Amazon.com: Secrets of the Alchemist Dar (A Treasure's Trove) (9780976061885): Michael Stadther: Books

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Secrets of the Alchemist Dar [Deluxe Edition]

Secrets of the Alchemist Dar [Audio CD]

About the Author

Michael Stadther, author and illustrator of Secrets of the Alchemist Dar, has loved treasure hunts ever since he was a boy, digging holes in his grandmother's yard, looking for buried treasure. His first book, A Treasure's Trove, was a New York Times bestseller and launched a national treasure hunt. This book also ignited the nation's rediscovery of the importance of reading together as a family.

He and his wife of twenty-five years, Helen Demetrios, launched, built, and sold two banking software companies; after the sale of the second, Mike focused on a notion he had been thinking about since the mid-1980s -- creating a national treasure hunt that would captivate Americans, young and old.

Encouraged by the success of A Treasure's Trove, Mike embarked upon his next project -- crafting a worldwide treasure hunt. Secrets of the Alchemist Dar's magnificent illustrations and intricate story are the starting points for this new adventure.

Mike has been featured in newspaper articles, radio, and television programs throughout the world. He and Helen live in upstate New York, U.S. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

More About the Author

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In 2004 the author and illustrator Michael Stadther made publishing history when his first book, the self-published A Treasure's Trove, appeared on nearly every bestseller list in the United States. Rarely, if ever, had a self-published book received such popular acclaim so quickly. And, in publishing A Treasure's Trove, Mike reintroduced a book genre long ignored by the industry: the event book.

A Treasure's Trove, an enchanting adventure-fantasy, virtually took the country by storm. Demand for the book was overwhelming, and in a matter of three months Mike moved his operations from his home to an office and founded a publishing company, Treasure Trove, Inc.

With this success and a track record, Mike has embarked on an even more ambitious and wide-ranging project. In September 2006, his publishing company, in association with Simon & Schuster, released Secrets of the Alchemist Dar, the sequel to A Treasure's Trove. Secrets of the Alchemist Dar launched the first worldwide treasure hunt, this time for 100 Aaron Basha jeweled rings valued at more than US$2 million.

Mike Stadther's life is a classic rags-to-riches story. By his own description, Mike Stadther was born 'dirt poor' in Mobile, Alabama. He and his mother eventually moved to Louisville, Kentucky where one of his teachers noted the young man's promise and recommended that he go to a residential high school for gifted children. There, he wrote an original mathematics research paper that he presented to NASA. A NASA physicist became Mike's generous benefactor, helping Mike finance his college education at Tulane University, where he earned a B.S. in mathematics in three years. Mike graduated in 1973 as the computer age was dawning, becoming an early software developer.

He and his wife of more than 25 years, Helen, met when they both worked as programmers in New York. Mike went on to work as a consultant while his wife joined a large New York bank and became a vice president in its information technology department.

In 1979 Mike and Helen started a banking software company which they eventually sold to a large domestic software vendor. Shortly thereafter, the couple formed another banking software company which serviced institutions around the world and had offices in New York, London and Mexico. In 1996 they sold that business to a British software company.
A New Career

After the sale of this second company, Mike had the time to focus on a notion he had since the mid-1980s ' creating a national treasure hunt that would captivate Americans, young and old. He spent long hours thinking how he could hide tokens redeemable for real treasure so that they weren't buried or put in dangerous places or private property; nothing could be moved to find the tokens, yet they would be truly hidden. To him, it was a mental challenge, one that took him eight years to solve --and A Treasure's Trove was written. The 12 tokens were found and solutions then published in The Official Solution Guide, distributed by Simon and Schuster.

Secrets of the Alchemist Dar was released in a worldwide simultaneous laydown on September 26, 2006. Additionally, its release was accompanied by five coloring/activity books, a new Puzzle Book Companion, and Secrets of the Alchemist Dar: the Audiobook. Simon & Schuster is the distributor.
The Secrets of the Alchemist Dar launched the first public worldwide treasure hunt. Mike has collaborated with Aaron Basha, the world-famous jeweler, to design this hunt's treasures: 100 jeweled rings collectively valued at more than US$2 million.

How will this hunt work? Here is what Mike offers readers:

'The real mystery in Secrets of the Alchemist Dar begins with clues concealed in the pages of the book that will let anyone, anywhere in the world, who can read English and is a resident of a legally qualified country, get one of the 100 jeweled rings valued together at over $2,000,000.
Happy Hunting!

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure for the young and the old alike, October 5, 2006

By

Mike (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets of the Alchemist Dar: Collector's Hardcover Edition (Treasure's Trove) (Hardcover)

I received my copy of Secrets of the Alchemist Dar in the mail two days ago, and let me sum up by saying this: Michael Stadther has done it again.

