Path (1871, oil on canvas) (The top and bottom segment of the magic lantern slide has been slightly vertically stretched.)
From https://cwmemory.com/2009/01/18/lee-accepts-the-surrender-of-grant-in-his-vicksburg-boots/ Lee Accepts the Surrender of Grant in His Vicksburg Boots Author: Kevin Levin Published: January 18, 2009 23 comments let_us_have_peace_vhsThis is my favorite painting of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox in April 1865. It was painted in the 1920s by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris and clearly reflects the ascendency of Lee in our national memory and imagination. Ferris titled his painting, “Let Us Have Peace” even though these words were not spoken by Grant for another three years as a campaign slogan at the start of his presidential bid in 1868. We spent quite a bit of time with this painting in class last week and a number of my students were struck by the placement of both Grant and Lee as well as their hand gestures. In fact, a few students thought that if a viewer didn’t know any better they would have to conclude that Grant was surrendering to Lee. Notice Grant’s hand as it embraces a much more forceful and self-confident Lee who appears to be in charge of the situation. The relaxed pose of Grant’s officers in the background reinforces this contrast.
https://snrk.de/starry-map/ John Tufail’s “The Illuminated Snark” (p. 15) lead me to this comparison. In 2004 he interpreted the starry night sky in Henry Holiday’s front cover illustration to Lewis Carroll’s “The Hunting of the Snark” (1876) as a map, where the white clouds represented land with rivers. I liked the suggestion, but did not find any real-world map to which Holiday might have alluded. Holiday engraved that illustration himself. I discovered John Tufail’s paper in 2009. Only today, after 15 years, I got the idea to compress and flip a large segment of a map of the British isles vertically. That’s my “slowness in taking a jest”. You see the result. Sadly, I can’t tell John that anymore. I appreciated his guidance a lot. The white clouds weren’t the land, but as for a map having been hidden in the illustration, John was right.
Source: https://videosift.com/video/Lewis-Carrolls-Jabberwocky-as-read-by-the-Muppets
Image source: https://snrk.de/starry-map/
Linda Woolverton Image source: https://www.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/alumni/made-in-the-csu/fullerton/Pages/linda-c-woolverton.aspx (Oct. 2024)
Two cards in the SNARK! game are BOGUS WARRANTS. There are 42 "Warrants" In the SNARK! game, including two "Bogus Warrants", which (according to JJ Secker) are of no use to the game whatsoever and should be destroyed on sight. https://snrk.de/the-snark-rules/#BogusWarrants
https://tools.spriters-resource.com/#sprite-splitter
Two illustrations by Henry Holiday to Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark' (1876) Let us take all the nine crew members in order of their introduction in Lewis Carroll and Henry Holiday's tragicomedy: (1) The Bellman, their captain. (2) The Boots, a maker of Bonnets and Hoods. (A correct interlaced portmanteau can be built from Bonnets and Hoods. (Try under Linux: an -w -m 5 'Bonnets Hoods' | grep ts). Even though Henry Holiday depicted only nine Snark Hunters, many readers think that the Boots and the maker of Bonnets and Hoods are separate characters. (3) The Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes, but repeatedly complained about the Beaver’s evil lace-making. (4) The Broker, to value their goods. (5) The Billiard-marker, whose skill was immense, might perhaps have won more than his share. From John Tufail I learned that in Henry Holiday’s illustration the Billiard-marker is preparing a cheat. (6) The Banker, engaged at enormous expense, had the whole of their cash in his care. (7) The Beaver, that paced on the deck or would sit making lace in the bow and had often (the Bellman said) saved them from wreck, though none of the sailors knew how. (8) The Baker, also addressed by “Fry me!”, “Fritter my wig!”, “Candle-ends” as well as “Toasted-cheese”, and known for joking with hyenas and walking paw-in-paw with a bear. (9) The Butcher, who only could kill Beavers, but later became best friend with the lace-making animal.
