Allan Quatermain Series

“Out of the dark we came, into the dark we go. Like a storm-driven bird at night we fly out of the Nowhere; for a moment our wings are seen in the light of the fire, and, lo! we are gone again into the Nowhere." An instant best-seller when it was released in 1885, King Solomon’s Mines is regarded as one of the earliest works of “lost world” fiction in which explorers discover an unknown world full of adventure and mystery. In King Solomon’s Mine, adventurer Allan Quatermain sets out on an expedition to find a friend’s brother who was lost while searching for the mines of the biblical King Solomon. The mines are said to hold the riches and treasures of Solomon’s kingdom, a temptation that Quatermain cannot deny. The expedition takes Quatermain through dangers encounters with fierce animals, the perils of wildnerness, and into mysterious lands with vast armies and hidden kingdoms. This novel is full of exciting adventures and examinations of human desires in the face of the uncaring natural world. A long-standing classic with beautiful prose and imagery, King Solomon’s Mines has been adapted many times for film and television, and its themes and plot have informed the adventure and lost world genres for decades.

Legends tell of an unknown, hidden country where King Solomon's treasure is secreted. Many have searched for Solomon's diamonds and have never returned from their mysterious journey. Sir Henry Curtis' brother was lost on just such an adventure. Now, with a secret map, a regal guide, and the aid of Allan Quatermain, the renowned safari hunter, a group of 3 Englishmen journey to a secret land of witch doctors, warriors, and ancient mysteries. This is one of the best-selling novels of the 19th century, and has inspired countless adventure stories, including the Indiana Jones movies and Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan series. It's an adventure epic you won't want to miss!

The book was first published in September 1885 amid considerable fanfare, with billboards and posters around London announcing "The Most Amazing Book Ever Written". It became an immediate best seller. By the late 19th century explorers were uncovering lost civilizations around the world, such as Egypt's Valley of the Kings, the city of Troy, and the empire of Assyria. Africa remained largely unexplored and King Solomon's Mines, the first novel of African adventure published in English, captured the public's imagination. The "King Solomon" of the book's title is the Biblical king renowned both for his wisdom and for his wealth. A number of sites have been identified as the location of the mines of Solomon, including the workings at Timna near Eilat, and many "fictional" locations. Haggard knew Africa well, having penetrated deep within the continent as a 19-year-old during the Anglo-Zulu War and the First Boer War, where he had been impressed by South Africa's vast mineral wealth and the ruins of ancient lost civilizations being uncovered such as Great Zimbabwe. His original Allan Quatermain character was based in large part on the real-life adventures of Frederick Courtney Selous, the famous British big game hunter and explorer of Colonial Africa.[ These experiences provided Haggard's background and inspiration for this and many later stories.

Allan Quatermain is a hunter who lives in South Africa. One day, after he returns home from an unsuccessful elephant hunt, he meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good. The two men are looking for Curtis’ brother, who disappeared whilst trying to find King Solomon’s Mines. Quatermain owns a map that show the way to the mines, so he decides to help Curtis and Good. Allan organizes an expedition that will take them to the edge of the desert. Who exactly is Curtis’ brother? Why is he looking for King Solomon’s Mines? Is he a looter or an explorer? Will the expedition be successful and what are the men going to find? Is Curtis’ brother still alive?Find all the answers in Henry Haggaard’s adventure novel “King Solomon's Mines” from 1885.B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous classics is available to readers everywhere.Henry Rider Haggaard (1856-1925) was an English author of Danish descent. Following his debut non-fiction book on South Africa, he helped introduce the “Lost World” genre through his character of Allan Quatermain from the classic bestseller "King Solomon's Mines". Haggaard has influenced many other fantasy writers, among these J.R.R. Tolkien, and several of his books have been adapted to film as well as having inspired the Indiana Jones movies.

The irascible Allan Quatermain first reveals one of his many adventures with the story that captured the imagination of the world. His quest for treasure leads him to a lost civilization, and then he finds he must start a revolution. The biggest question he has is how can he get the treasure and escape with his life?

