- Hardcover: 78 pages
- Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd; 1st edition (5 Aug 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0224060171
- ISBN-13: 978-0224060172
- Product Dimensions: 29.2 x 21.8 x 1.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 445,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The (true) story of the Mildenhall Treasure, first written by Roald Dahl for an American magazine in the 1940s and now republished here, is deceptively simple: Gordon Butcher, a ploughman, discovers a horde of Roman silver while working. He is deceived by Ford, the man who hired him, into handing it over, meaning that he loses his right, under the ancient laws of treasure trove, to the market value of the find. Eventually, though not until several years later, the stash is discovered at Ford's home and taken to the British Museum, where it still resides today. End of story. Only, of course, when told by Dahl's nimble nib, nothing is ever quite straightforward, and by dint of a turn of phrase here, a suggestion of something unsaid there, it is transformed into a parable that bites back. It may not be a tale of the unexpected but it is actually the better for it. The text is enhanced by Ralph Steadman's "pastoral Gonzo" illustrations, which are drawn, painted and montaged in his thrillingly recognisable style. Where Dahl holds the narrative in a muscular grip, always the master of exclusion, Steadman, never one to shirk getting his hands dirty, provides a full and splattery texture to the Suffolk countryside and its ravaging weather, progressing from russet browns to a palette of rich blues and greens as he feasts rapaciously off the Roman plates. Ironically, Butcher would not have found the treasure had he not dug so deep; that he did has provided an irresistibly rich furrow for two master craftsmen to plough, and the result is a wonderfully magical and unexpected treat, heady with the intoxication that arises when the extraordinary glances the ordinary. Buried treasure, indeed. --David Vincent
Product Description
The true story of a Suffolk ploughman, Gordon Butcher, who uncovered the greatest treasure ever found in the British Isles. It was Roman silver of unparalleled beauty and value and, not appreciating what he had discovered, Butcher was savagely cheated out of the fortune that should have been his.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
One of those rare magical fusions of writer, artist and true story. There is no hero and no moral, but plenty to think about. Format, pictures and language make it perfect for reading aloud to children from 6 upwards.
Format:Hardcover
Roald Dahl wrote this account of the finding of the Mildenhall treasure, re-published in 1999 with illustrations by Ralph Steadman. It forms a good introduction to the story of the find, and illustrates the vagaries of human nature where valuable objects are concerned. Sidney Ford, the man who kept the treasure in his house for four years was a man of few words. I liked Roald Dahl's account of the official inquest, July 1st 1946. "The Coroner cross-questioned Ford closely. ` You thought it was pewter?' `Yes.' `Even after you cleaned it?' `Yes.' `You took no steps to inform any experts of the find?' `No.' `What did you intend to do with the articles?' `Nothing. Just keep them.'"
A man who truly believed in the official phrase: `Anything you say may be taken down and used as evidence against you..'
Recommended as a true account of a remarkable find, why not read to your children along with a visit to the British Museum?
A man who truly believed in the official phrase: `Anything you say may be taken down and used as evidence against you..'
Recommended as a true account of a remarkable find, why not read to your children along with a visit to the British Museum?
Format:Hardcover
Been meaning to get this book for some time. Wonderful true story and superb illustrations by Ralph Steadman. Whoever owned this book before was a smoker - phew! Hope it fades off in time...
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