https://drive.proton.me/urls/4B5EANY40G#4MnoB1FwGtIm
Monsters, by Henry Holiday (1875) and J. J. Grandville (1842). Source: https://snrk.de/delightful-monster/ About Holiday's Boojum (left image): «One of the first three [illustrations] I had to do was the disappearance of the Baker, and I not unnaturally invented a Boojum. Mr. Dodgson wrote that it was a delightful monster, but that it was inadmissible. All his descriptions of the Boojum were quite unimaginable, and he wanted the creature to remain so. I assented, of course, though reluctant to dismiss what I am still confident is an accurate representation. I hope that some future Darwin in a new Beagle will find the beast, or its remains; if he does, I know he will confirm my drawing.» Source: Henry Holiday (1898) "The Snark’s Significance", https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/HenryHoliday_TheSnarksSignificance__searchable.pdf About Grandvilles monster (right image): 'The Loves of Two Beasts' (Freaking Monster) - in 'Animals Painted by Themselves: Private and Public Life of Animals' by Grandville, Chapter by Honoré de Balzac, ed. Hetzel https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/Grandville/1066441/The-Loves-of-Two-Beasts-(Freaking-Monster)---in-%27Animals-Painted-by-Themselves:-Private-and-Public-Life-of-Animals%27-by-Grandville,-Chapter-by-Honor%C3%A9-de-Balzac,-ed.-Hetzel.html
Image source: https://snrk.de/the-snark-rules/#Bandersnatch Size of the card: 240px × 360px, 117KB === 9 === BANDERSNATCH [Bandasnajjus Frumius] ※ A Bandersnatch will ALWAYS snatch the Banker (even if he is accompanied) or any solo Crewman unaccompanied by fellow Crewman/Bellman. This is the main reason for going hunting with two men. ※ There are two of these snappish beasts in the Pack so if, say, the Banker and Boots were to meet two consecutive Bandersnatchi the first would snatch the Banker and the second would snatch the Boots who had continued the Hunt singlehanded. ※ A snatched Crewman must be returned face down to the Ark dead for that Round. One Warrant is paid into the Pool. A hunterless player may not continue the Hunt. ※ Two Crew or Bellman + Crew are immune from attack by these cowardly creatures. ※ A solo Bellman can ward off a Bandersnatch attack but the effort immediately ends the Hunt.
Rules of JJ Secker and Xanna Eve Chown's SNARK! card game. ※ 10 MB PDF file: https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SNARKrules.pdf ※ Text: https://snrk.de/the-snark-rules/
«This also seems a fitting occasion to notice the other hard words in that poem. Humpty-Dumpty’s theory, of two meanings packed into one word like a portmanteau, seems to me the right explanation for all. For instance, take the two words “fuming” and “furious.” Make up your mind that you will say both words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first. Now open your mouth and speak. If your thoughts incline ever so little towards “fuming,” you will say “fuming-furious;” if they turn, by even a hair’s breadth, towards “furious,” you will say “furious-fuming;” but if you have the rarest of gifts, a perfectly balanced mind, you will say “frumious.” Supposing that, when Pistol uttered the well-known words — “Under which king, Bezonian? Speak or die!” Justice Shallow had felt certain that it was either William or Richard, but had not been able to settle which, so that he could not possibly say either name before the other, can it be doubted that, rather than die, he would have gasped out “Rilchiam!”» Source: Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark", https://snrk.de/snarkhunt/#portmanteau
Lewis Carroll Society of North America II What's better than a fun, informative event celebrating the 150th anniversary of The Hunting of the Snark? How about a fun, informative event celebrating the 150th anniversary of The Hunting of the Snark WITH DOOR PRIZES?? For attendees only, so tune in this Sunday March 29 to learn how to enter to win!
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gift ... Verb gift (third-person singular simple present gifts, present participle gifting, simple past and past participle gifted) (transitive) To give as a gift or donation. (transitive) To give away, to concede easily. Synonyms contribute donate give ...
Sample (https://drive.proton.me/urls/25YX8F1H60#gtFgkmFuOMFS) for testing tools (like AutoSplitter) which extract photos from a collection of photos. (In this case, the extraction tool should not rotate the playing card images, as they already are aligned correctly.) ScanSpeeder | AutoSplitter | Scanned Image Extractor | ScannedImageExtractor | scannerExtract | EasyScan | Readiris Pro | Argente Utilities | ASAP Utilities | Norton Utilities Ultimate | Synei System Utilities | Glary Utilities | Photoshop | Photo-Brush | Picture Window Pro 64-bit | Image Analyzer | AutoCropper | Snapcraft | ImageSplit, Caption Pro | RansenScan | GIMP with Divide Scanned Images Script | VueScan | photo extractor | photo extraction | image extraction | photo collection | photo book scanner | scanning multiple photos
SNARK-poster.png (2.64 MB): 12000×9000 https://drive.proton.me/urls/YY07WXSK2M#NLdKG7gAjq5b Licenses for the SNARK! game: ※ Rules: CC-BY-SA 4.0 by Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Xanna Eve Chown
https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/texts/Carroll_AAiW_TtLG_1st_GASL_OCR.pdf Lewis Carroll ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. «QUADRILLE. [page] 155 [...] we don’t want you with us!’” “They were obliged to have him with them,” the Mock Turtle said: “no wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.” “Wouldn’t it really?” said Alice in a tone of great surprise. “Of course not,’ said the Mock Turtle: “why, if a fish came to me, and told me he was going a journey, I should say ‘With what porpoise ?’” “Don’t you mean ‘purpose?’” said Alice. “I mean what I say,” the Mock Turtle replied in an offended tone. And the Gryphon added “Come, let’s hear some of your adventures.” “I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,” said Alice a little timidly: “but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” “Explain all that,” said the Mock Turtle. “No, no! the adventures first,” said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: “explanations take such a dreadful time.” [...]»
