The Mildenhall Treasure.

First Steadman edition, first impression. This semi-fictional Dahl title relates the true discovery of exquisite Roman tableware in a field near Mildenhall in Suffolk in 1942. Unearthed by Gordon Butcher and Sydney Ford, the pieces were used in Ford's home until he eventually declared them to the government in 1946. The hoard is now on display at the British Museum. Steadman was approached about illustrating Dahl in the late 1990s. He was "reluctant to encroach upon hallowed Quentin Blake turf in illustrating one of Dahl's 'fairy-stories'", but considered that "it would make a difference to my drawings that the [Mildenhall] story was true. It is so powerfully disturbing that behind ordinary people lies intense deceit and greed" (The Observer, 8 August 1999). The story was previously published in the collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More (1977) and printed in the Saturday Evening Post as "He Plowed Up $1,000,000" (20 September 1947). Octavo. Illustrated throughout by Steadman. Original blue boards, spine lettered in gilt, buff endpapers. With dust jacket. Very light abrasion to front board, reinforcement to spine head. An excellent copy in the bright dust jacket.…