African explorer Allan Quatermain and his two companions aren't just searching for the fabled diamond mine of the Biblical King Solomon, deep in the heart of Africa, they are searching for a man. The trio braves long treks across parched, waterless deserts and the icy cold of the mountains. They survive wicked witchcraft and fierce tribes, only to be lured into an eerie stalactite cave of skeletons where they narrowly escape being buried alive in a tomb of diamonds with chests full of uncut stones, some as large as pigeon's eggs

One of the bestselling novels of the nineteenth century, King Solomon's Mines has inspired dozens of adventure stories, including Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan books and the Indiana Jones movies. Vivid and enormously action-packed, Henry Rider Haggard's tale of danger and discovery continues to shock and thrill, as it has since it was first presented to the public and heralded as "the most amazing book ever written." Following a map, adventurer Allan Quartermain embarks on a perilous and thrilling journey into the heart of Africa with Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good to find Sir Henry's missing younger brother - and the fabled lost diamond mines of King Solomon. This gripping adventure into dangerous and unknown lands will stay with you for a lifetime.

King Solomon’s Mines is set in nineteenth-century Africa. Allan Quartermain, hunter, is commissioned by the valiant Sir Henry Curtis and his jovial friend Captain Good to lead them to the fabled lost mines of King Solomon. In the company of these dauntless men we undertake the most exciting safari ever described. We hunt big game, we go to war with the terrifying King Twala of Kukuanaland and his diabolical henchwoman Gagaoola – and are amazed by the twist at the end.

H. Rider Haggard's 19th-century novel "Allan Quatermain,” is the sequel to the novel “King Solomon's Mines”(1885). In this novel, adventurer Allan Quaterman's son has passed away and Quatermain longs to get back into the wild. From the eastern coast of Africa, he and a party of comrades arrive in the hostile territory of the Maasai and eventually make their way to a sacred lake of the Zu-Vendis. Although they are not welcome, the lake is ruled by two queens who take a great liking to the party. “King Solomon's Mines” and “Allan Quatermain” were adapted into the film King Solomon's Treasure (1979).B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous classics is available to readers everywhere.H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was an English adventure fiction and non-fiction writer. His works include short stories and novels that have influenced adult and children’s literature alike. Considered a pioneer in the lost world literary genre, his stories are often set in exotic locations, primarily Africa. Haggard’s stories have been adapted into films countless times. The Ayesha novel series has seen several film adaptations, including She (1965) with Peter Cushing and Ursula Andress, based loosely on the books.

We have met the intrepid hunter-tracker Allan Quatermain before, in H. Rider Haggard’s marvelous King Solomon’s Mines. This time, grieving from the tragic loss of his son, Quatermain longs to return to his beloved Africa. He sets out in search of a lost white tribe, the Zu-Vendis, ruled by two beautiful sister Queens. Once again, Quatermain’s companions are the indefatigable Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good, and the magnificent Zulu warrior Umslopogaas. The journey is incredibly dangerous, and thrillingly told. After a fantastic underground journey by canoe, our heroes are embroiled in a bloody civil war when both queens fall in love with the irresistibly handsome Curtis.

This sequel to King Solomon's Mines is filled with the spirit of adventure. Three men and their guide trek into remote Africa in search of a lost white race. Their perilous journey takes them to Zu-Vendis, a kingdom ruled by the beautiful twin sisters, Nyleptha and Sorais. Thrilled by rumors of a lost civilization, three Englishmen decide to travel to the heart of Africa with their Zulu guide, where they meet with continual peril: an attack by a cruel warrior tribe, the scorch of underground volcanic fires, and an encounter with a huge species of ferocious black crab. Exhausted and depleted of supplies, the men at last arrive at a mysterious city in the highlands of the interior. The people, called the Zu-Vendi, enjoy a civilization suggesting Egyptian origin, which includes a sun-worshiping priesthood. The travelers immediately fall into disfavor with the priests by shooting some sacred hippopotami. More problems arise when Sir Henry falls in love with one of the twin queens who rule the land. Her devious sister becomes jealous, and civil war erupts.

Haggard wrote Allan Quatermain immediately after King Solomon’s Mines, though it takes place at the chronological tail end of Quatermain’s adventures. He has just lost his only son, and is now wearied with the traditional English lifestyle. He longs for the wilds of Africa. He convinces his friends Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good as well as the Zulu chief Umbopa to return to Africa in search of a fabled race of white people. Fierce Masai warriors, subterranean rivers, creatures from the deep, and a spectacular civil war are all in store for our seasoned adventurers. It’s an adventure you won’t want to miss!