King Solomon's Mines

By H. Rider Haggard and Alexandra Fuller

Touted by its 1885 publisher as “the most amazing story ever written,” King Solomon’s Mines was one of the bestselling novels of the nineteenth century. H. Rider Haggard’s thrilling saga of elephant hunter Allan Quatermain and his search for fabled treasure is more than just an adventure story, though: As Alexandra Fuller explains in her Introduction, in its vivid portrayal of the alliances and battles of white colonials and African tribesmen, King Solomon’s Mines “brings us the world of extremes, of the absurdly tall tales and of the illogical loyalty between disparate people that still informs this part of the world.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 18, 2007
• ISBN: 9780307431349

H. Rider Haggard

Sir Henry Rider Haggard, (1856-1925) commonly known as H. Rider Haggard was an English author active during the Victorian era. Considered a pioneer of the lost world genre, Haggard was known for his adventure fiction. His work often depicted African settings inspired by the seven years he lived in South Africa with his family. In 1880, Haggard married Marianna Louisa Margitson and together they had four children, one of which followed her father’s footsteps and became an author. Haggard is still widely read today, and is celebrated for his imaginative wit and impact on 19th century adventure literature.

Reviews for King Solomon's Mines

[amerynth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The famous story is that H. Rider Haggard wrote "King Solomon's Mines" as a result of a wager with his brother, who bet H. Rider couldn't write a book half as good as "Treasure Island." He succeeded in that is a decent book, though not quite up to the standard set by "Treasure Island."The book follows a group of adventurers who head to Africa to search of one of the party's lost brother and, for added challenge, King Solomon's diamond mines. The story is a typical Victorian adventure novel and moves along at a good and interesting pace. I found the colonialist attitudes toward Africans a little hard to take in this particular book, so it sucked a little of the enjoyment out for me.I also think my rating suffered a bit from my previous read of H Rider Haggard's "She", which I thought was similar but superior. Overall, "King Solomon's Mines" was a solid three-star read, but not one that I would pick up again.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A man looking for his missing brother recruits elephant hunter Allan Quatermain to lead a search that will take them through an uninhabitable desert. The brother was headed for a region said to be the location of the biblical King Solomon's mines. The odds are that the search party will not survive their mission, but the possibility of riches is enough to tip the scales in favor of the quest. Quatermain, the brother of the missing man, a retired naval officer, and two African guides set out on what soon becomes a page-turning adventure across the desert, over the mountains, and into an unknown kingdom.I was pleasantly surprised by the humor in the book. The story is laced with laugh-out-loud passages like this one:As those who read this history will probably long ago have gathered, I am, to be honest, a bit of a coward, and certainly in no way given to fighting, though somehow it has often been my lot to get into unpleasant positions, and to be obliged to shed man's blood. But I have always hated it, and kept my own blood as undiminished in quantity as possible, sometimes by a judicious use of my heels.Haggard's style reminds me of Mark Twain, and the plot bears some similarities to parts of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Haggard's book came first, and it would seem that it had some influence on Twain. This is a book I've wanted to read ever since reading Elizabeth Peters' The Last Camel Died at Noon a couple of years ago. Now I know why Peters was a fan. The book will also appeal to readers who love adventure movies like the Indiana Jones series and the National Treasure films.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Through tri-weekly e-mail instalments from DailyLit, I have read the classic adventure story, King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard. Slightly dated, but still a ripping good yarn, as Allan Quartermain leads a small party consisting of Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good along with their African servants and guides, into the African wilderness in search for Sir Henry’s missing brother. The brother had set out some two years previously on a search for the fabled diamond mines of King Solomon but hadn’t been heard of since.Quartermain agrees to lead the party for a share in the treasure, if found. They set off across a desert and barely surviving, eventually end up in a country called Kukuanaland. Here they are disappointed not to find Sir Henry’s brother but they do meet the vicious upstart King Twala and agree to help the rightful king overthrow him. As a reward for their aid, they will be allowed entry to the legendary mine and to carry away as many diamonds as they wish. Although the superior attitude of the white people could become very grating it is obvious why this book captured the Victorian imagination when originally published in 1885 and Africa was still truly the Dark Continent. Even today it remains one of the foremost adventure stories. I was going to mention how the characters were stereotypes, but then I got to wondering if the stereotypes of this kind of novel are not based on these original characters. I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and reading this novel in this very different format.