The old characters Zac, Ana, and Pook are back in this sequel to the orginal bestseller "A Treasure's Trove", along with a couple of new characters in the world of the Great Forest, including a loveable newborn Doth (veterans of the series will know that a Doth is a cross between a dog and a moth). I won't give away the name of the new Doth here, you will just have to read it to find out!

Like the original story, The Alchemist Dar is a classic children's tale of fairies, heroes, and mythical creatures, and an epic battle of good versus evil. Any parent with young children should buy this book, and I guarantee they will spend hours reading it with their children again and again. Every illustration in The Alchemist Dar is a small gem, and the story is as good as the original. As a bonus, there is even a sort of "book within a book": namely the book of Light/Dark spells at the end that contains many mysteries waiting to be discovered.

And as if all that isn't enough, The Alchemist Dar has another thing in common with the original: a real-life hunt for real world treasure! And the hunt is even bigger and better than before. In the original, clues led to twelve jewelled creatures; in the Alchemist Dar, clues will lead readers to one hundred exquisite rings designed by a world class jeweller, with one ring appraised at one million US dollars, containing a red diamond, one of the rarest gems on earth. So even if you don't have children, if you like an intellectual challenge, you will enjoy spending hours with this book trying to unlock the secrets of the rings.

I recommend getting the entire set of companion books to go along with the Alchemist Dar, as each one contains special additional clues that assist with the hunt, though they are not required to solve any of the puzzles within the main book.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Status of the hunt unclear..., January 27, 2008

By

D. Mann (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Secrets of the Alchemist Dar (A Treasure's Trove) (Paperback)

First, let me start off with the positive. Since I had read, and participated in, Mr. Stadther first hunt, A T T, I was very exicted for this second book to come out. It has proven exceedingly difficult. If for nothing else than to show you how a man could hide an elusive code, burried within this book, I would recommend this book.

Anyone who is considering purchasing this boook on or after 1/27/08, should know the following:
A) This book has been unsolved, in any fashion, by the ten thousand people who have attempted to solve the puzzles for over a year, which is, in my opinion, an impressive feat.
B) The legal status of this "hunt" is unknown at this moment.
-Anyone considering purchasing this book at this moment for prizes,
should know that this hunt may be closed at a moments notice.
-Simon and Schuster, thru counsel, have commenced bankruptcy
proceedings against the author, and may close down the "hunt"
momentairly.
Please seek the websites related to the hunt for further information.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets of the Alchemist Dar - Review, March 10, 2007

By

Raymond C. Barabino - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Secrets of the Alchemist Dar (A Treasure's Trove) (Paperback)

Secrets of the Alchemist Dar - A Brief Review

The book can only be found in the children's section of the most well-known book store chains. Why would anyone hope to sell a book there? Well, Secrets is such a book. Secrets is not just a fantasy, it is also a treasure hunt, filled with imagery, and hints that invite even more images. If you have ever enjoyed tales, this book promises and delivers a unique tale, filled with reminders of flash lighted faces stories told at campfires, at home, and with wonder.

The author dedicates his book to anyone who reads it with a child. The illustrations range from the seemingly crude to the sublime, mystery and wonder. Is it a classic tale retold? Maybe, Maybe not. The story begins with a dance, and ends with something else. Oh no, I won't give that secret away (it might be a solve). If you go to the website dedicated to this hunt, you will hear that often enough, and you will meet people as interesting as the characters in this book. But be careful some of them might be alchemists or worse.

Alchemy, the very word invokes images of menace. Laboratories where vile things like pollution of the environment for greed takes place by villains of every sort. And a challenge, the author makes you part of the story, and you accept. Teachers are invited to investigate the educational possibilities presented.

Biology, physics, mathematics, probability, social responsibility, jurisprudence, archeology, geography, astronomy, history, and research - its all there, and more. Exploring the possibilities. Did the author succeed with this? In my view, yes.

Parents would welcome the opportunity to share this adventure with their children. Age appropriate? Thousands of adults have read and enjoyed this book, not just once, but many times. The book however is not for adults, it is fundamentally a child's story, a tale told to awaken the imagination, the first place reading begins. Then, it reaches in to stir curiosity, and awaken possibilities. Then seemingly out of the blue, critical thinking based upon observation, hypothesis and reasoning starts to take root.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Looks exciting/ can't wait to study all the details!
So many details in this book, the sky's the limit as to where all the clues may be hidden. I bought this book for my kids to challenge their imagination, but it would be a... Read more

Published on September 30, 2007 by Peggy M. Stavropoulos

3.0 out of 5 stars Writing this w/ my cousin.
To begin, I have to say, the story itself does not interest me that much, the characters being overly simplistic and largely cliched. Read more

Published on April 22, 2007

3.0 out of 5 stars Will you read it again after the hunt is over?
Michael Stadther, Secrets of the Alchemist Dar (Treasure Trove, Inc., 2006)

The A Treasure's Trove crowd is back with another big treasure hunt, and another chapter... Read more