A Treasure's Trove: A Fairy Tale About Real Treasure for Parents and Children of All Ages is an illustrated children's book written by Michael Stadther and published in 2004 by Treasure Trove Inc, which he incorporated to do so.[1][2] The "real treasure" was found by deciphering clues in the book that led to fourteen tokens that could be turned in for unique jewels, each representing an insect or character from the book, or a cash prize representing one third of the jewel's value.[3] Initially, it was reported that there were twelve jewels,[3] however, it subsequently emerged that there were fourteen prizes. In 2005, it was reported that film rights for A Treasure's Trove had been acquired by Cruise/Wagner Productions,[4] however, apart from a reported trailer being in development in the New York Times,[5] there has been no further news.
Synopsis
editThe book is about twelve forest creatures whose mates disappear after being crystallized by a dark dust that falls every evening. The forest creatures combine forces with Zac (the handsome woodcarver), Ana (his beautiful half-elf, half-human wife), and their timid, chubby, winged "doth" Pook (inspired by the author's dog Misty)[3] to save the creatures and restore the dying forest.[6]
Treasure hunt
editInside the book are clues to fourteen tokens that were hidden in parks throughout the United States, which could be redeemed for jewels representing characters from the story.[7] The unique jewels, which were collectively valued at one million dollars,[8] have now all been found, and a book showing the solutions has been published.[9] Stadther subsequently published another book with a new treasure hunt, Secrets of the Alchemist Dar.[10]
Three of the Treasure's Trove jewels were original pieces, including a 19th-century Russian grasshopper, a snail and a ladybug.[11] Another jewel, representing the villain Rusful, was an uncut black diamond.[12] The rest of the jewels were made by Robert Q. Underhill of Jewelry Designs in Danbury, Connecticut.[3][13] He was commissioned after Stadther noticed a hummingbird brooch in his shop while looking for a gift for his wife.[14]
They are as follows:
| Jewel | Materials used | Location of token |
|---|---|---|
| Ant | Spessartite garnets and clear diamonds[15] | Swanny City Park, Moab, Utah.[16] |
| Bee | Black cultured Tahitian pearl; clear, yellow and black diamonds; and plique-à-jour enamel[15] | Santa Rosa Lake State Park, New Mexico. |
| Beetle | Tanzanite; clear, yellow and black diamonds; with enamel[15] | Badlands National Park, South Dakota[17] |
| Butterfly | Clear diamonds; sapphires; and black enamel[15] | Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina[18] |
| Caterpillar | Peridots; green diamonds; amethysts and plique-à-jour enamel[15] | Lake Dardanelle State Park, Arkansas[19] |
| Dragonfly | Sapphires; clear diamonds; and plique-à-jour enamel[15] | Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania[20] |
| Firefly | Alexandrite; Burmese ruby; yellow and clear diamonds; and black enamel[15] | Foss State Park, Oklahoma[21] |
| Grasshopper | Antique 19th century ornament made in Russia.[11] Green garnets, ruby and diamonds set in gold and silver.[22] | James Baird State Park, New York[11][23] |
| Hummingbird | South Sea pearl; clear, black and yellow diamonds; emeralds and rubies[15] | Jackson, Wyoming |
| Ladybug | Original ornament made of rubies and diamonds[11][24] | Paintsville Lake State Park, Kentucky[24] |
| Pook | Hand-carved rock quartz, platinum, and plique-à-jour enamel[15] | Newaygo State Park, Michigan. |
| Rusful | Uncut black diamond[12] | Golden Gate Park, San Francisco[12] |
| Snail | Original ornament.[11] | Lake Anita State Park, Iowa[23] |
| Spider | Kashmir sapphire; yellow diamond; and clear diamonds[15] | Prickett's Fort State Park, West Virginia[25] |
The Treasure's Trove Jewels were exhibited at the Carnegie Museum in 2004.[26]
References
edit
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "The company was put into bankruptcy in 2007 in a dispute with its distributor". Westchester County Business Journal. Simon & Schuster. August 13, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Medina, Jennifer (14 November 2004). "ADVENTURES; Case of Finders Keepers". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ Aames, Ethan (9 February 2005). ""A Treasure's Trove" at Paramount". Cinema Confidential. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
Variety reports that Paramount has purchased the film rights to the children's book "A Treasure's Trove: A Fairy Tale About Real Treasure for Parents and Children of All Ages" by Michael Stadther. The project is being set up at Tom Cruise's production company, Cruise/Wagner Productions.
- ^ "A Treasure's Trove - Trailer -". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ Memmott, Carol (31 January 2005). "Fairy tale sends readers on treasure hunt". USA Today. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ "Jewelry Designs Treasure Trove Collection Page". Jewelrydesigns.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-02. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
- ^ (1 comment ) (August 1, 2005). "Cnet News". News.cnet.com. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Stadther, Michael (2005). Official solution book to A treasure's trove. New Canaan, CT: Treasure Trove. ISBN 0976061856.
- ^ Stadther, Michael; Stadther, illustrated by Michael (2006). Secrets of the alchemist Dar a fantasy for everyone! (1st ed.). New Canaan, CT: Treasure Trove, Inc. ISBN 0976061872.
- ^ a b c d e DeMerell, Robin (18 June 2005). "All roads lead to treasure". The Danbury News-Times. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ a b c Beeler, Monique (9 March 2006). "Treasure hunters unravel book's mysteries". Oakland Tribune. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ The Westchester WAG November 2004 Archived 2012-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Critchell, Samantha (21 January 2005). "Author's idea a gem, wins 'Treasure Trove' of readers". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "How "A Treasure's Trove" Jewels Were Made". Jewelry Designs. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "Clues lead Atlanta man to treasure". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 22 November 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ "Mudd Alums Moeglein and Somers Solve $54,000 Treasure Hunt Puzzle". Harvey Mudd College Bulletin. 10 October 2005. Archived from the original on 11 December 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Wickell, Carly. "In Search of the Treasure's Trove Gold Tokens". About.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-18. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Vickrey, Rachel (1 December 2005). "Treasure book brings family to 'Today' show". Kentucky New Era. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Kadaba, Lini S. (26 November 2006). "Searching for true treasure in a children's fantasy tale Puzzle fans turn book into a phenomenon". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "A New Way to Treasure Your College Days: Join the Worldwide Hunt for $2 Million in Jewels". 28 September 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "Sotheby's To Offer Original Jewels from the "A Treasure's Trove" Collection" (PDF). Sotheby's Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ a b Golan, Edahn (14 June 2005). "Treasure's Trove Fourth Token Found, Hunt Continues for Rest". IDEX Online News. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ a b JCK Staff (29 July 2005). "Alabama family finds part of a hidden treasure". JCK. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "How 3 fell into a bejeweled spider's web". Arizona Daily Star. 2 September 2005. Retrieved 22 November 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ "Carnegie Museum December 2004". Carnegiemuseums.org. 2005-01-02. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-24.