[wisewoman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a fun book this is! Combine a long and arduous journey, rumors of a fabulous treasure, deadly danger, fabled history, ferocious battles, political intrigue, and an exotic locale and you'll get Henry Rider Haggard's classic adventure story, King Solomon's Mines. And when it's all told by a perceptive, honest, and humorous narrator like Allen Quartermain, it only increases the enjoyment. First published in 1885, this novel has earned a place as one of the more entertaining of the adventure story genre.Allen Quartermain is a tough old hunter in the African bush who is hired by a rich Englishman, Sir Henry Curtis, to cross the desert to a mysterious land where he believes his estranged brother has gone in quest of treasure. The legendary diamonds of King Solomon's mines have never quite left the memory and imagination of the area, and many a man had gone to seek them, never to return. But Quartermain has some secret information of his own, and on this slender hope the men set out. Accompanying them is Captain John Goode, of the false teeth and eyeglass that play such a memorable part once they arrive at their destination. When they do finally reach the land beyond the desert, they find an isolated African culture that has survived untouched by the outside world for many hundreds of years. Before they can begin their search for Sir Henry's brother (and those fabled diamonds, along the way), they are swept into a civil war in which a faction seeks to depose the wicked king in favor of the rightful heir. These intrigues and battles make up the bulk of the story, and when they finally get to the treasure hunt it seems a bit of an anticlimax. Still, the story carries on and the suspense picks up again with the ancient mines dug for King Solomon and the unimaginable treasure—and danger—they hold for the travelers.Early on Quartermain tells us that there are "no women" in the tale, but this isn't strictly true. There's a lovely native woman named Foulata who has a part to play. But she is overshadowed by another female character—this one a femme fatale in Gagool, the ancient witch who helped set the current king on the throne. Gagool's grotesque appearance and behavior almost de-sex her as an anomalous monster, not a woman at all. And to further emphasize my point that the story is not devoid of aspects of the feminine, the two mountains at the entry of the country are called by the racy name of "Sheba's Breasts." I must say I found this a bit shocking, especially in light of the story's original date of publication. We can't really talk about this book without mentioning race relations. Initially I was impressed by Quarterman's deliberate decision to use the word "native" rather than "nigger," but he does show a careless, casual disrespect toward the Africans (calling a native man "quite clever for a native" and addressing him as "boy"). But anything else would be entirely unnatural for the period. Also, Quartermain provides a home/job for one of his native hunters who was wounded too badly to hunt again. As the story develops, you can seethe increasing respect he has for Umbopa, their native guide and an impressive man in his own right. At several points Quartermain compares Umbopa to Sir Henry, observing how each is a perfect specimen of his race and a fine sight seen with the other. Modern readers may also be put off by the casual and occasionally detailed descriptions of hunting elephants for their ivory. I understand this is quite accurate to the period, and I don't have a problem with hunting non-endangered animals. But I was still glad when the story moved on. I listened to this on audiobook, read by Simon Prebble, and it really was a pleasure. Perhaps it is not as highbrow as Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness which I also recently finished, but infinitely more enjoyable. Recommended.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

King Solomon’s Mines is a one of the first books considered a young man’s novel, one of the late Victorian classics of that genre and introduces us to Allan Quartermain. The novel starts with a party of three in search of adventure as well as locating one of the adventurer’s brothers, who had been estranged across long distances due to some brotherly rivalry. Part of the novel is a travelogue of their trek into ever more remote African territory. Then the novel takes an interesting political turn and shows a civil war among an ancient people related to the Zulu before going into the mines themselves.

This is a satisfying novel on many levels. It has intriguing historical speculations, great plots and characters, and a worldview that manages to defend the importance of family, loyalty, honesty and decency while also showing respect and providing dignity to men and women of a wide variety of ethnic origins. It's a novel, that for its time, was quite enlightened. The action scenes are intense and the reader feels like a spectator desperate for our three heroes to be come out victorious.