https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/texts/Carroll_AAiW_TtLG_1st_GASL_OCR.pdf Lewis Carroll ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. «QUADRILLE. [page] 155 [...] we don’t want you with us!’” “They were obliged to have him with them,” the Mock Turtle said: “no wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.” “Wouldn’t it really?” said Alice in a tone of great surprise. “Of course not,’ said the Mock Turtle: “why, if a fish came to me, and told me he was going a journey, I should say ‘With what porpoise ?’” “Don’t you mean ‘purpose?’” said Alice. “I mean what I say,” the Mock Turtle replied in an offended tone. And the Gryphon added “Come, let’s hear some of your adventures.” “I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,” said Alice a little timidly: “but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” “Explain all that,” said the Mock Turtle. “No, no! the adventures first,” said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: “explanations take such a dreadful time.” [...]»
«The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought: still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect. ‘Cheshire Puss,’ she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. ‘Come, it’s pleased so far,’ thought Alice, and she went on. ‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’ ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat. ‘I don’t much care where—’ said Alice. ‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat. ‘—so long as I get somewhere,’ Alice added as an explanation. ‘Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, ‘if you only walk long enough.’» http://snrk.de/Gutenberg/Alices_Adventures_in_Wonderland.htm#CheshireCat
Front and back of the 42 warrants (including the 2 bogus warrants). ------------------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown
Rules of JJ Secker and Xanna Eve Chown's SNARK! card game. ※ 10 MB PDF file: https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SNARKrules.pdf ※ Text: https://snrk.de/the-snark-rules/ Keywords: TheHuntingOfTheSnark | games | videogames | computergames | cardgames | game | videogame | computergame | cardgame | gamedesign | underdevelopment | The Hunting of the Snark | Lewis Carroll | card games | virtual cards | virtual tabletop | game rules | gamerules
The 10 cards of the CREW DECK. ------------------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown
Comparison of some virtual tapletops (by Google AI, 2026-02-15) Platform|Best For|Type|Key Strength ----------------------------------- ※ Tabletopia|Casual, Licensed Games|Browser/Steam|3D, High Quality, Free Access ※ VirtualTabletop.io|Prototyping/Quick Play|Browser-based|Fast Setup, Free, 2D/3D ※ TTS (Simulator)|Large Library/Variety|Steam ($)|Massive Modding, Scripting, 3D ※ Screentop.gg|Simple 2D Card Games|Browser-based|Free, No Downloads, Fast ※ BGA (Arena)|Automated Play|Browser-based|Rules Enforced, Ranked, 2D ※ PlayingCards.io|Simple Card/Board|Browser-based|Free, Simple, No Accounts
Beware! In the 8 cards of ANIMAL PACK you have two chances to meet the Bandersnatch. The animal that looks to me like Schrödinger's Pig will need some special solution for the virtualization of SNARK!. ------------------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown
2026-02-12 Q: «How about Jeremy Secker's card game "SNARK!"?» A: «Yes — Jeremy Jexon Secker’s card game SNARK! (often stylized in all-caps) is a real card game directly based on Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark. It was released in 2006 by the publisher ZZOTA and the rules were defined by Jeremy Jexon Secker back in 1985. The artwork for the original deck was created by Xanna Eve Chown. The game interprets themes and imagery from Carroll’s poem for a tabletop experience rooted in the Snark-hunting narrative and atmosphere. Here are the key details: 📜 What SNARK! is Card game inspired by The Hunting of the Snark — the original poetic narrative of an absurd, doomed expedition to find the mysterious Snark. Rules designed in 1985 by Jeremy Jexon Secker, making it one of the more substantial game adaptations of the poem. Published in 2006 by ZZOTA. The cards feature artwork tailored to the poem’s characters and themes. The original SNARK! sets are now out of print — ZZOTA ceased operations around 2017, and the game stopped being widely available. 🃏 Current status and revival efforts Enthusiasts have discussed creating virtual tabletop versions of SNARK! for platforms like Tabletopia or similar online tools — often to celebrate the 150th anniversary of The Hunting of the Snark in 2026. These revival projects aim to bring the original gameplay experience to a digital audience, though they’re typically community-driven rather than commercial.»
