Other editions of book Smith and the Pharaohs, and other Tales: NULL

Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE (1856-1925) was a Victorian writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations. After failing his army entrance exam he was sent to a private 'crammer' in London to prepare for the entrance exam for the British Foreign Office, for which he never sat. Haggard's father sent him to Africa in an unpaid position as assistant to the secretary to Lieutenant-Governor of Natal Sir Henry Bulwer. Heavily influenced by the larger-than-life adventurers he met in Colonial Africa, the great mineral wealth discovered in Africa, and the ruins of ancient lost civilizations in Africa such as Great Zimbabwe, Haggard created his Allan Quatermain adventures. Haggard also wrote about agricultural and social issues reform, in part inspired by his experiences in Africa, but also based on what he saw in Europe. Haggard is most famous as the author of the best-selling novel King Solomon's Mines (1885). Amongst his other works are She (1887), Allan Quatermain (1888), Eric Brighteyes (1891) and Ayesha (1895).

Although H. Rider Haggard wrote a total of 58 books of fiction during his four decades as a writer, only two of those titles consist of short stories: "Allan's Wife" (1889), which includes that novella and three short tales, and "Smith and the Pharaohs" (1920). This latter volume consists of six brief stories, and is thus a practically unique demonstration of this master storyteller's way with the shorter form. Four of these stories take place in Africa, the setting of so many of Haggard's novels, and all are eminently readable and of interest. The collection kicks off with the title tale, and concerns a budding Egyptologist who is locked up one night in the Cairo Museum, and dreams that he is put on trial for grave robbing by the ghosts of Egypt's pharaohs and queens. Or is it a dream? This is a very amusing, somewhat lighthearted, at times eerie tale, which also serves as a bit of a history lesson for those not up on their ancient lore. While perhaps not on a par with Algernon Blackwood's story "A Descent Into Egypt," it remains most entertaining. (Haggard does make a rare goof in this tale, when he writes that Thotmes III was Hatshepu's brother and husband; in actuality, he was her son. Thotmes II was her husband. I know, I know...who cares, right?) Next up is a tale for all fans of Haggard's arguably greatest creation, the hunter Allan Quatermain. by s.ferber

The stories collected in this volume represent some of the key elements that Haggard is so well known for. In "Smith and the Pharaohs," Mr. James Ebenezer Smith is trapped inside a Cairo museum. He has sponsored many expeditions into Egypt and has been rewarded with many of such artifacts. However, as he falls asleep in the museum, he dreams about a tribunal in which the Pharaohs of the past judge him for tomb robbing. In "Magepa the Buck," Allan Quartermain talks about his adventures in Africa and about a Zulu man he once met that sacrificed all for his grandson.H. Rider Haggard was an English author known for his fantastic adventure stories as well as his sympathetic portrayal of native peoples. He is best known for creating the fictional character Allan Quartermain, the fictional character who is rumored to be the inspiration for Indiana Jones.