This is an action packed novel with excellent characters, a good prose style that avoids too many extraneous details. The views expressed in King Solomon's Mines may seem politically incorrect to our modern eyes but were typical of the era. If you are looking for a reasonably brisk and worthwhile work of classic adventure novel, this is a very satisfying read for readers of all ages.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If nothing else reading classics such as this reminds us how far we have come since the Victorian society in which this book is set. For one thing, there can't be a square mile of land on earth that hasn't been thoroughly mapped and almost as thoroughly explored. Nowadays in order to make a treasure hunt realistic it would have to be set on a distant planet or deep under the sea. Also, the way in which people of colour are portrayed is now far different from the noble savages and humble servants of this book. I think it is good to look back now and then to what is not that long ago. It doesn't hurt that this is a cracking good adventure story.Alan Quatermain is an elephant hunter in southern Africa who manages to get by financially but never gets wealthy. He meets Sir Henry Curtis who is searching for his brother who came to Africa to look for the fabled mines of King Solomon and has not been heard from in two years. Sir Henry asks Quatermain to accompany him on his search promising him a share of any treasure they find. Quatermain agrees although he thinks the likelihood of surviving, let alone finding treasure, is slight because Sir Henry promises to set up a fund to support Quatermain's son regardless of the outcome.This book is on the 1001 Books to Read before you Die list and I can understand why since it was one of the first adventure stories. It's an easy read and diverting if you can ignore the elephant slaughter and the bloody deaths that are depicted.

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reading this book was like spending an afternoon at the movies watching one of those old fashioned adventure movies. The plot is straightforward. Sir Henry Curtis hires elephant hunter and adventurer Allan Quartermain to lead an expedition in search of his brother. His brother has been lost for 2 years after searching for the fabled King Solomon's Mines for an incredible treasure. Quartermain and his group have to battle the African dessert, jungle, a tribe of cannibals a group of witch doctors all to finish their quest. Written in the 1800s, this book is good fun adventure although not at all politically correct by today's standards.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Classic adventure story although the Victorian attitude towards the native 'savages' of Africa was a bit much in a few places. A word of warning to the squeamish, there are some pretty grisly parts although not too graphic by today's standards.

Some significant differences from the Stewart Granger movie - most notably the fact that, instead of a wife searching for her lost husband, it is a brother which eliminates all the romantic aspects. I found Alan Quatermain a more interesting character as a widower & self-confessed coward than Granger's he-man (although I adore Stewart Granger). Overall, a better story than you might expect.

[fhudnell-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book started out OK for me but was then sunk by racist references and appalling animal slaughter. Even if I were willing to give those drawbacks a pass as merely a time capsule of the views at the time the book was written, I couldn't forgive the lengthy and incredibly boring time spent on battles in the middle of the book. I kept listening to the audio book in the hope that the protagonists would eventually reach the mines. When they finally got to the mines, the story picked up for me, but I still wish that I had skipped this book.

[morryb_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes a classic is a classic just because it provides so much entertainment to readers over the years. This is just a good fun read. Don't look for any deep social comment. Just take it as a fun entertaining story in which every guy can think " I am Allan Quartermain." This has obviously been the inspiration for so many of the adventure stories that have been written since King Solomon's Mines publications in the late 19th century. Just read it and have fun.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A rattling adventure story that, if anything, I found rather too fast to read. It lacked some of the depth of the author's other classic, She. Quite a dramatic final section.

[kale.dyer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable 'lost world' adventure story that was a touch more progressive about the 'natives' than I expected.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

By common consent one of the greatest adventure novels ever written. Much better than the very silly racist movie with Sharon Stone. Haggard knew Africa and shows real respect for his African characters, notably Ignosi --in fact, in some ways Ignosi seems to maneuver European explorers into taking him back to claim his thron.

[chrishall57_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent story in the ripping yarns / lost world genre! Very easy to read with a great storyline but you can tell it's from a different era, wouldn't get past the self censorship today.

[debs4jc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Three Englishman, a hunter, a soldier, and a gentleman, go off through the wilds of Africa in search of a lost brother, who was in search of the lost diamond mines of King Solomon. The adventurers encounter many obstacles, from the formidible terrain, to malicious animals, to native warriors. The version I listened too had Patrick Tull as the narrator, he had the perfect voice, he sounded just like you'd expect a crusty English hunter from the late 1800's to sound. Haggard's storytelling is superb, and I loved the way he had his narrator put in his little observation and asides. I highly recommend this adventure tale to anyone who loves suspense.

[reading_fox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic adventure story, a secret map and hidden treasure, only involving a trek across the desert to become fabulously rich. Told with a, at the time reasonable, white man's view of black africans. It comes across very perculiar to modern tastes. However later chapters when the tribesmen are found do rectify the balance somewhat.

