The Mildenhall Treasure
The Mildenhall TreasureBy: Roald Dahl 
Lowest New Price: $25.47List Price: $22.95 Description: During World War II, a British plowman discovered a hoard of Roman silver while plowing a field in the Suffolk countryside. Unaware of the treasure's value, he was cheated out of the fortune that should have been his by the man who hired him. The 34 pieces of silver were discovered after the war by the authorities and taken to the British Museum, where they reside today. Master storyteller Roald Dahl relates the unforgettable and true tale of the greatest treasure ever found in the British Isles. Description: Buried one foot below the surface of a field called Thistley Green in the English town of Mildenhall, a most fantastic Roman treasure lay for centuries until a ploughman came along in the 1940s and accidentally dug it up. What followed was the worst kind of tragedy, because it involves human greed and abuse of a good man's innocence. Gordon Butcher, discoverer of this treasure, was entitled by British law to the full amount of its market value. Butcher was not aware of this law; however, another ploughman named Ford did know about it, and managed to bamboozle Butcher out of the fortune. This remarkable story was written in 1946 by a young Roald Dahl, who went on to write such beloved classics as James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl's inimitable style blazes through even in his early career. The true story, republished with stunning art by Ralph Steadman, is as riveting as if it had happened today, with heartbreaking notes of unbearable unfairness and sincere naiveté. Each page, thickly covered with rich, dark splashes of paint, sketchy faces, and bits of collage, has a wild and ominous tenor, reflected in the ferocious weather that fateful day when the hapless farmer found--and lost--the greatest treasure ever found in the British Isles. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Release Date: 2000-09-12 --> Find out more about "The Mildenhall Treasure" at Amazon.com or Order Now |
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