2026-02-12 Q: «Are there games which are related to Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the snark"?» A: «Yes, there are games based on Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark. The most prominent is SNARK!, a 2-4 player card game designed by Jeremy Secker, featuring illustrated characters and events from the poem. Additionally, a hidden object game by Long Leaf's Friends exists, and a Snarkhunter app was developed by Burn the Curtain to accompany a promenade theatre show. ※ SNARK! Card Game: Created by Zzota Games, this card game is designed for 2–4 players and focuses on hunting the Snark, with vibrant illustrations. ※ Long Leaf's Friends Game: A digital hidden object game that offers a 15-minute experience based on the poem. ※ Snarkhunter App: An interactive, location-based app designed as a "forest adventure" to complement an outdoor theater performance. ※ Virtual Revivals: Due to the scarcity of the original Zzota cards, fans have worked on reviving the game through virtual platforms like Tabletopia. These games generally focus on the nonsensical, adventurous, and search-oriented themes of the original poem. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=are+there+game+which+are+related+to+Lewis+Carroll%27s+%22The+Hunting+of+the+snark%22%3F »
It next will be right To describe each particular batch: Distinguishing ※ those that have feathers, and bite, ※ And those that have whiskers, and scratch. ---------------------------------------- https://snrk.de/snarks-have-five-unmistakable-marks/#ambition: Trump underestimated the instincts of a bald eagle. Such birds quickly sense evil.
Snarks Have Five Unmistakable Marks: https://snrk.de/snarks-have-five-unmistakable-marks/. 15 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) represent the Snark's marks. All cards in the stock pile have the same back. --------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown
23 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) provide the players with the utensils required for Snark hunting. All cards in the stock pile have the same back. --------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown
https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/1r2dm7c/on_occasion_of_the_150th_anniversary_of_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1 Post in reddit's r/tabletopgamedesign (2026-01-12) GoetzKluge On occasion of the 150th anniversary of "The Hunting of the Snark" I want to revitalize the legacy card game "SNARK!" using a virtual tabletop. Discussion This isn't marketing of a new game. The real card sets of "SNARK!" are not available anymore since around 2017. That's why I want to give it a revival as a virtual card game. Playing the virtual cards should be free of charge, as my objective is to use the game to make people more aware of Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark" (published in 1876 und by now in public domain). The book celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026. (I got into this Snark business in 2008 when I started to analyze Henry Holiday's illustrations to Carroll's tragicomedy.) The game project is aligned with the game creators and not commercial. Jeremy Jexon Secker defined the rules of the card game in 1985. The artwork is by Xanna Eve Chown. The game was released into the market in 2006 by ZZOTA. Sadly they stopped operating in 2017. My SNARK! project is in a very early phase. I am just starting to prepare about 100 virtual cards. So I'll have around 150 photos to take, as quite a few cards have different backs. (The original images from 2006 are not available anymore.) Looking at preparing the graphics e.g. in Tabletopia, there probably will lots of work for me to be done beyond just taking photos. I am still evaluating whether Tabletopia will be a useful tool for my project. I also have a look at boardgamearena.com, playingcards.io, screentop.gg, abletopsimulator.com, vassalengine.org, virtualtabletop.io or similar platforms. ... Do you think that Tabletopia will be useful for me, or should I look for other tools or for completely different approaches to reviving "SNARK!"?
Some cards of SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Design (2006): Xanna Eve Chown http://snark.games
=== 40 warrant cards === Front (of all cards): ※ "SNARK WARRANT" stamped "GENUINE" ※ A number XLII ※ Signature of the Bellmanager ※ Number or the stanza on the back Back: One stanza from "The Hunting of the Snark" per card. Selected stanzas: 1.1-1.8, 1.11-1.13, 1.15 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.15-2.21, 3.6, 3.7, 3.10, 4.9, 4.10, 5.1 (equal to 6.1, 7.1, 8.1), 5.6, 5.8, 6.3, 6.16, 7.3, 7.6, 7.7, 8.6-8.9 (In my on-line Snark, for example, https://snrk.de/snarkhunt/#5.01 will lead you to the stanza 5.1.)
SNARK! A FANTASTICAL GAME FOR 2,3 OR 4 PLAYERS FEATURING CREATURES FROM THE MIND OF LEWIS CARROLL SNARK! IS THE MOST FRABJOUS GAME YOU WILL EVER PLAY! IS THE MOST FRABJOUS GAME YOU WILL EVER PLAY! IS THE MOST FRABJOUS GAME YOU WILL EVER PLAY! What I tell you three times is true. ZZOTA LIMITED LIMITED EDITION EDITION NO. 42 https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZZOTA-SNARK_color.pdf
=== https://snrk.de/zzota-snark/ === SNARK!, created by ZZOTA in 2006, is a card game based on Lewis Carroll’s “The Hunting of the Snark”. Jeremy Jexon Secker defined the rules in 1985. The beautiful design of the cards is by Xanna Eve Chown. Sadly, ZZOTA vanished away in 2017.