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I came across this for the first time when I was only in the second year of secondary school, and is one of the few books I've actually read twice - I think.There are still echoes of Britain's imperial past on every page of this adventure story; it is a document of the time in which it was written, and as such is very enlightening, if a little disturbing.The adventure itself is quite the exotic one - Africa, in the time of real exploration and the English gentleman abroad; treasure; tribes; guns and so forth.

[bcquinnsmom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

King Solomon's Mines is a very fun book, and one I very highly recommend. If you like adventure stories, stories set in British Africa, stories about lost treasures or brave explorers, then I recommend it to you. Considering it was written well over a hundred years ago, it still is worthwhile to read, and I'm glad I did.The basic story:Allen Quatermain has made his home in Africa, and while on a ship back to his home, he enters into conversation with two men, one of whom has decided to go and look for his brother whom he has not seen in some time and whom he fears to be lost. It turns out that his brother may have gone to seek the lost diamond mines of King Solomon, and on hearing this, Quartermain tells of an old map which has come into his possession, telling the location of this alleged treasure. The three set out with a Zulu native, who has his own reasons (untold to the group) as to why he wants to accompany them. Along the way they have some strange encounters, none the least of which is an evil witch. Very very fun, and you can almost hear the theme song to the Indiana Jones movies as you read!

[dreamlikecheese · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This a classic rip-roaring adventure yarn about a group of men heading into deepest darkest Africa on the hunt for a lost brother and treasure. This book is most definitely a product of its times, with all the racism and chauvinism which that entails, but despite that it actually manages in some ways to be a more sympathetic treatment of "the natives" than many other books of a similar era. Just don't go in expecting enlightened attitudes!The story is engaging, and the voice of the "narrator" of the piece shows a writer at the full peak of his talent. He manages to maintain the line between Quatermain's natural voice and the voice of someone attempting to write a proper narrative for others to read, which maintains the fiction of Quatermain writing about his experiences very well. The humour is often unexpected, the story is well-paced, and the action is well-written. It's not a deep read, but it's a thoroughly engaging one.

[narellej_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great read and I would reconment it to any teen that enjoys quest and adventure stories. Just because it is old (classic) does not mean its not great!

[tronella_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to an audiobook version of this from Librivox. Being a story about a bunch of white guys wandering around Africa in the 19th century, it's unsurprisingly quite amazingly racist in parts, but the whole epic-quest aspect was fun. I liked the bit when they were trapped in a cave full of diamonds, and sat around going "lol irony! you can't eat diamonds! woe."

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an old fashioned adventure yarn and its hero, Alan Quatermain, is a direct ancestor of Indiana Jones. I'm not going to claim that Haggard even at his best is the same order of classic as the best by Charles Dickens, the Brontes, George Eliot or Thomas Hardy. But like fellow Victorians Arthur Conan Doyle or Robert Louis Stevenson or Rudyard Kipling, Haggard really could spin a good yarn. Ten of his books are on my bookshelves. I gobbled those up in my teens and most I remember very, very well even decades later. My favorite of his novels involved Ayesha, known as She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, especially the book Wisdom's Daughter. King Solomon's Mines is his most famous novel though, probably helped by the film of that title. It does have humor, some unforgettable scenes and images, and lots of adventure and daring do. Yet I could list several novels by Haggard I liked better. And I think that has to do with Quatermain himself, the epitome of the "Great White Hunter" with the kind of casual racism of the age and glory in bagging game you might expect. I prefer Haggard's Eric, the Viking from Eric Brighteyes. Or Olaf from The Wanderer's Necklace. Or his Odysseus from his Homer homage written with Andrew Lang, The World's Desire. And above all his indomitable Ayesha, one of the great heroines of Victorian literature. So while this is Haggard's best known work, I don't think it's necessarily his best or the one a contemporary reader would enjoy the most.

[bookwoman247 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great white hunter and guide Allan Quartermaine has been hired by Sir Henry Curtis to aid in the search for his missing brother who disappeared in a remote region of Africa. There, it is rumored, that the source of King Solomon's legendary wealth can be found. Curtis and Quartermaine are joined by Captain Good.This, of course, is the tale of their journey, and the hazards and wonders they experienced.King Solomon's Mines was the prototype of Indiana Jones type adventure stories, and was great fun to read!

