Other editions of book King Solomon's Mines: By H. Rider Haggard : Illustrated

The author ventures to take this opportunity to thank his readers for the kind reception they have accorded to the successive editions of this tale during the last twelve years. He hopes that in its present form it will fall into the hands of an even wider public, and that in years to come it may continue to afford amusement to those who are still young enough at heart to love a story of treasure, war, and wild adventure.

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

Now that this book is printed, and about to be given to the world, a sense of its shortcomings both in style and contents, weighs very heavily upon me. As regards the latter, I can only say that it does not pretend to be a full account of everything we did and saw. There are many things connected with our journey into Kukuanaland that I should have liked to dwell upon at length, which, as it is, have been scarcely alluded to. Amongst these are the curious legends which I collected about the chain armour that saved us from destruction in the great battle of Loo, and also about the "Silent Ones" or Colossi at the mouth of the stalactite cave. Again, if I had given way to my own impulses, I should have wished to go into the differences, some of which are to my mind very suggestive, between the Zulu and Kukuana dialects. Also a few pages might have been given up profitably to the consideration of the indigenous flora and fauna of Kukuanaland.[1] Then there remains the most interesting subject—that, as it is, has only been touched on incidentally—of the magnificent system of military organisation in force in that country, which, in my opinion, is much superior to that inaugurated by Chaka in Zululand, inasmuch as it permits of even more rapid mobilisation, and does not necessitate the employment of the pernicious system of enforced celibacy. Lastly, I have scarcely spoken of the domestic and family customs of the Kukuanas, many of which are exceedingly quaint, or of their proficiency in the art of smelting and welding metals. This science they carry to considerable perfection, of which a good example is to be seen in their "tollas," or heavy throwing knives, the backs of these weapons being made of hammered iron, and the edges of beautiful steel welded with great skill on to the iron frames. The fact of the matter is, I thought, with Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good, that the best plan would be to tell my story in a plain, straightforward manner, and to leave these matters to be dealt with subsequently in whatever way ultimately may appear to be desirable. In the meanwhile I shall, of course, be delighted to give all information in my power to anybody interested in such things. And now it only remains for me to offer apologies for my blunt way of writing. I can but say in excuse of it that I am more accustomed to handle a rifle than a pen, and cannot make any pretence to the grand literary flights and flourishes which I see in novels—for sometimes I like to read a novel. I suppose they—the flights and flourishes—are desirable, and I regret not being able to supply them; but at the same time I cannot help thinking that simple things are always the most impressive, and that books are easier to understand when they are written in plain language, though perhaps I have no right to set up an opinion on such a matter. "A sharp spear," runs the Kukuana saying, "needs no polish"; and on the same principle I venture to hope that a true story, however strange it may be, does not require to be decked out in fine words. Allan Quatermain. [1] I discovered eight varieties of antelope, with which I was previously totally unacquainted, and many new species of plants, for the most part of the bulbous tribe.—A.Q.

Still in print after 120 years! Diamonds by the million, untouched since Solomon's day, guarded by the image of Death deep in an African mountain, the only clue a crumbling map three centuries old. Charged by berserk elephants, parched by days of thirst and nights in the desert waste, chilled by mountain blasts and the stare of death, Sir Henry Curtis reaches Solomon's White Road. There, in the lurid light of a massacre, he faces the only possessor of Solomon's secret - the vulture-headed Gagool!

A sensation when it was first published in England (1885), King Solomon's Mines carried readers away on the wings of adventure long before computerized special effects were ever dreamed of. One of the first African adventure stories inspired by the exploits of Richard Burton and others, it recounts famed African explorer Allan Quatermain's thrilling search for the fabled diamond mine of the Biblical King Solomon, located deep in Africa's "heart of darkness." As Quatermain and his companions, Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good, retrace the steps of Sir Henry's brother, who disappeared searching for the mine, the intrepid trio braves parching deserts and icy mountains, survives wicked witchcraft and fierce tribes, only to be lured into an eerie stalactite cave of skeletons and narrowly escape being buried alive in a tomb of diamonds.

The first great "Lost World" action-adventure, H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines has entertained generations of readers since its first publication in 1885. Following a mysterious map of dubious reliability, a small group of men trek into southern Africa in search of a lost friend-and a lost treasure, the fabled mines of King Solomon. Led by the English adventurer and fortune hunter Allan Quartermain, they discover a frozen corpse, survive treks across remote mountains and deserts, and encounter the merciless King Twala en route to the legendary hoard of diamonds.

“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 Mines, 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 wilderness, 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.