[2wondery_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is seldom that a book, even a classic, grabs me like this one. I am in love!Story construction, narrator's voice, elegant turn of phrase, wonderful characters. It's all there. I'm sorry it took me so long to find it.

[autumnesf · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Classic adventure book, great for young boys or anyone that likes a straight forward adventure.

[ben_a_11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is, I think, the longest I have gone between re-reading of books -- more than 25 years ago I first read Haggard at a (horrible) sleep-away camp. (I think I also read "Starman Jones" while I was there, and I know I borrowed the "Pelman the Powershaper" series from one of the counselors). Some very small things I remembered: the chain-mail, the hag's trap. Almost all else had passed. A vivid adventure, and with a prose style so much better than we expect from genre fiction now. "A sharp spear," runs the Kukuana saying, "needs no polish"

[katie_h_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love classic adventure stories, and this one did not disappoint! It wasn't an epic, like Count of Monte Cristo, but it offered the reader plenty of continuous excitement and action on par with an Indiana Jones movie. The novel tells of Allan Quartermain, a 19th century elephant hunter in Southern Africa, who is convinced by two English men (Curtis & Good) to help search for Curtis's brother and hopefully find overflowing riches at the elusive mines of King Solomon on the way. The group is joined by Umbopa, an African porter who, as it turns out, has a surprising secret. Many challenges hinder their road to fortune ... witches, tribal warfare, desert dehydration, angry elephants... the thrills just don't stop. Can they find the elusive diamonds and still have their lives to show for it?

[collingsruth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THE Victorian boy's adventure novel. Interesting plot that will remind readers of Indiana Jones. Actually, pretty much any male hero adventurer with a slightly supernatural bent. Unlike so many of these, though, Alan Quartermain is short, unattractive, a coward, and ultimately pragmatic above all else. Maybe one of my new favourite characters. Though the entire story takes place in Africa, this actually isn't as completely racist as it could be. That seems like faint praise, but Haggard definitely treats the various African tribes much better than, say, John Smith does Native Americans. They are still definitely considered less civilized than the Europeans, but never mocked or called devils. Their skills in various areas are often praised. At the end of the day Quartermain becomes BFFs with a few men of a fictional tribe as equals, even if there are quite a few not so nice mentions of the fact that relationships between blacks and whites were not a good idea. There is a definite slight tang of Orientalism (yes I know Africa isn't the Orient you know what I mean).All in all a very enjoyable read and very few cringe-worthy moments. An interesting side-note, it is mentioned that the tsetse fly kills cattle and livestock, but not humans. I wonder if that was because the sleeping sickness hadn't arrived in humans yet or if the association just hadn't been made.

[edgeworth_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

King Solomon's Mines was reputedly written on a wager, with H. Rider Haggard betting a friend that he could write a better adventure novel than Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It's a classic adventure novel, with three stiff upper lip Englishmen venturing into the South African veldt in search of a lost brother and the fabled treasures of King Solomon's mines.I haven't read Treasure Island, but if it's anything like Stevenson's Kidnapped, which I read and enjoyed a few weeks ago, I would personally say that Haggard failed his bet. King Solomon's Mines contains all the elements of a proper adventure novel - kitting up for an expedition, nearly dying in the wilderness, uncovering a Lost World kingdom, huge battles, restoring a rightful king, beiing trapped in a treasure chamber etc. - it's almost as though he's following a recipe. I found myself quite bored throughout, particularly during the wooden and lifeless battle scenes. This is fairly typical of 19th century novels, as far as I'm concerned, and it was more that Kidnapped pleasantly surprised me than that King Solomon's Mines let me down. But Stevenson is certainly the better writer; he has a wit and a charm about him that is wholly lacking in Haggard, which is unsurprising, given that the latter wrote a formulaic novel just to win five pounds.

[doxtator · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Written in slightly old-fashioned prose, it is the story of a search for a lost brother. It will take them through the desert, through cold mountain reaches, to meet the evil King on the other side of the mountain, and to involve themselves in a war. It is one desperate adventure after another. Shockingly for the modern day reader, the ideas of the time period are highlighted, and the reader will probably recoil from the hunting of elephants, and the deaths of so many characters during the course of the story. It has parts that are bloody, gruesome, and unsavory.If nothing else, however, it's a good, classic story to have under the belt for all those references to it in other stories, shows, and movies.